Could NZ have a voluntary CO2 emissions standard?

We asked the MIA whether a voluntary CO2 emissions standard like that being introduced in Australia could apply here.

Australia’s Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari says it could open the door there for EVs.

MIA chief executive David Crawford says it had considered whether to pursue a voluntary agreement in 2017 in lieu of the government at that time not proceeding with a fuel economy standard.

“However, with the Labour/NZ First coalition and support with the Green Party this came back onto the government’s work programme,” he says.

Under the current programme, the MIA reconsidered what the issues are and what policies might best address the issues.

“Our view is that there is a demonstrable need to decarbonise transport,” Crawford explains.

“The decarbonisation pathway should, in our view, be technology agnostic focusing on a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transport. Left to the market, decarbonisation will happen, but the question remains is it happening fast enough?”

Crawford says the MIA’s position is that the New Zealand market is a technology taker, not a technology leader.

“It can never be a technology leader when it comes to vehicles as our market is too small to influence manufacturing decisions. However, a fast technology taker we can be,” he adds.

“To achieve this the best initiatives are those that influence the purchase decision.

“A fuel economy standard is, in our view, a poor mechanism to do that as it is a supply side policy mechanism.

“Incentives or a feebate system would make a material difference at purchase time and for that reason we prefer a feebate scheme over a fuel economy scheme.”

A feebate scheme was included in a proposed “Clean Car Plan”, but both the “Clean Car Discount” (feebate) and “Clean Car Standard” which sought to introduce emission standards were reportedly blocked

by NZ First and are unlikely to be considered further before the September 19 general election.