Political parties power up transport promises

NZ First and the Green Party are stepping up the rhetoric over vehicle electrification.

Making the government’s fleet totally zero emissions by 2025-26 in NZ First’s policy. Leader and Northland MP Winston Peters says it’s likely the government’s EV announcement along similar lines was sparked by Official Information Act requests from NZ First.

The party will start transitioning zero emission vehicles into the government’s fleet by phasing out petrol and diesel, Peters says. “Excepting emergency services and the defence force (because of more challenging environments), this is a sizeable number of vehicles.”

Peters says a technological tipping point has been reached where the cost, range and practicality of zero emission vehicles means it is time to start the transition. “And as these ex-government vehicles enter the second-hand market they will help to bolster the wider vehicle fleets transition towards zero emission vehicles.”

NZ First proposes to initiate a public inquiry on the future of conventionally powered motor vehicles. “This is to put in place the steps we need to take as a country to have mostly zero emission vehicles by 2050,” Peters says.
Meanwhile, the Green Party has welcomed the Government’s announcement that one in three cars in its vehicle fleet will be electric by 2021, but says it is still “low power”.

“While this is a good start, we need to charge up the ambition to ensure that New Zealand is keeping pace with the rest of the world,” Green Party transport spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter says.

Genter says the government can do more to make it easier for New Zealanders to buy and use electric vehicles and other clean transport solutions.

“The Green Party has a policy to introduce financial incentives for business to switch to electric vehicles – not only will this facilitate business leadership, it will also create a second-hand market for electric vehicles that will benefit households in just a few years.”

The Greens believe that within seven years, at least 20% of all cars the government buys should be electric. “We’ll increase this target if there are more affordable and fit-for-purpose electric cars available by then,” the party says in its policy statement.

The Greens will also invest in fast charging stations across the country and investigate further incentives to enable households to access EVs.