Utikere Tangi; Pugh MaureenTANGI UTIKERE (Labour—Palmerston North): Thank you Madam Speaker. It really is a sad day for this Parliament which started on 12 December as the clocks in the Chamber do indicate because this will if successfully passed this evening be the third piece of legislation that this new Government have brought to the House under urgency and it will make a huge difference in a negative way to families and communities all around Aotearoa New Zealand.You know it's often reflected upon—the use of urgency which is a rare occurrence in the House's experience. To set aside the time of the House to effectively sit through to midnight last night to sit from this morning and right through to whenever we finish is generally used for those issues that are the most pressing. Climate change is indeed an extremely pressing issue but what the Government is doing with this piece of legislation is they are heading in the wrong direction when it comes to addressing climate change—providing an opportunity to meet the needs that our communities need to take up the responsibilities to do their bit when it comes to addressing that pressing issue of climate change.This is a bill that is going to be devastating in terms of people's opportunity and ability to make a difference. Small steps do actually matter. Small steps do actually count. What this is doing is it is removing for households the opportunity to make an easy choice around converting to a low-emission vehicle selection or choice. It's really really interesting that in the committee stage of this bill members on this side of the House tried to put up—well we did put up—amendments that were not accepted by the Government amendments that would make it easier for our community.I think of one particular amendment which was around an opportunity to provide those people who had taken the rebate since it had been introduced with an opportunity to return or refund to the taxpayer the money that they were very happy to pocket. Now I'm sure that there are many in this particular community of ours that have taken the rebate and who may choose to speak out about it but they do not want to support a proposal or a process that would easily allow people to if they choose to.The Minister in the chair at the time Minister Andrew Bayly said Well members are always able to do that to return their moneys to the Crown." Well that is not exactly the case. And perhaps actually members opposite and others who are in that situation who don't think that this rebate is actually required or necessary may choose to do that if they wish to. But the legislative provision was voted down by this Government so it's not able to be included in there.We heard a lot from the Minister of Transport recently around how this is a scheme that is fiscally unsustainable. Yet we know that with the changes that the Labour Government had put in place in July of this year already the take of the rebate is $33 million higher than the actual cost. So what this Government is doing is in a point in time they are removing a particular amount of money that has been of benefit to the Government and the Crown when they are so concerned about things being fiscally more responsible and indeed unsustainable. It does not make any sense This is taking New Zealand backwards and it joins the other two pieces of legislation that this Government have rushed through this House over the last few days under urgency. There has not been a select committee opportunity for members to feed into this. There has not been an opportunity for organisations from within the sector and outside of the sector to make their views known on what they think about this bill. Of course we have members opposite who believe they know better—they know better than communities around the country. Hon Members: It's called an election.TANGI UTIKERE: They know better—and look we hear about this all the time and I think this is the third time that they've said "It's called an election". Well I look forward to their arguments about them progressing their smoke-free legislative change that they didn't go to the community or to the electorate about saying that they were going to change that—shame on them; shame on them.There have been a number of people who have made contact with members on this side of the House to really express their concern around the pace within which this Government is actually making this change and one such is Drive Electric—Hon Matt Doocey: Your union mates that's who.TANGI UTIKERE: Mr Doocey don't be afraid of the unions they do some good work. Drive Electric is one example. But they have cited—and I used this earlier today—that the research that they've provided to all members of the House shows that the new Government's policy that they are seeking to progress under urgency this evening to remove the discount and also to weaken the Clean Car Standard would mean between 100000 and 350000 fewer electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads in New Zealand by 2030. How is that going to help our country achieve our goals of doing what we need to?Hon Rachel Brooking: It's not.TANGI UTIKERE: It is not going to achieve that—it is not going to achieve that. That is exactly why one proposal that was put forward in the committee of the whole House was to change the name of the bill because it is about no action on climate—no action on climate change at all.It's also of interest that the Minister was not interested in providing this House or indeed anyone for that matter with a copy of the regulatory impact statement. Now there is a regulatory impact statement that has been prepared. The Minister has been quite clear about that. It is extremely unfortunate that the House has not had the benefit of being able to consider that alongside this particular bill. It's also rather difficult for the community and folk all around the country to be able to participate in this process when they're not around that. Yet we hear constantly that they're all about process. Well if this is an indication of the sort of process that they're wanting to embark upon it's going to be a very very difficult time for many indeed.This scheme that this Government seems so intent on removing is a scheme that is making a difference. It is a scheme that is working. It is a scheme that relates to and has been utilised by people from all walks of life. I'm sure we can all reflect on some members in our own constituencies who have perhaps had a conversation about the difference that it makes to their household the difference that it makes to their daily lives. It is as my colleague the Hon Damien O'Connor said a good investment in reducing emissions. This is something for which we haven't actually heard any alternative from the Government. They're on the one hand quite happy to remove this incentive that is making a huge difference for households but on the other hand they are not coming up with what the alternative is going to be how they are going to ensure that there are opportunities for households for businesses for community members to do what they need to do in order to address the real and confronting issues of climate change.This is an interesting point because they have also talked about EV infrastructure yet we haven't heard from the Minister—although the Minister has had ample opportunity today to tell us about that to address that issue. There have been no comments on the roll-out of EV infrastructure. Isn't that interesting?Hon Member: Very.TANGI UTIKERE: It's very interesting because I understand that was something that the National Party decided they would campaign on as well. But now there's an indication that there needs to be a cost-benefit analysis before they start actually rolling all of this out all around the country in terms of EV infrastructure as well.One of the things that this Government also is not comfortable on progressing is an opportunity for those who want to purchase an EV if this bill is going to pass the hurdle tonight to actually still have the opportunity for any purchase agreements that might be in place before midnight on 31 December this year to be honoured. Right? We were challenged by the Minister who said "Well actually people can just turn up to a lot and get a car and then it's all tickety-boo." Well the reality is that a lot of people who actually utilise this as an incentive do not have the means to simply rock on up to a parking lot and buy an EV; they are individuals who want to do what they should be doing to take their responsibility well and seriously. But this is a Government that is not empowering those very people to actually take up that responsibility that they want to deliver on.It is a sad day in the Parliament when it progresses legislation that is regressive. It is a sad day in the Parliament where many of the things that have been worked hard on for communities over the years have been undone. It's a sad day when that happens. I do not commend this bill to the House.CHAIRPERSON (Maureen Pugh): The question is that the motion be agreed to."