15 June 2017

OECD highlights need to green New Zealand’s economy

The OECD’s 2017 Economic Survey of the New Zealand has highlighted a significant need to green New Zealand’s economy if we want to sustain our current growth into the future, the Green Party said today.

The OECD found that short-term growth was being driven by tourism, migration, and construction activity, however the longer term was being undermined by our low productivity, the pollution of water from farming and urbanisation, and high and growing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Securing New Zealand’s long-term prosperity requires us to make the switch to a greener, more productive economy,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

“Productivity is low relative to the rest of the OECD and has gone nowhere after nine years of National. Another three years will change nothing.

“Lifting productivity is one of the key ways we can improve living standards for all New Zealanders, providing workers share in the productivity gains fairly.

“We need to invest more in R&D and lift the performance of our manufacturing sector in particular, rather than throw more and more money at the primary and extractive sectors to simply produce more.

“We need a Minister for Manufacturing.

“The OECD has also highlighted the risks of National’s short-term economic strategy for our rivers and the climate.

“Pollution from the uncontrolled expansion of farming and urbanisation is reducing water quality, while greenhouse gas emissions are high and continue to grow.

“Only the Green Party has the determination to clean up our rivers and put a fair price on carbon to help make the shift to a low-carbon economy,” said Mr Shaw.

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