Electric car, solar panel policies pushed by Nash

Labour MP Stuart Nash outlined energy policy ideas he has been developing to a Grey Power meeting at St Columba's church in Taradale. Photo / Paul Taylor

Napier MP and Labour energy spokesman Stuart Nash says the Prime Minister and civil servants should use electric cars and all state houses should be fitted with solar panels.

The ideas, shared with a Grey Power audience in Napier yesterday, are among proposals Mr Nash plans to put to his party for approval as part of Labour's energy policy for the 2017 election.

While his role was to develop the policy, until approved the proposals were his, not the party's, he said.

New Zealand's clean-green image had been valued at $20 billion a year, he said, so reinforcing that global perception by having the Prime Minister use an electric Crown car made sense.

He said he had baulked at a $15,000 quote to install solar panels in his own home, but believed if they were retrofitted to all state houses, economies of scale would mean they would become more affordable for all properties. The same principle applied to electric cars, he said.

With the government being the largest car buyer, if its policy was that all civil servants drove electric cars unless there was a reason not to, a strong secondhand market for the environmentally friendly vehicles would be created, making them more affordable for everyone.

"Imagine not having to put petrol in your car. Imagine how much extra money you'd have in your back pocket and imagine how good that would be in terms of New Zealand going out there and saying we're living the clean-green brand."

He said if he was in government he would love to say to US electric car maker Tesla: "We're going to buy 20,000 cars a year, set up a factory in New Zealand and we'll build them and we'll drive them."

While the energy ideas Mr Nash put forward may appear to be a grab at the type of policies associated with the Green Party, he was also happy to latch on to another rival's health initiative - New Zealand First's bill for three free GP visits a year for SuperGold card holders.

"Knowing Winston, I'm surprised he didn't go for five," Mr Nash said.

"I think our party is supporting the bill, I certainly am."

Mr Nash campaigned strongly against amalgamation ahead of last year's general election and said yesterday he was confident the Local Government Commission's proposal to merge Hawke's Bay's five councils would not proceed.

The commission conducted a region-wide telephone survey of 2000 households last month, and must now decide if there is "demonstrable community support" for amalgamation before putting out a final proposal.

While the definition of "demonstrable" has never been made clear, Mr Nash said he had heard a rumour it amounted to 40 per cent support - which could be difficult to achieve in Hawke's Bay.

"But if it does go ahead [leading to a referendum on the issue] then I'm sorry you will see a little bit more visual pollution out here," he said.

"Our billboards are going to go up with double the numbers [of the general election] because we need to ensure this issue is front-of-mind for people who aren't engaging in politics."