GREENS FUME AS LAW BLOCKED

The last part of the Government’s strategy to get more electric vehicles (EVs) on the road has been blocked by NZ First.

Green Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter said the policy would not be proceeding ahead of the election as NZ First had blocked progress on it.

Last year the Government announced an ambitious twopronged scheme to encourage people to buy more EVs and fewer fossil-fuel cars.

The first prong was the clean car discount. This made clean cars cheaper by charging a levy on polluting cars, which would be used to subsidise cleaner cars.

NZ First put the kibosh on that plan earlier this year, but negotiations continued over the second part of the policy, called the clean car standard. This was meant to set emissions standards for imported vehicles that would gradually kick in from 2022 to 2025.

Importers would have to reduce the average emissions of the vehicles they brought into the country. High-emissions vehicles could still be imported, but importers would have to bring in low-emissions vehicles alongside them or face a stiff fine.

Genter slammed NZ First for blocking the policy, saying the party never put forward a ‘‘credible’’ alternative.

‘‘It’s unclear why NZ First opposed this proposal, which would have meant more electric and hybrid cars for New Zealanders,’’ she said.

But an NZ First spokesman who did not wish to be directly quoted disputed the Greens’ version of events. He said the Greens were made well aware of why NZ First did not like the policy.

The party’s objections were fourfold. NZ First said the Greens had failed to get the electric vehicle policy into the confidence and supply agreement it negotiated with Labour, meaning the Government was not required to progress any policy.

They noted NZ First managed to get its own vehicular emissions target in the agreement, making Labour pledge to move the Government’s own vehicle fleet towards EVs.

The spokesman said the clean car standard Cabinet paper was only sent to NZ First for consultation on May 29 this year, which meant there was not enough time to legislate the policy given the amount of Covid-19 legislation now on the order paper.

The party’s second concern was that the emissions standards kicked in later in the 2020s.

The third objection was that it would be ill-advised to force car dealers to adapt to the new regulations while they were being stung by the economic effects of Covid-19.

The party’s final objection was it was now so late in the electoral cycle that the choice should be put to the electorate.

Genter said the standard would put New Zealand alongside most other countries, which also set emissions standards.

‘‘New Zealand is one of only three countries in the world that doesn’t have fuel efficiency standards. That means that we get offered less efficient versions of the same car that is sold in the UK for example. It’s just more profitable to sell a less efficient car,’’ she said.

The announcement came a fortnight after NZ First blocked the Government’s light rail plans.