Labour has released a 'climate manifesto', with policies on a second emissions reduction plan, a new ministerial role to over see the transition towards lower emissions, and a plan for increasing renewable electricity generation.
The party said it would invest a further $300 million into the Green Investment Fund, which invests in businesses and technologies reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It said it would also create a new minister for Just Transitions to work with communities on adapting to economic change as a result of climate change.
The new initiatives proposed in the manifesto would be funded from the climate emergency respond fund, which National has pledged to use to fund its tax cuts.
The manifesto also re-affirms existing climate policies, such as grants for solar panels, removing coal boilers from schools and hospitals, and ensuring all farms have a plan to measure and manage emissions by 2025.
"For a long time, climate change has been seen only as a moral issue," Labour leader Chris Hipkins said.
"It's now much more than that - it's a growing economic and government credibility issue, and it's crucial New Zealand has the right decision-makers in place so that we do not miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity to get this right.
"Our trade and tourism opportunities depend on it, as does the wellbeing of our communities."
Plans in the manifesto
- A second Emissions Reduction Plan to achieve the Second Emissions Budget
- Delivering empowering New Zealand: a 12-point plan to increase renewable electricity generation
- Investing a further $300m into NZ Green Investment Finance, bringing Labour's total commitment to $1b
- An initial investment of $50 million, and a further $20 million, for research and development to tackle the complex parts of reducing emissions in the economy
- Removing diesel generators from all schools
- Reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme to drive gross emissions reduction, as recommended by the Climate Commission
- Delivering a new climate adaptation and managed retreat framework to support local communities to plan, prevent and re-build
Other policies previously announced include:
- Doubling the number of homes with solar panels though a new $4000 rebate
- Removing all coal boilers from schools and hospitals within two years
- 100,000 more heating and insulation installations through Warmer Kiwi Homes
- EV charging hubs every 150 - 200 kilometres on main highways
- 600 to 1000 EV chargers at community facilities in smaller rural communities
- $18,000 rebate for energy efficient deep retrofit of existing homes
- $7000 rebate for partial retrofits like double glazing and insulation
- $3000 rebate for households who electrify and move off gas
- Support for low emissions trucks to help freight industry decarbonise
- Ensuring all farms measure and manage their emissions by the start of 2025 and reward on-farm sequestration, including adding riparian planning, wetlands and other types of vegetation to the Emissions Trading Scheme
Hipkins claimed National's policies would reverse the country's progress on climate action, and also increase fuel prices.
"Not only are the climate policies National is taking into the election simplistic and opaque, they take us backwards by more than six million tonnes of CO2 by 2030.
"National's plan to rely only on the Emissions Trading Scheme without complementary policies is the most expensive and disruptive way to try and reach New Zealand's climate goals.
"Climate Commission modelling also shows high reliance on Emissions Pricing would mean an extra 400,000 hectares of new exotic carbon forest by 2050 - which is equivalent to all land used for sheep farming across New Zealand. In contrast, Labour will limit the amount of exotic afforestation caused by the Emissions Trading Scheme."
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
National Party campaign chairperson Chris Bishop said Labour was spreading misinformation by claiming National had "not announced a single new policy that reduces emissions".
"Labour has so far dumped more climate change policies than they've actually announced. Chris Hipkins started the year scrapping a range of government climate change initiatives, which makes Megan Woods' attack on National even more peculiar."
But Hipkins rejected that, saying it was a "bizarre claim".
"Next thing you know, Christopher Luxon will be touting the fact that he's doing recycling in order to try and tackle climate change ... the reality is we've set out a comprehensive plan to tackle climate change, that includes every aspect of the climate challenge."
Bishop referred to National's 'Electrify NZ' policy aiming to double supply of renewable energy, and would partner with the private sector to achieve 10,000 public electric vehicle chargers by 2030.
Labour's campaign chairperson Megan Woods said 'Electrify NZ' was not a decarbonisation plan.
"We already have up to 90 percent renewable electricity, what the National party are walking away from is how it is we work with industry to move them off burning fossil fuels in industrial use and onto clean renewable energy.
"The EV chargers stuff is happening anyway, in fact there was money in this year's Budget for the rollout of an EV charging network. We are not seeing anything from the National Party which will reduce emissions in New Zealand and we're still waiting to hear how they're going to fill the hole of all the programmes they're slashing that do cut emissions."
Green Party co-leader James Shaw said his party was on the same page about the need to cut emissions, but Labour's announcement was actually largely the existing work programme and the Greens' policy would go further.
"We know we need to do more in order to meet our emissions targets and prevent things from getting worse. The bold action we need will only happen with Green ministers at the decision making table pushing for action in every area."
Shaw said the current progress on climate action would not have happened without the Green Party.
"The decisions the next government makes will shape our response to climate change for generations to come. I cannot think of anything more dangerous than a government with David Seymour and Winston Peters calling the shots."
Hipkins also said Peters - if part of the next government - would be the handbrake on climate action.
He said Labour had been focused on supporting farmers' transition to more sustainable farming.
"We have to recognise that their access to international markets for their products is actually going to depend on us staying at the forefront of being the world's most sustainable food producer."
The National Party also highlighted they would "reduce agricultural emissions through on-farm measurement from 2025 and a fair and sustainable pricing system for agricultural emissions by 2030 that reduces emissions without sending production overseas".
This would mean a five-year delay to agricultural emissions pricing compared to the status quo.
