National’s current policy is not yet available although its Solar Panel policy is available here.

Its 2023 policy is here.

Delivering for the climate

National is absolutely committed to New Zealand’s climate change targets, including:

• Net zero greenhouse gas emissions excluding biogenic methane by 2050;

• Biogenic methane reduced by 10 per cent by 2030 and 24–47 per cent by 2050 compared to 2017 levels; and

• New Zealand’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to 50 per cent below gross 2005 levels by 2030.

Labour have talked a big game on climate but failed to deliver meaningful reductions in emissions. Their oil and gas exploration ban led to record coal imports, with double the emissions of gas. Labour has pursued a series of highcost pet projects, for example by gifting subsidises to wealthy owners of new Teslas while taxing farmers and tradies who have no alternative to petrol or diesel vehicles. The Government Investment in Decarbonisation (GIDI) Fund has given taxpayers’ money to corporates who should be reducing their emissions anyway.

Labour have wasted six years and now New Zealand is off track for its 2030 climate change goals. With time running out, New Zealand needs effective action on emissions. National’s climate change plan targets New Zealand’s three main sources of emissions – agriculture (51 per cent of emissions), energy (20 per cent) and transport (19 per cent).

1. Lower agriculture emissions

Agriculture contributes 11 per cent of GDP, 13 per cent of employment, 81 per cent of goods exports, and feeds around 40 million people worldwide. Kiwi farmers are among the most carbon-efficient in the world. As an agricultural nation, around half of this country’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from farms.

New Zealand needs to bring down agricultural emissions sustainably and without decimating our most important economic sector or covering our most productive land in trees.

National will take a technology-led approach to lower agricultural emissions. If farmers have the right tools, New Zealand can deliver for the climate and continue to be an agricultural nation.

National will:

1. Give farmers the tools they need to reduce emissions

• End the effective ban on GE and GM technologies.

• Farm-level emissions measurement by 2025.

• Continued sector-led investment in R&D to reduce on-farm greenhouse gases.

• Full recognition of on-farm sequestration on a robust, scientific basis.

2. Fair and sustainable pricing of on-farm emissions by 2030

• Split gas approach to keep agriculture out of the ETS.

• Prices set to reduce emissions without sending agricultural production overseas.

• Review methane targets for consistency with no additional warming from agriculture.

3. Limits on farm conversions to forestry on high-quality land from 2024 to protect highly productive farm land.

2. Lower energy emissions

National wants a future powered by clean energy, with cars, households and industry all powered by renewable energy. The transition from fossil fuels to clean energy will require a massive investment in renewable energy.

The main barrier to renewable energy is planning. It can take eight years to obtain a resource consent for a new wind farm – and only two years to build it. Labour’s RMA replacement, the Natural and Built Environment Act, will only make it more difficult to invest in renewables.

National’s Electrify NZ policy including offshore wind cuts red tape to unleash investment in more renewable energy. Our goal is to double the supply of affordable, clean energy by 2050.

National will:

• Turbo-charge investment in clean renewable energy including solar, wind and geothermal by requiring decisions on most resource consents in one year and consents to last for 35 years.

• Unleash investment in transmission and local lines by eliminating consents for upgrades to existing infrastructure and most new infrastructure.

• Enable rapid investment in offshore wind generation by fast-tracking permits for offshore wind while protecting the environment.

3. Lower transport emissions

Transport is currently responsible for almost one fifth of New Zealand’s emissions. Getting more EVs on the road will lower transport emissions and allow Kiwi families to enjoy the convenience of having their own vehicle.

But Kiwis may not make the switch to EVs if they cannot be sure they can recharge their car out on the road. Surveys show range anxiety – concern about running out of power on the road – continues to be a major barrier to switching to an EV. New Zealand has fewer public chargers per EV than any other OECD country because investment in public charging has not kept pace with the rising number of EVs.

National will:

• Invest $257 million over four years to deliver 10,000 public EV chargers by 2030, nearly ten times more than the current number.

• Cut the red tape holding back EV infrastructure investment by eliminating the need for resource consents for EV charging points to reduce up-front costs.

• Support the phase down of fossil fuels by enabling the development of sustainable aviation and marine biofuels to help decarbonise heavy transport.

4. Stronger emissions pricing

The ETS is the main tool for reducing New Zealand’s net emissions. Labour has destabilised the ETS with a series of actions including radical reform proposals which led to a collapse in the ETS price. It is essential to restore stability and confidence in the ETS.

National will:

• Set emissions budgets to deliver sustained increases in the ETS price over time to support lower emissions.

• Introduce 100 per cent recognition of on-farm sequestration in the ETS on a scientifically robust and additional basis.

• Ensure professional management and oversight of the ETS and introduce appropriate market regulations.