10. Question No. 10—TransportSIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga) to the Minister of TransportQuestion No. 10—Transport10. SIMEON BROWN (National—Pakuranga) to the Minister of Transport: What is the total amount of subsidies the Government has paid out to Tesla owners through the clean car discount scheme and how many Teslas have been purchased through the scheme?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Transport): The Government's clean car discount scheme has been an electrifying success. Since the discount came into effect last year 108000 low-emission vehicles have been registered in New Zealand; 74800 in 2022 alone. Across the programme we've supported Kiwis to purchase around 38200 Daihatsus Fords Hondas Hyundais Mazdas Mitsubishis Nissans Subarus Suzukis Toyotas and Kias making up 79 percent of total vehicles. The most popular vehicle has been the Toyota Aqua where we have paid out 5818 rebates and those vehicles have cost an average of $13900. In comparison the discount has supported the purchase of 4791 Teslas less than 10 percent of total vehicles by paying approximately $40990000 about 22 percent of total rebates. Electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids make up nearly 30 percent of monthly imports of new cars into New Zealand now compared to only 1 percent under the previous National Government which talked a big game about EVs but delivered nothing.SPEAKER: Supplementary—Hon Gerry Brownlee: Five years on.SPEAKER: Order! We have a supplementary. Be quiet.Simeon Brown: Thank you Mr Speaker. Does he think spending $40.9 million subsidising millionaires to buy Teslas represents good value for money during a cost of living crisis?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I think that the clean car discount which has enabled tens of thousands of New Zealanders to get into a cleaner vehicle is good for decarbonising our transport system and it's good for all of those people because it will save them long-run costs in terms of running their vehicles. Again I note that our Government has increased the uptake of clean vehicles in New Zealand to one of the world's leading levels unlike that side of the House which opposes every single measure to decarbonise the transport system— Chris Bishop: We started it.Hon MICHAEL WOOD: —our Government is getting on with the job. Mr Bishop says they started it. Clean vehicles made up 1 percent of imports under his Government; they made up 30 percent of imports last month under this Government.Simeon Brown: Can he confirm that in addition to subsidising thousands of Teslas the scheme has also subsidised the purchase of more than 100 Audis over 350 BMWs and at least one Porsche?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: I can confirm that the clean car discount scheme has subsidised the purchase of a range of clean vehicles including 5818 Toyota Aquas 1812 Toyota Corollas 4467 Nissan Leafs and 3183 Toyota Priuses. I note that some of those vehicles that the member has just mentioned are actually very popular trade vehicles that many small businesses are finding extremely valuable both to reduce their emissions and as a cheaper way of running their businesses.Simeon Brown: Let them eat Teslas. Does he stand by his decision to tax farmers buying utes so they can do their job and hand that money out for people to buy luxury vehicles like Teslas Audis BMWs and Porsches?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Over the last six months we have seen rural district after rural district devastated by the impacts of climate change. On this side of the House we actually believe in doing something to reduce our emissions so that that problem doesn't get worse. Under this Government the average emissions of vehicles coming into New Zealand under the clean car discount scheme has reduced by 20 percent. That member may think it's fine and dandy to ignore climate change and oppose every single measure we do to reduce our emissions but ultimately that will only harm the farmers that he claims to be representing.