Labour changes to car standards - this time with National support

Transport Minister Michael Wood has delayed the implementation of emissions standards. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Transport Minister Michael Wood is changing the legislation at the heart of National’s climate change flip flop last week, delaying the implementation of the Government’s new vehicle emissions standards, the Clean Car Standard.

Last week National leader Christopher Luxon got confused over whether National backed the Government’s Clean Car Discount or Clean Car Standard.

Luxon eventually declared National backed emissions standards, just not the Clean Car Standard that existed last week. Transport spokesman Simeon Brown said National is still not happy with the standards but will vote in favour of Wood’s bill delaying their implementation.

After feedback from industry, the Government has delayed the implementation of the Clean Car Standard, an emissions standard for imported vehicles. He has also exempted motorcycles and mopeds from the standard.

“From 1 January 2023 imported vehicles incur a credit or charge based on CO2 emissions.

The phase-in will see the payment of charges deferred until June 2023 to ensure a smooth implementation for the industry. The system encourages importers to bring in a sufficient number of low and zero emission vehicles that attract credits to offset the charges applied to higher emitting vehicles,” Wood said.

“Emissions from our light vehicle fleet are the single largest source of transport emissions in New Zealand, thanks in part to us having some of the most fuel inefficient and emissions intensive vehicles in the OECD,” Wood said.

Wood said he had “heard the request from the industry for a delay, and have work together to confirm a timeframe that balances a successful implementation with the need for action. This short extension gets that balance right”.

The standard works by requiring vehicle importers to progressively reduce the CO2 emissions of the light vehicles, both new and used, they bring into New Zealand. This is achieved by setting CO2 targets which get more ambitious year by year. If importers import more clean vehicles, they will pay lower or no fees under the standard.

Brown said National still opposed where the standards were set, but National would vote in favour of delaying their implementation.

“It seems like a slight delay, it’s a ‘clean car stuff-up’ by this Government,” Brown said.

Brown had not been able to get a copy of the bill by the time he spoke to the Herald.

“This is not changing the standard and where it is set. My understanding is this just delays slightly the implementation of it.

“What we’ve said is we support emissions standards and we don’t support currently where they sit,” Brown said.

Brown said National wanted to “work with industry” to change the standards to something National could support.

He said that National supported the principle of a delay.

“In principle we support a delay, which is what the industry wants,” Brown said.

The bill will go through all states this week under urgency.