Greenpeace Aotearoa is condemning the Government’s 2025 Budget as a fighting fund for the war on nature, taken from hard-working New Zealanders to funnel towards wannabe seabed miners and oil and gas exploration.

As part of Budget 2025, the Government announced over a billion in tax cuts for corporates and a $200m dollar fund for gas exploration and extraction.

"This is a Scorched Earth Budget delivered in the middle of a climate crisis. The Government should be doubling down on action to cut emissions - not dumping public money into more fossil fuel extraction."

"Let’s be clear about why they’re slashing equal pay for women and gutting environmental protections - it’s to fund tax cuts for landlords and big tobacco, and now give handouts to the fossil fuel industry."

Greenpeace warns that "balancing the books" will only get harder if the Government pushes ahead with the Regulatory Standards Bill and RMA reforms. Both proposals include compensation clauses that could see corporations demand taxpayer handouts whenever new environmental or public health protections are introduced.

"It’s hard to see how any future government is going to afford basic protections for people or nature if polluters can demand payment every time they’re regulated," says Toop.

Greenpeace says this Budget is part of a pattern of slashing money for environmental and climate initiatives. Since taking the reins, the Government has:

• abolished the clean car discount;
• forced the Ministry for the Environment, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Conservation to cut jobs;
• canceled the Auckland Light Rail Project;
• cut public transport subsidies for young people;
• and steadfastly refused to put agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme.

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