350 Aotearoa - Alana Kane, Campaigns and Mobilisation Manager
“It's deeply disappointing: despite a looming goal of state sector decarbonisation by 2025, both the Emissions Reduction Plan and Budget 2022 have made no new announcements that further its ability to actually achieve this. The Government has done too little, and too late - instead of reducing its emissions to get to zero, the Government's plan is clearly now to offset its way there.
“It begs the question: if our state sector plans to carbon offset in order to reach net zero, who will pay for these credits and how do the costs compare to the costs of decarbonising? And does this actually have any effect on the systemic cause of the climate disaster?”
ActionStation - India Logan-Riley, Climate Justice Advisor
“How a government handles crises tells us a lot about how it values people. People were left to suffer during the pandemic and this will only get worse as the impacts of climate change and the unjust transition gets worse. I welcome the extension of half-price public transport but must condemn the lack of financial support for those who most need it - people on benefits and low wages. Climate change will exaggerate inequality and so does this budget. It doesn’t have to stay this way. Labour can still do best by the communities and must do this urgently.
“While the emissions reduction plan also fell flat on this and many other elements required for climate justice, it is important that the development of just transition strategy has received some meaningful resource. However, when it comes to government support for powerful, effective, Indigenous-led climate action, Māori are given crumbs. The government is actually spending hundreds of millions more on a racist police force that will harm Māori than on the one thing that would bring all in Aotearoa towards a safer climate future - returning land and removing barriers to tino rangatiratanga for hapū and iwi.”
Forest & Bird - Nicola Toki, CEO
“Native forest restoration is a big winner in the Budget – but needs to go hand in hand with pest control that supports it, otherwise we’re putting on a free lunch for deer and goats.”
Forest & Bird is welcoming the $256 million to be spent over four years to kick start the process of large-scale native forest restoration but warned it would only be as successful as the pest control that supports it.
Greenpeace Aotearoa - Christine Rose, Lead Agriculture Campaigner
“There has never been more hype, while the need for real action to address the climate and biodiversity crises has never been greater. Cutting synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and halving the herd will address both these crises. But despite the ‘transformational’ promises in the ‘climate emergency’, these are absent from the Budget and the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP). Budget 2022 and Monday’s Emissions Reduction Plan are missed opportunities to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and reduce the dairy herd which are driving climate change, polluting rivers and contaminating drinking water. This Government has given a free pass to intensive dairy - New Zealand’s biggest climate polluter. Instead of necessary regulation, the Government is giving $339 million for more research and hypothetical techno-fixes to the problem of too many cows. When it comes to dealing with intensive dairy’s climate pollution, we already have the solutions - fewer cows, more plant-based food production and a phase out of synthetic fertiliser. That's what the Government should be investing in, not more hypothetical techno-fixes.”
Greenpeace Aotearoa - Ellie Hooper, Oceans Campaigner
“With 90 percent of seabirds and 22 percent of marine mammals threatened or at risk of extinction and the ocean under increasing pressure from destructive fishing, climate change and pollution, the Government should be investing to turn things around now. We urgently need cameras on 100% of New Zealand’s commercial fishing fleet, which over 30,000 New Zealanders are calling for. Cameras on boats will ensure transparency and compliance across the commercial fishing industry. If we’re serious about protecting the ocean for the future, we need transparency around this industry – and that means cameras on all fishing boats. We’re five years into this Labour-led Government - nature is in crisis and dairy pollution is at an all time high. This was the Government’s opportunity to ensure meaningful change for the environment finally gets delivered this term - it appears they’ve missed it.”
Ora Taiao: NZ Climate & Health Council - Dermot Coffey, Co-convenor
“OraTaiao welcomes the ongoing focus on climate change and increasing recognition of the enormous strain our health service is under, and we also acknowledge the external stresses of the last few years. Many of the increased funding targets are to be welcomed- including ongoing reduced fares for some public transport users, ongoing funding for active transport and support for the phase-out of coal boilers flagged up in the Emissions Reduction Plan. We remain concerned that the government’s own proclamations on the climate crisis are not supported by either amount of funding and or pace of change.
“We are hugely disappointed there is no ring-fenced fund for the health system to advance decarbonisation. Although wellbeing and climate change are the two major themes of this Budget, there is seemingly no recognition of the connection between them, and an ongoing lack of intersectional thinking in that climate change remains slightly siloed off from ordinary government business, rather than being a main component of every department’s work.”
WWF-New Zealand: Livia Esterhazy, CEO
“This year the Government took the big step to deliver our first Emissions Reduction Plan but without significant investment, WWF-New Zealand has to wonder is the ERP all there is for our environment? A plan only works if it leads to significant action and this year’s budget is an anemic response to dual environmental crises - climate change and biodiversity- that Aotearoa faces.
“The finance minister said New Zealand is now walking the walk, but given the lack of investment by this Government into our environment, we won’t be getting very far.
“We have more than 4,000 endangered endemic species, two-thirds of our rivers are still unswimmable, only 10% of our wetlands remain, and our entire marine environment is under threat. Meanwhile, nature underpins everything we need on our planet to survive. It is the key to our health and well-being. This is acknowledged in the ERP announcement but this isn’t reflected in the investment being made in the 2022 budget, particularly when it comes to investment in our Blue Economy.
“Decades of under-researching and under-investing has meant that less than 1% of our marine and coastal biodiversity is protected, while over 30% of our land is protected. With the fourth largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, we have a lot of unprotected ocean. It is impossible to solve the climate crisis without addressing the protection and restoration of our ocean. We agree with the Government that nature and biodiversity are integral to solving the climate crises. Nature-based solutions are essential, and Aotearoa should look to our vast ocean and invest in a sustainable blue economy, to meet our climate and biodiversity goals.”
ABOUT NZCAN
We are a network of almost 40 New Zealand civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, trade unions and social movements who support each other and our allies to take real action to protect New Zealanders and others from climate change, to protect New Zealand's unique environment, and build a more fair, just and safe New Zealand for us all.
The New Zealand Climate Action Network is the New Zealand node of Climate Action Network International (CAN). CAN is a worldwide network of over 1500 organisations in more than 130 countries driving collective and sustainable action to fight the climate crisis and to achieve social and racial justice. CAN convenes and coordinates civil society at the UN climate talks and other international fora.