Kia ora John –

The National Government’s first Budget has shown all its talk about meeting climate targets is just hot air. So far, it has cut more than $3 billion in climate-related work – a catastrophe for climate action that’s taking us backwards.

The Climate Emergency Response Fund has been slashed, and programmes like Warmer Kiwi Homes, which has helped thousands of homes to be healthier and more energy efficient, are being whittled down. Projects to transition New Zealand to fuel alternatives and a cleaner economy are being deprioritised.

We are accelerating away from our climate targets and the decarbonised economy we know we need.

The cuts come as the Government is also trying to push through unpopular, undemocratic legislation that works against the environment instead of with it. National’s Fast Track Approvals Bill makes sweeping changes to the Resource Management Act that could potentially allow destructive activities like coal mining and undo years of work to clean up our rivers. Tomorrow’s March for Nature in Auckland will send a message to the Government that the bill is destructive and puts our native species at risk.

National is cutting funding for key research institutions and is planning to cut up to a third of staff at the Ministry for the Environment, which leads work in key areas like emissions reduction, climate adaptation, waste disposal, and resource management policy. We will lose the invaluable expertise of those working on practical solutions to protect our land, sea, air, and freshwater.

These choices are irresponsible. National has chosen to spend $2.9 billion on a tax break for landlords while slashing even more from climate protection. It shows how out of touch National and its coalition partners are when it comes to the priorities of Kiwis and the climate emergency we are in.

We’ve been hearing from people around the country who are worried about their kids’ and grandkids’ futures being recklessly traded for short-term profits and tax cuts. Tax cuts that don’t even cover the loss of free prescriptions, half price public transport or healthy school lunches.

Labour is calling on the Government to face the facts and release the emissions implications of these neglectful decisions. The extreme weather our country has experienced highlights the urgent need to respond and adapt to the climate emergency. Instead, National is choosing to throw away our progress, expertise, livelihoods, and futures.

Megan Woods, Labour Spokesperson for Climate Change
MP for Wigram
Labour.org.nz