Genter Julie AnneHon JULIE ANNE GENTER (Green): It gives me great pleasure to rise in support of the first reading of this legislation. Climate change is the single biggest issue facing all of us our children and our children's children. I see the Hon David Bennett shaking his head—obviously a climate denier; won't surprise anyone but we must act urgently in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we want to have a chance of a habitable planet even this century. I really doubt that the Opposition is aware of how urgent and pressing the risks are. It is true that in New Zealand we have been less touched by climate catastrophes than other parts of the world but it is still affecting New Zealand. We have floods and we have droughts on a more increased basis than what we used to because of human-caused climate change.What most New Zealanders want is to be a constructive part of the solution. New Zealanders have always put up their hands when there is a global challenge to say Yes we can be part of the solution." Most New Zealanders do want transport options that aren't reliant on increased fossil fuels and yet our light fleet which is the cars utes and vans that people use every day are responsible for the majority of our greenhouse pollution from transport and it's been the fastest growing sector over the last decade. So if we're serious about pulling our weight in the global fight against a climate catastrophe we must be acting with urgency to reduce the pollution that is coming from our light fleet—that's cars utes and vans that people use every day. Especially if we think agriculture needs to have a slower pathway for reduction that means we have to do even more in transport.Of course it is the case that mode shift—enabling people to do things besides use a private car for every single trip they make—is part of the solution: making our towns and cities more accessible friendly safe for walking and cycling convenient and affordable to use public transport. But the truth is people are still going to need cars for some trips and that's why it's really important that the cars that we're importing from now—from 2021 or 2022—are not increasing emissions and locking in 20 years of high emissions.As it happens New Zealanders have been really let down by previous Governments—in particular the last National Government—because there was a plan to bring in fuel economy standards in 2008 and the Hon Steven Joyce nixed that plan and so we lost time in this race because the fuel economy standards had they been brought in in 2008 and flowed through in 2009 when it was planned we would have more efficient cars on our roads we would have spent less money on imported petrol and we'd have less air pollution. Unfortunately the National Government was ideologically opposed to sensible policies that have been implemented in every OECD country bar Russia New Zealand and Australia. And even in Australia the conservatives are looking at voluntary fuel economy standards.Now the reality is that these two policies together the research shows are the single most effective way to influence the makeup of the cars that are coming into the country and we all need to be part of the solution. We need everybody buying a new to New Zealand car to make some contribution. And what this does is it incentivises the vehicle manufacturers and importers to bring in more efficient vehicles and that helps consumers because it means consumers have better choices available to them that will cost them less to run.The Clean Car Discount is an important part of that. And in fact the car industry argued really hard to have the Clean Car Discount alongside the Clean Car Standard because it helps them ensure that they're able to sell these lower emissions vehicles but also that they're able to prioritise getting those more efficient vehicles to New Zealand and that's part of this debate that I haven't heard much from the Opposition. In truth having these policies means that car companies can prioritise lower emissions vehicles for the New Zealand market because we're in competition for these vehicles with countries like the UK who actually have much higher standards than we do and they have more price incentives than we do.So up until now it's been difficult. And I remember when National was in Government and the Hon Simon Bridges was showing up to every photo op with an EV charger that the Government had not funded—like a privately funded EV charger—trying to show that he was pro-EV when the Government was doing nothing to support a transition to low emissions vehicles that Nissan decided not to offer their most cost effective brand new EV in the New Zealand market because there wasn't sufficient incentive or support to sell them here. So the reality is that by bringing in these policies suddenly there is an incentive to bring in not just EVs—it's not just about EVs; it's about lower emissions vehicles. France has had a very similar policy for two decades now and it's been incredibly successful. The research shows that the benefits massively outweigh the costs and the benefits are literally to the owners of the vehicles. So any additional cost—and frankly there's no evidence there will be additional cost—is offset by massive savings throughout the economy because New Zealand businesses and households are spending less money on imported oil to make the very same trips. And so that helps our current account balance and it just saves people a lot of money. So that is why if you were looking at one of the most cost effective or beneficial economic ways to reduce emissions these two policies are it because normally you look at a marginal abatement cost and you'd say "We want a lower cost way of reducing emissions." The marginal abatement cost for the "feebate" scheme alone is estimated at between negative $71 and negative $332 per tonne of CO2. Now what that means is that it doesn't cost us money to reduce carbon emissions through this policy. We get savings. So we're reducing emissions and we're saving money and that money is money in people's pockets that they can then spend in the New Zealand economy. Now these two policies when we looked into it and we said "What's the most effective way we could start to influence the vehicles coming into New Zealand?" not to just cut off all high emissions vehicles but to offer people more choice and to provide price incentives that are fair—these two policies had the evidence behind them because they've been implemented in almost every developed country and successful economy. Places like California have had strict vehicle emissions standards and it actually results in benefits to the economy. And I know that's really hard for National to get their head around because they don't understand the economy very well but the truth is that if you go look at the evidence—and I'm sure we'll hear from it; we'll hear from the experts at the select committee—this is the single most effective way literally the only way we're going to start influencing the makeup of the fleet.I talk to New Zealanders all the time. I talk to builders—my brother's a builder. He bought a second-hand EV van for his building business before the discount so he was gutted that he missed out on that but I talked to other builders who say they want those options and these policies are ultimately necessary for them to have these options because every other country in the world is acting on this and if New Zealand doesn't we will become the dumping ground for the most polluting inefficient vehicles which means that New Zealand businesses and households will be spending more money to do their business and we'll have higher emissions which is a really bad outcome. So I really do struggle with the Opposition's arguments on this.I just want to briefly touch on the equity issue. Now it might come as a huge surprise to those in the National Party but the most vulnerable New Zealanders are not buying new to New Zealand cars and you are hugely hugely out of touch if you think the people paying the fees on this are vulnerable New Zealanders. The most polluting vehicle that will attract the highest fee is a Land Rover or a Range Rover which retails for over $100000. The average double-cab ute sold in this country is sold for over $80000. The whole point of brand new ones—I mean obviously the ACT Party and the National Party don't understand this policy. They've brought their own misleading information they've put out.David Seymour: The average double-cab ute?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Oh the average brand new double-cab ute. Yes we have the information.David Seymour: Is the member going to stand by that? Yeah the average double-cab ute is over $80000?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Yeah I will show you the graph—I will show you the graph of the sales that we have from Ford Rangers which is the most common one yes.David Seymour: The average—the average double-cab ute—over $80000?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: The majority—the majority of them are sold for over $80000.David Seymour: Oh the majority of them. Is it the average or the majority?Hon JULIE ANNE GENTER: Well the majority are sold for over $80000.Now I won't bother responding to all of this. Look I would love to get into this but the truth is this is a fair policy. It means that those people who need high emitting vehicles can help contribute to the reduction of emissions and still get the high emissions vehicle they need but altogether we're working together to respond to our climate commitments."