The National Party was once seen as the party for farmers, but it seems that’s no longer the case. The Taxpayers’ Union can confirm that Climate Change Minister Simon Watts refused requests by New Zealand’s largest farming group to meet ahead of his decision to ramp up the country’s already $24 billion Paris Agreement contributions.

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, James Ross, said “What is Simon Watts’ job? Because if it’s taking a balanced approach to stakeholders, he’s not doing it.”

“Publicly disclosed Ministerial diaries show Minister Watts is happy to get cosy with anti-agriculture activist groups like Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Aotearoa Circle, but his staff wouldn’t even reply to emails from Federated Farmers. Nor did Watts meet with Beef + Lamb, or even a Chamber of Commerce in formulating his Paris target.”

“Agriculture accounts for half our emissions. Forget just bad policy, not meeting with the major stakeholders in the industry the Minister has announced he plans to decimate is either extreme arrogance or severe incompetence.”

“National MPs were more than happy to join protest marches against James Shaw and Jacinda Ardern’s climate policy. It’s one thing to get into government and adopt the same policies, it’s quite another to ghost the stakeholders who got you there.”

“More than 9,000 New Zealanders have emailed the Prime Minister, and leaders of ACT and NZ First using the Taxpayers' Union's email tool asking them to overrule Watts’ extreme and costly 2035 target.”

“When are we getting a Minister who takes climate change – and the bill for tens of thousands every Kiwi household is getting stuck with – seriously? This isn’t a game, Minister.”

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