“If the Emissions Reduction Plan is anything to go by this Government has lost all touch with reality and is unable to separate climate change policy from any other part of life,” says ACT Climate Change spokesperson Simon Court.

“The plan reads like a word cloud from a Labour/Greens after work drinks, and much of it has little to no connection to reducing emissions.

Some of the initiatives detailed are:

• Creating an accessible, responsive and flexible tertiary education and training system
• Changes to the national curriculum and NCEA system so we “embed an understanding of the collective nature of our wellbeing.”
• Developing an income insurance scheme and improve welfare system income adequacy
• Reducing the distance travelled by light vehicles by 20 per cent
• Implement the Tackling Safe Speeds programme to ensure safer speeds around schools
• Improved digital connectivity for rural communities
• Support Tikanga-based programmes to support needs and aspirations of whenua Māori entities
• The Essential Freshwater programme

“What on earth do any of these have to do with reducing emissions? Just like when they spend the COVID fund on pet projects under the guise of COVID recovery, they’re now using reducing emissions as an excuse to advance their ideological agenda.

“New Zealanders deserve better than Labour’s policy wishlist greenwashed as climate policy. ACT stands for real change in our climate policy, ensuring it is practical, effective, and not going to make life harder for New Zealanders.”

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