Hawke's Bay Regional Council corporate operations manager Stacey Rakiraki said the council will be replacing vehicles with electric alternatives. Photo / Supplied
Hawke's Bay Regional Council says it will begin to use electric vehicles after an in-house carbon footprint report found more than three quarters of their emissions came from vehicle use.
The council aims for carbon neutrality by 2025.
The regional council's combined carbon footprint totalled 884.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide across all offices in the last financial year.
Of that, 86 per cent came from vehicles, including diggers and mowers.
HBRC corporate operations manager Stacey Rakiraki said the council will replace vehicles with electric alternatives when fit for purpose.
"The report has highlighted our reliance on fuel, especially diesel," she said.
"We have seven electrical vehicle charging stations at our head office in Dalton St and will be installing two extra charging stations to support electric vehicle uptake.
"We will look at installing charging stations at our regional offices and will accelerate this initiative."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the government will require all its agencies and ministries to exclusively buy electric vehicles as part of their goal to make the entire public sector carbon neutral within five years.
Rakiraki said the corporate carbon footprint report, undertaken by EKOS, highlighted areas that need attention.
"This will be a great tool for us to progress towards being carbon neutral by 2025. We'll be able to manage our environmental impacts and monitor how effective our initiatives are to reduce our emissions," she said.
"As the leading environmental agency for Hawke's Bay, it's important that we get our own house in order and walk the talk in our response to climate change."
About 4 per cent of the 884.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide was due to electricity use at council offices, and 10 per cent was from flights, gas, freight and waste.
The council is also looking at bringing in electric all-terrain vehicles, as well as more fuel-efficient heavy machinery and vehicles.
If there are no viable sustainable replacements, such as diesel 4x4 and diggers, the organisation will look at offsetting emissions through planting and its forestry portfolio.
HBRC has also pledged to increase internal staff education around energy efficiency, efficient driving practices and cutting waste.
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