Govt $2.6b climate change funding includes zero emission vehicles

The Government will continue about $2.6 billion of climate change initiatives previously funded from the Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which includes a public network of EV charging infrastructure and a grant scheme for clean heavy vehicles, confirmed by climate change minister Simon Watts as part of Budget 2024.

“Our Government is committed to meeting emission reduction targets, including the overall goal of carbon net-zero by 2050, while continuing to prepare New Zealand for the more frequent severe weather events that climate change will bring,” Watts says.

“The Budget also confirms our decision to discontinue the practice of ring-fencing revenue raised through the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in a ‘Climate Emergency Response Fund’. Instead, future investment proposals for emission reduction or climate adaptation will be considered through the usual Budget process,” Watts says.

Other significant initiatives included in the $2.6 billion commitment are a fund for decarbonising the public transport fleet, supporting local authorities to purchase electric buses.

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