National’s Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller welcomes independent research commissioned by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that adds to the scientific base for considering New Zealand’s climate change targets.

“National is committed to ensuring that we have a sustainable economy while ensuring our environment is protected for our children, and their children, but this should be based on science, not ideology.

“The research released today shows that reducing methane emissions by just 10 – 22 per cent will mean New Zealand’s methane emissions have a neutral impact on global temperature.

“National believes that short-lived methane and long-lived carbon dioxide should be treated differently – as previously recommended by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Productivity Commission.

“If we reduce methane by 10 – 22 per cent, and reduce all other gases to zero, it is equivalent to a 54 – 60 per cent reduction in our total emissions which is in line with New Zealand’s existing 2050 target.

“Climate Change Minister James Shaw has said to the United Nations that New Zealand will lead on climate change by becoming a net zero emissions economy. The Prime Minister and Mr Shaw want New Zealand to be first, fast and famous, but the reality is climate change policy needs to be based on facts not feelings.

“The Government must ensure revising our 2050 target does not cause unneeded economic pain that does not have an environmental benefit.

“We are working with the Government to make meaningful bi-partisan progress on climate change. National wants an independent, non-political Climate Change Commission established so we have a framework through which we address climate change issues in the future.”

National is committed to pursuing meaningful bipartisan progress on climate change, however, today’s statements by James Shaw that New Zealand should act ahead of the rest of the world are a real concern, National’s spokesperson for Climate Change Todd Muller says.

“National wants to see sensible, practical solutions, not extreme policies that would damage the economy and unnecessarily drive up costs for Kiwi households.

“We recognise the importance to New Zealanders – current and future – of addressing climate change and responsibly playing our part in a global response. Climate change is a truly global issue that all countries, and all economies, must grapple with in a collective effort.

“New Zealander’s want to play our part in a global effort and it is important that we are ambitious. But it is also important that our ambition moves at a pace that doesn’t leave our communities and businesses behind.

“As the true costs of the transition to a low carbon economy coalesce for communities, whether that be through higher food costs, increased petrol prices, or a slowing of the economy we should not lose sight of the fact that our country makes up less than one-fifth of one per cent of global emissions.

“We also need to act in step with the rest of the world so that our exporters aren’t unfairly disadvantaged. The consequences for our economy, jobs and the environment are too serious if we fail to respond to climate change responsibly.

“Long-lasting change requires broad and enduring support, so National wants to ensure that the economic impacts of the changes are considered alongside the environmental benefit.

“With consultation on the Zero Carbon Bill now closed, I am looking forward to working constructively with the Government to ensure New Zealand addresses this complex problem.

“The National Party is committed to seeking a bipartisan solution. As the conversation continues we will remain the voice of economic reason.”

National’s Climate Change Spokesperson Todd Muller is encouraging all New Zealanders to ensure their voices are heard as the Government consults on its proposed Zero Carbon Bill.

“Public consultation is the logical next step to build on what we have already heard from experts like the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Productivity Commission, who have called for increased public consideration on the establishment of a climate commission and our long-term targets and commitments,” Mr Muller says.

“These are complex, long-term issues and, like the Government, National will be taking some time to digest the details before landing on a position.

“This is not the start of New Zealand’s ambition when it comes to climate. We have always been ambitious. Any further ambition will need to be carefully weighed against the impact it will have on Kiwi families and the economy.

“The consultation document shows that stricter targets will result in lower incomes for families, higher costs for electricity, fuel and food, and an acknowledgement that this will be felt most strongly by those lower-income households.

“As you look further out, the carbon price is set to soar which will have a huge impact on our industry, business, fuel prices, incomes and GDP.

“These are significant costs and we need to get the balance right to ensure we play an appropriate role in what is a global challenge.

“My hope is that the Government will travel far and wide in the consultation to ensure they hear a wide range of views, from the East Cape to the West Coast.

“Enduring reform always walks at the pace the country feels comfortable with. This is the true test of our climate journey.”

If the Government is serious about tackling climate change, it must give the Interim Climate Change Committee a longer leash to be able to look at the bigger picture, National’s Climate Change Spokesperson Todd Muller says.

“The scope of the committee’s terms of reference is extremely narrow, only allowing the committee to consider how the Government might bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme and plan for the transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2035.

“Around 85 per cent of our electricity generation is already generated using renewables and the higher that percentage gets, the harder it becomes to make gains.

“And when it comes to agriculture and the ETS, if levied at the processor level with no technology available to effectively mitigate other than reducing stock numbers, it will just be a broad-based tax on farmers that will put us at a competitive disadvantage globally.

“Are these really the only things the Government wants the committee to focus on?

“It should widen the committee’s scope and allow it to consider things like our international targets and a more environmentally-friendly transport network.

“Transport has been the biggest contributor to the rise in our emissions since 1990. Between 1990 and 2015, our transport emissions rose by around 70 per cent with our fleet increasing in size by 1.5 million vehicles.

“We also happen to have one of the oldest, least efficient fleets in the developed world which only exacerbates the impact of the cars on our roads.

“It’s also remarkable that the Government would close the door on our oil and gas industry with no consultation, no cost-benefit analysis, and no regard for emerging technologies like carbon capture and storage, then days later announce this expert body on climate change.

“Surely that decision is something the committee of experts will have had an opinion on.

“It’s incredibly frustrating that the Minister is picking and choosing what requires expert advice and what should remain a political football.”

National Party Spokesperson for Climate Change Todd Muller welcomes the release of the draft report released by the Productivity Commission today but is warning of the risks of going too far too fast.

“The report calls for careful preparation and balance as we transition to a low emissions economy,” Mr Muller says.

“It builds on the significant work undertaken by the previous Government on increasing renewable energy, increasing the number of electric vehicles and reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.

“National is proud to have signed New Zealand up to the Paris Agreement, committing to ambitious 2030 and 2050 emissions targets. We have done well holding emissions steady through a period of strong economic and population growth, with emissions intensity decreasing relative to GDP.

“We have to reduce emissions significantly to meet our international obligations, but it’s important that we transition in a way that maximises opportunity and minimises costs.

“It is also important to adjust at the pace of available technology and remain conscious of our competitors and the wider global response. For instance, bringing agriculture into the ETS would make us the only country in the world to expose our industry in this way, making us outliers, not leaders.

“Going too far too fast could decimate our most productive sectors, costing jobs and actually increasing global emissions. Introducing agriculture to the scheme at the very entry level of 90% free allocation and $50 a tonne would cost the agricultural sector $190 million a year.

“The more extreme estimates of carbon prices of $250 a tonne and no free allocation would cost the agricultural sector $9.7 billion a year and wipe out the entire industry.

“My concern is that if we push too hard and fast here, we could leave communities behind. The National Party will support the careful preparation and balance needed to ensure a just transition to a lower carbon economy.”

The Government’s raid on regional New Zealand is ramping up, with Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor telling farmers they’ll be taxed thousands for carbon emissions, National’s Nathan Guy and Todd Muller say.

“Mr O’Connor has reportedly told East Coast farmers they’ll be taxed around $5000 to offset their carbon emissions,” National’s Agriculture spokesperson Nathan Guy says.

“He’s pulling numbers out of the air before the interim Climate Change Committee even begins its work.

“This will rip millions of dollars out of regional economies, leaving farmers with less to spend in their local communities, or for environmental initiatives like riparian planting along their waterways.

“It does nothing but place more pressure on farmers who are already feeling under attack by this Coalition Government. Farmers are already battling with increasing compliance costs and finding skilled labour, and are now facing paying more for carbon emissions and fuel, while getting fewer new roads, as well as having $100 million for irrigation projects ripped from their communities.

“This decision should be about investing wisely in technology not tax. That means partnering with farmers to help provide the ‘tools in the toolbox’ with scientific solutions,” Mr Guy says.

“For Mr O’Connor to stand in front of a room of East Coast farmers and send a clear signal that they will soon be paying for their carbon emissions really calls into question the integrity of the mandate of terms of reference the Interim Climate Change Committee is working to,” National’s Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller says.

“Is the committee going to be truly free to carry out an open minded, objective assessment of the merits of including agriculture in the ETS or is it setting out to confirm a predetermined outcome for the Government? We know what the Greens want but is that in the best interests of New Zealand?

“Mr O’Connor is assuming this is a done deal which makes an absolute mockery of the consultation process that is supposedly planned.

“The Agriculture Minister is talking about the Government making ‘hard decisions’ but it’s not them that will find it hard – it’s the farmers and growers and regional communities who are being forced to pay the price of its mounting bad ideas.

“If we force agriculture into the ETS before this technology is available it will amount to nothing more than another unfair tax on farmers and regional New Zealand.”

National stands behind New Zealand’s international commitments to reducing emissions but has cautioned against drastic action which will unfairly impact New Zealand farmers and businesses, spokesperson for Climate Change Todd Muller says.

“The Government has today established an Interim Climate Change Committee that will work on New Zealand’s efforts to meet our international climate change commitments – and right away set it the task of targeting regional New Zealand.

“New Zealand’s international commitments were made by the previous National Government because we believe New Zealand can and should play its part – but that we must do so in a sustainable way.

“We must also do it in a way that recognises the unique challenges we face – including the fact half of our emissions come from agriculture and we don’t yet have a cost effective way of mitigating them.

“But the fact the first task the Government’s committee has been assigned is how to bring agriculture into New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme shows a worrying lack of concern for our farmers and economy.

“Forcing agriculture into the ETS before we have the technology available to reduce emissions without culling stock will amount to nothing more than another unfair tax on farmers and regional New Zealand.

“The target of 100 per cent renewable electricity generation by 2035 also shows the Government does not fully understand the complexities of the challenge – or how vulnerable such a reliance could leave New Zealand’s electricity network.

“There are other issues where the committee’s efforts and considerable experience and expertise would be better focused in the meantime, for example how we might achieve a faster and broader economy-wide uptake of renewable transport.

“So far this just looks like another win for the Greens over NZ First and a raid on regional New Zealand.”

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller’s Members’ Bill which would give clarity around dividend rules has been drawn from the ballot and will be debated in Parliament.

“I am pleased that my Members’ Bill, the Companies (Clarification of Dividend Rules in Companies) Amendment Bill, has been drawn from the ballot. This Bill would amend the Companies Act 1993 to provide legal certainty around dividend rules,” Mr Muller says.

“There is currently doubt about the ability of a company’s constitution to provide for ‘dry shares’. These are shares which do not carry dividend rights in prescribed circumstances and are typically used in cooperatives when the shareholder no longer supplies the cooperative.

“Currently, section 36 of the Act suggests that provision for dry shares can be made in the constitution of a company. However, section 53 can be read in a manner that would seem to negate that right. This amendment seeks to clear up this historic confusion, which will provide much more clarity for cooperatives and shareholders.

“This simple amendment is supported by Cooperative Business New Zealand and makes it categorically clear that the constitution of a company can provide that shares in a class do not confer a right to receive dividends in the circumstances specified in the constitution.

“Zespri has also welcomed the clarity this Member’s Bill would offer on this point which has created challenges for them in the past as a grower-owned organisation. This change would help simplify the shareholding rules for both Zespri and their kiwifruit grower-shareholders.

“Most of my professional career has been in New Zealand’s agricultural sector, where cooperatives flourish, and I know from first-hand experience the challenges that have occurred around the interpretation of the current act. 

“The passage of this Bill will build on the work that the previous National Government carried out to make doing business in New Zealand easier. I will be seeking cross-party support for this Bill from first to final reading.”

The National Party welcomes a report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) outlining recommendations on how New Zealand can transition to a low carbon economy, Climate Change spokesperson Todd Muller says.

“National is up for the conversation about the steps we can take as a country to transition to a lower carbon economy. We all want to ensure that our natural environment can be enjoyed by our children and their children but it must be done carefully so as not to shock established sectors.

“There are a number of very substantive proposals in the report, which we will discuss as a Caucus, but it's good that the PCE has acknowledged a Climate Change Commission would need to take into account New Zealand’s particular and specific circumstances.

“We believe it is possible to drive environmental improvements while continuing economic growth, but we need to make sure we get the balance right.

“The Government has signalled it will seek Opposition feedback in drafting climate change legislation and we look forward to that,” Mr Muller says.

The Government needs to explain how it will ensure Māori continue to make real progress, after axing the public targets which have helped drive improvements in everything from education to immunisation, National’s Crown/Iwi Relations spokesperson Todd Muller says.

“The Better Public Services targets have had an immense impact on the lives of New Zealanders – and led to real improvement in the lives of Māori.

“The National-led Government focused on working alongside Māori to make real inroads in areas including child immunisations, crime, economic development, education and domestic violence, leading to real results including:

• Almost 75 per cent of Māori 18-year-olds achieved NCEA Level 2 in 2016, up from just 57 per cent in 2011
• 95 per cent of Māori children are now participating in early childhood education, up from 90 per cent in 2011
• The number of children who experience physical abuse has reduced by 3 per cent – significantly better than the total population
• A 38 per cent reduction in Māori Youth Offending between 2010 and 2016
• 6 per cent of 8-month-old Māori children were immunised in 2016, up from 75.1 n 2012

“These represent real progress for Māori, and a platform to continue to build on and that’s exactly what should be happening.

“Taking these goals away will mean a less-focused public service, right when it was preparing to take the next steps to really dig into the hard core drivers of deprivation and to make real, long term changes for the better.

“Put bluntly, you can’t meaningfully progress on these complex societal challenges if you aren’t prepared to articulate and measure the change you seek – you just end up with words and good intentions.

“Coupled with this Government’s arrogant and paternalistic approach to Maori leadership there’s a real chance that this recent progress will be halted and that cannot be allowed to happen.

“The Government needs to show leadership and work with Maori, not abdicate its accountability while dictating an unclear path to progress.”