The next National Government will cut red tape to drive a surge of investment in renewable electricity generation so New Zealand can double its supply of affordable, clean energy and become a lower emissions economy, National Leader Christopher Luxon says.

“National wants a future where buses and trains are powered by clean electricity, where we go on holiday in cars powered by clean electricity, and where industrial processing plants are powered by clean electricity, not coal.

“But to do that, we need to double the amount of renewable electricity we produce from New Zealand’s abundant natural resources – particularly solar, wind and geothermal. National will make it happen.

“To deliver on New Zealand’s climate goals, we need whole sectors of the New Zealand economy to switch to clean electricity.

“It makes no sense to encourage the shift to electric vehicles if the power comes from burning coal. New Zealand must have enough renewable electricity to meet the rising demand.

“The current planning system puts barrier after barrier in the way. A new wind farm can take ten years to complete – eight years to obtain resource consent, and two years to build. The Resource Management Act is the greatest barrier to New Zealand reaching its climate change targets. Labour’s proposed RMA 2.0 laws will only make this worse.

“That is why National is today announcing the first part of its ‘Electrify NZ’ plan which will cut red tape to significantly increase investment in renewable energy.

National will:

• Turbo-charge new renewable power projects including solar, wind and geothermal by requiring decisions on resource consents to be issued 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.

“Electrify NZ will help double the amount of renewable energy available and put New Zealand on track to reach its climate change goals.

“Forty per cent of New Zealand’s emissions come from transport and energy. Switching those sectors to clean electricity could deliver almost a third of the emissions reductions New Zealand needs to reach Net Zero by 2050.

“Labour declared ‘climate change is this generation’s nuclear free moment’ but all they have done in six years is triple coal imports and increase emissions.

“National is committed to meaningful action on climate change while growing the economy and we will be announcing more plans to lower emissions before the election.

“Under National, New Zealand will play its part in the global effort to combat climate change through massive investment in renewable energy.

“National believes Kiwis shouldn’t have to do less to achieve New Zealand’s climate goals. We can still drive cars, we can still heat our homes, and we can still grow the economy – but we need to use clean energy.

“National will make it easier to use abundant green energy to achieve a low-emissions, high-growth economy and put New Zealand on track to meeting its climate change goals this decade.”

Read our Electrify NZ policy here