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James Shaw has revealed country’s first carbon budgets (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)
James Shaw has revealed country’s first carbon budgets (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)

The BulletinMay 10, 2022

Our first carbon budgets

James Shaw has revealed country’s first carbon budgets (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)
James Shaw has revealed country’s first carbon budgets (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)

Climate change minister James Shaw reveals country’s first three carbon budgets kicking off historic ten days for climate policy, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Bulletin.

 

Emissions budgets released ahead of plan 

Climate change minister James Shaw revealed the country’s first three carbon budgets yesterday. They span the periods between 2022–2025, 2026–2030 and 2031–2035. The budgets set a limit on the amount of greenhouse gas that can be emitted into the atmosphere. The budgets are based on meeting requirements in the Zero Carbon Act which was passed in 2019 and established the climate change commission. The full plan is out next Monday. RNZ’s climate reporter, Hamish Cardwell has a useful timeline of the path to this point.

National party supports carbon budgets

In a statement from Christopher Luxon, the National party has endorsed the budgets. “Climate change is a huge challenge. National is fully committed to emissions targets including net zero by 2050,” Luxon said. Te Pāti Māori has said the budgets aren’t ambitious enough while Act has said they don’t support them, maintaining their position that a cap within the Emissions Trading Scheme would be sufficient. Shaw has worked to obtain bipartisan consensus on the plan to ensure certainty as governments change. There will be a special parliamentary debate on the budgets on Thursday.

​​Error spotted by journalist changes budgets

In a mistake attributed to “genuine human error” in ​​March, the ministry of primary industries supplied information to the government that claimed new forests could not be planted without significant deforestation. The government extended the 2022-2025 carbon budget to account for this, adjusting it to 292m tonnes, 2m tonnes more than was recommended by the climate change commission. The error was reported by Stuff journalist Olivia Wannan. Shaw resolved to investigate the issue and the carbon budgets are now back in line with the original recommendations made by the climate change commission.

Half price public transport fares may be here to stay

Finance minister Grant Robertson has already flagged that a significant new spend in the budget will go towards meeting our climate goals. Stuff’s Ben Strang reports that the idea of making the public transport fare discount permanent has been part of budget discussions. The government introduced the nation-wide three-month discount in response to rising fuel prices. Auckland Transport reported patronage figures yesterday. There were 1.22 million trips on public transport last week, the largest number since August 2021. More time may be required before we can see how much impact half-price fares have had as the lifting of covid restrictions will no doubt have played a part as well.

Congestion charging on the cards for Auckland

As reported by Thomas Coughlan at NZ Herald this morning, the government is likely to announce that congestion charging will be introduced for central city roads in Auckland. Todd Niall at Stuff has details of a report from the Helen Clark Foundation published this morning. The report says congestion charging could be fairly implemented in Auckland now but more work is required before it could be done in Wellington. Foundation fellow, Tom James said an initial cordon around Auckland’s city centre will meaningfully reduce traffic and emissions and be equitable.

Keep going!
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi (Photo: Getty Images)
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi (Photo: Getty Images)

The BulletinMay 9, 2022

Who could Te Pāti Māori work with?

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi (Photo: Getty Images)
Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi (Photo: Getty Images)

Based on recent polling, Te Pāti Māori would hold the balance of power at the next election. They’re seeking something new from any possible arrangement with the next government writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Bulletin.

 

A Tiriti-centric Aotearoa

Three recent polls have shown Te Pāti Māori to be in the position of deciding what the next government would look like. Jack Tame spoke to Te Pāti Māori co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer on Sunday about democracy, co-governance, who they could work with and what they are in parliament to achieve. Waititi said that at the moment, being in opposition is the best way to support their kaupapa, as they’re able to advocate fiercely. Neither seemed particularly ambitious about taking a role like deputy prime minister, saying a decision like that would be driven by whether it was a fit with their kaupapa. Waititi said a “Tiriti-centric Aotearoa” would be the basis of any negotiations.

“Extreme difficulty” working with parties that oppose Māori Health Authority

When asked about who they could and couldn’t work with in a potential government, Ngarewa-Packer sees “extreme difficulty” working with parties that oppose the new Māori Health Authority. Christopher Luxon said the National party would scrap the Māori Health Authority on Wednesday but that he has a good relationship with Waititi. When asked by Stuff’s Henry Cooke whether the National party could work with Te Pāti Māori, Luxon said he didn’t want to discuss any “electoral calculations”. Writing for RNZ, Peter Wilson said Te Pāti Māori holding the balance of power would “​​almost certainly favour Labour”.

Act would not support Te Pāti Māori’s position on Te Tiriti in coalition talks

After the most recent poll on Tuesday night, which had Act down 1.6% on the last Newshub-Reid Research poll, Act sent a fundraising email asking for donations to “keep the Māori Party out of government”. In an interview on RNZ’s Midday Report, Māni Dunlop pressed Act party leader David Seymour for a “yes” or “no” answer on whether he would take up Waititi’s offer of a mature and honest discussion about honouring Te Tiriti. Seymour said he would not support the Māori Party’s position on Te Tiriti o Waitangi in any coalition talks. Dunlop took that as a “no”.

Not coalition or confidence and supply but something new

Waititi said any arrangements with parties in forming a new government wouldn’t be a coalition or confidence and supply arrangement, but rather something new. It would be a “tiriti-centric kaupapa” that would be “fair, just, equal and equitable for all, not just tangata whenua”. There are 18 months until the next election and, as Ngarewa-Packer said in this NZ Herald piece (paywalled) from Michael Neilson about polling in late March, “One blooming pōhutukawa does not make for a great summer”.

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