Our Demands
We selected four demands that, if implemented, will substantially reduce Aotearoa’s greenhouse gas emissions and put us on a path to zero emissions in 2050.
Two additional demands relate to systemic changes that will help to keep us on track.
Why?
In December 2015, in Paris, New Zealand and the world agreed to a legally binding agreement to limit warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. The Paris Agreement works on a five-year cycle of increasingly ambitious climate action. As of July 2023 New Zealand rates as Highly Insufficient in the Climate Action Tracker.
Is not enough to make promises. Our government must commit to a clear course of action that will achieve those targets.
What?
Emissions trading for dairy
- Include agriculture into ETS, as for every other industry
- Keep the 2025 backstop in place
- Or better, eg. Replace ETS with regulation/climate focused farm WOF, etc
Why dairy matters: Agriculture should be part of Cap and Trade, since this is NZs tool for reducing emissions and they are by far our biggest emitter
Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail
- Expand the rail network to 1990 levels.
- Restore freight on northern routes to keep trucks off the vulnerable roading network.
- Add capacity and frequency to move perishable goods fast.
- Restore passenger rail to 1990 levels so NZers can reliably and affordably move around the motu with the choice to avoid road and air travel
Why rail matters: Freight is causing havoc on our roads – contributing to surface damage and poor air quality as well as emitting greenhouse gasses.
Using rail would move heaviest vehicles off our roads, away from other road users – reducing congestion and carcinogens and improving road safety. It would be worthwhile even if it wasn’t reducing emissions.
With rail electrification we get both low emissions and resilient distribution infrastructure that will mitigate the effects of climate on food distribution.
Additionally NZers should have the option to move around the country without contributing to climate change. It must be convenient, reliable and affordable.
Free public transport for everyone
- Continue free public transport for kids and seniors, low fare for youth, permanently
- Extend free public transport to youth by 2025
- Extend low fare public transport to everyone by 2025
- Extend free public transport to everyone by 2030
Why public transport matters: Transport is necessarily a component in reducing our greenhouse emissions. With some exceptions, public transport is often more expensive and less convenient than private vehicle travel. Public transport users are essentially paying for the privilege of performing a public service that benefits us all. Instead they should be incentivised.
Right now seniors and kids can travel free. Youth and students are half price. This is a good start. Let’s go the whole way and make public transport free for everyone, reducing air pollution, congestion and carbon.
Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations
- Stop giving carbon credits to harvested exotic forestry
- Only include permanent native plantations
- Or better, Eg. Replace ETS with land stewardship/other specific planting incentives
Why forestry matters: Forestry is flooding the emissions trading market with cheap units, undermining the essential function of the ETS – to reduce emissions.
Continuous harvesting means that we are always replacing young trees with saplings – removing them before they reach maturity. As the most carbon is sequestered by mature trees this is less than ideal and much of the benefits are offset by transportation emissions
Climate accountability
- Regular press conferences to inform the public on the country’s progress in reducing greenhouse gasses (fortnightly)
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/action-on-climate-emergency
Why accountability matters: We rarely hear of government policies on climate change, the greatest threat to the future well-being of our children and grandchildren-and indeed of the whole planet. In 2019 the Prime Minister said that the climate crisis is ‘this generation’s nuclear free moment’ and the Government declared a climate emergency. Arguably, the Government has failed to treat it as such. It is time to take action which makes a vital and lasting difference and to hold the Government to account.
A well-being based economy
- Decouple economic well-being from consumption-heavily,, fossil fuel driven growth
- Value care-based services and the people who provide them, and remunerate them accordingly. Raise the status and protect the livelihoods of teachers, early childhood educators, law enforcement, senior care, nurses, bus drivers, corrections officers and others
- Acknowledge well-being as a public good. Invest to increase the quality and resilience of care-based services. Keep/restore these services to public control
Why well-being matters: The capital-based, continuous growth model that has dominated economies has had disastrous effects on the well-being of our planet and people.
The requirement for return on investment drives continuous growth which in turn requires an ever increasing scale of resource extraction. It is a supply driven system that needs to stimulate ongoing demand through planned obsolescence and poor quality – thus the throw-away economy which funnels cheap products from container to landfill, depletes natural resources, kills biodiversity and accelerates global warming.
This process requires large quantities of energy – depleting the world’s reserves and increasing climate change.
Ratings
Labour
✅ Emissions trading for dairy – Labour will allow scientifically validated forms of on-farm sequestrations into the ETS. There will be farm-level emissions reporting requirements by 2024 with emissions pricing to begin in 2025.
❌ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – Labour has announced (17/08/23) their transport plan which identifies 14 key nation-building projects to improve connectivity, with “continued investment
in public transport, walking and cycling.” Of the announced 14 projects 5 refer to rail;
❌ Free public transport for everyone – Labour has made public transport permanently free for children under 13, and half-price for under 25 year olds and New Zealanders with a Community Services Card, and have pledged to protect free off-peak travel for Supergold Card holders.
✅ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – Labour will exclude exotic species from the permanent forest category. The NZ ETS Review includes the redesign of the Permanent Forestry
Category. The Permanent Forestry Category refers to post 1989 forests that will not be clear-felled.
❌ Climate accountability – No information
✅ A well-being based economy – Labour will continue: delivering their plan to deliver accessible, well-funded health care for everyone, implementing changes already made to curb unfair practices that drive up house prices (eg, overseas speculation), helping with heating bills over winter, reviewing the minimum wage, free lunches in schools, retaining 1st year fees-free tertiary education
References
https://www.labour.org.nz/news-upgrading_our_transport_for_the_future
https://www.labour.org.nz/our-priorities
Green Party
✅ Emissions trading for dairy – “Immediately introduce comprehensive greenhouse gas emission pricing for agriculture.2.2.1. using the ETS, where appropriate, to set prices on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions consistent with emissions prices faced by other sectors of the economy”
✅ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – “Build surface light rail through key routes in our major cities… Significantly reduce fossil fuel use in transportation through sustainable urban planning and design, rapid transition to electrification, and facilitating active modes (walking and cycling), integrated public transport, rail transport (including freight), and coastal shipping”
✅ Free public transport for everyone – “Make urban public transport fare-free, starting with young people, students, disabled people, and those on low incomes, including beneficiaries”
❌ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – “including all indigenous forest in the ETS and making it easier to claim carbon credits for native forests… Work with industry to have at least 30% of the plantation forestry portfolio in superior high value species.”
✅ Climate accountability “Update all New Zealanders with the latest climate change-related evidence in an empowering, capacity-building way, as part of a regular accountability statement that enables all New Zealanders to be part of the solution.”
✅ A well-being based economy “Our transition to a climate-safe world means protecting community wellbeing; stopping excessive consumption; and addressing inequalities by empowering marginalised groups.”
References:
https://www.greens.org.nz/agriculture_and_rural_affairs_policy
https://www.greens.org.nz/transport_policy
https://www.greens.org.nz/forestry_policy
Te Pāti Māori
✅ Emissions trading for dairy – “Phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser on farms by 2025 and bring methane emissions from agriculture into the ETS to disincentivise intensive methane-emitting agriculture”
❌ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – No infrastructure policy found
❌ Free public transport for everyone – “Introduce free public transport for students at all levels”
❌ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – No forestry policy found
❌ Climate accountability – Not addressed in climate policy
✅ A well-being based economy – “Te Pāti Māori will introduce: Wealth Tax. Foreign Companies Tax. Land Banking Tax. Vacant House Tax… Establish A Comprehensive Kaupapa Māori Mental Health Service.. policies and practices derive from kaupapa tuku iho that are values that provide for the well-being of all and are in a constant state of enrichment and refinement…” – Adjusts the distribution of resources from wealth based to work-based, which decreases the energy consumption
References:
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/climate_change
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/2023_tax_policy
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/whanau_health
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/income
The Opportunities Party
❌ Emissions trading for dairy – Agriculture is not included in the ETS. Instead, TOP support the transition towards net zero with biodiversity credits which incentivise farmers to change land use practices. TOP will support farmers through targeted investments in data-mapping, analysis and land-guardian training and support.
❌ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – Electrify national urban bus fleet by 2030. Scale up investment in charging infrastructure.
✅ Free public transport for everyone – Fully-funded public transport and $1500 credit for bikes and ew-bikes and scooters for under 30 year-olds.
✅ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – “TOP will strengthen the ETS by excluding new forestry, instituting a hard cap on units”
❌ Climate accountability – No specific policy
✅ A well-being based economy – TEAL card, more funding for health & dental, review funding for GPs, mental health, ambulance. Immigration, Supporting internal and external climate refugees; community constables, victim support, Establish Alcohol & Drug court
References:
https://www.top.org.nz/climate-opportunities
https://www.top.org.nz/public-services
https://www.top.org.nz/tealcard
NZ First
❌ Emissions trading for dairy – No statement found under Climate Change or Agriculture in Policies or elsewhere on website or sent in reply to email
❌ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – No significant reinstatement or electrification apparent. “New Zealand First will connect the railway to Marsden Point and Northport from the Northern Main Trunk line” and “New Zealand First will provide a four lane highway alternate for the Brynderwyns” are policy commitments for 2023
❌ Free public transport for everyone – No indication of free local public transport
❌ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – No statement found on website or sent in reply to email. Not mentioned under Forestry or climate Change in policies
❌ Climate accountability – No specific policy; “New Zealand First will work with Business to ensure it is proactively part of shaping a shared plan to transition New Zealand to a zero carbon economy” – This is the approach government has been taking for the past 30 years or so. It is ineffectual in reducing emissions
❌ A well-being based economy – No specific policy; “NZ First will … give farmers back their flexibility, to adjust their activities, to maximise economic value”
References
https://www.nzfirst.nz/environment_conservation
https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_commitments
National
❌ Emissions trading for dairy – “Keep agriculture out of the ETS but implement a fair and sustainable pricing system for on-farm agricultural emissions by 2030 at the latest.” – Pushed back from current deadline of 2025
✅ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – “National wants a future where buses and trains are powered by clean electricity.”“Improvements to increase capacity and reliability on Lower North Island train services for passengers and freight.” …”providing more public transport options in Auckland and better rail services in Greater Wellington”…”Effective public transport provides commuters with more choice, helping to reduce congestion and travel times. Better public transport options, particularly in Auckland, our biggest city, will also contribute to New Zealand reducing transport emissions in support of our international climate change commitments..”
❌ Free public transport for everyone – “Public transport subsidies in line with those given to existing public transport services.” On 30 Aug, National announced it would end the ‘Community Connect’ programme, which includes half-price public transport fares for community service card holders, people aged 24 and younger, and those on total mobility services. It also includes free fares for children aged 12 and under.
✅ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – “from 2024 National will introduce limits on newly planted forests on converted farmland from entering the ETS… there will be a moratorium on whole-farm conversions to exotic forestry registering for the ETS… No limits will apply to native trees”
❌ Climate accountability – No specific policy.
❌ A well-being based economy – “National believes Kiwis shouldn’t have to do less to achieve New Zealand’s climate goals. We can still drive cars, we can still heat our homes, and we can still grow the economy.”
References:
https://www.national.org.nz/electrifynz
https://www.national.org.nz/nationals_plan_for_reducing_agricultural_emissions
https://www.national.org.nz/transportforthefuture
ACT
❌ Emissions trading for dairy – “ACT’s opposition to He Waka Eke Noa has been clear from day one”
❌ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – No specific policy found; “ACT is proposing to introduce a world-class toll roading system”
❌ Free public transport for everyone – ditto
❌ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – “ACT also proposes to change our climate change regulations to provide carbon credits for New Zealand wood products that store carbon for at least fifty years… The wood processing industry has repeatedly asked for carbon credits for timber which is milled and turned into framing and building products. ACT will give carbon credits where credits are due.”
❌ Climate accountability – “ACT will introduce a no-nonsense climate change plan which ties our carbon price to that of our trading partners.” Note: Since our partners are rated as insufficient or highly insufficient, this policy would lead to a race to the bottom.
❌ A well-being based economy – “Until we have a government focussed on economic growth we will continue to see tragedies in our health system, out of control crime, diminishing education standards and poverty.”
References:
https://www.act.org.nz/environment
https://www.act.org.nz/toll-roads
https://www.act.org.nz/productivity-crisis-the-root-of-new-zealands-problems
New Conservative
❌ Emissions trading for dairy – “There is no climate emergency. New Conservative will end all climate focused taxes, subsidies, and regulations. Laws like the Zero Carbon Act and Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) impose significant costs on everyday New Zealanders while not improving environmental outcomes.”
❌ Expand and electrify passenger and freight rail – No specific policy found; Finance policy does not support it. “Government spending needs to be re-directed towards future infrastructure, and towards properly maintaining current infrastructure (including roads, bridges and waterways).” and “Too much government spending is tied up in large projects with costs and timelines that spiral out of control.”
❌ Free public transport for everyone – No specific policy found; Finance principles do not support it. “New Zealand is over-governed, over-regulated, and over-taxed”
❌ Stop carbon credits for exotic plantations – “New Conservative supports the forestry industry based on the value of the timber produced. It is not good governance to subsidise and incentivise forestry for the value of future carbon credits. “
❌ Climate accountability – “There is no climate emergency”
❌ A well-being based economy – “We believe that steadily reducing the tax take as a percentage of GDP would be healthy for the New Zealand economy and society. This can most easily be achieved in the context of sustained economic growth.”
References:
https://www.nc.org.nz/environment
https://www.nc.org.nz/finance
Contact Us
Send us feedback to [email protected] with subject: Vote Climate 2023 – Policy Evaluation