1. Climate Change—Government Measures to AddressJAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister for Climate Change IssuesORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSClimate Change—Government Measures to Address1. JAMES SHAW (Co-Leader—Green) to the Minister for Climate Change Issues: Does she stand by her statement that we have an ambitious programme of work that is going on around climate change issues"?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister for Climate Change Issues): Oh yes I do.James Shaw: Why has she said publicly that her climate change programme is ambitious when privately officials have told her that it will not deal with 85 percent of the climate pollution that she has promised to cut?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I think that what the member is referring to is that if we keep doing what we are doing today then that is exactly where we will end up and we will not be able to meet those 2030 targets. That is why we have got such an ambitious work programme going on with climate change—so that we can actually look at how we get those 235 million tonnes.James Shaw: Would she agree that the title of her opinion piece last October "We're on the right track on tackling climate change" was misleading given that officials have told her that "under our current policy settings we are not on track to reduce emissions"?Hon PAULA BENNETT: That is why it is quite clear that we have got the work programme going on. Amongst all the working groups whether they are from the adaptation to the work that the Greens have been supporting with Vivid Economics—which is going to I think provide real advice there; from the forestry and planting that needs to go on to some of the energy targets the Minister has been setting and which I think will make a huge difference; from the work on electric vehicles to the work that we are doing in cleaning up our rivers and our waterways. All of that leads to the change that needs to take place so that we can reach ambitious targets.James Shaw: I seek leave to table a Ministry for the Environment (MFE) briefing from May 2016 where officials say that the Government is not on track to reduce emissions and that 85 percent of emissions reductions will be outsourced to other countries.Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that MFE briefing. Is there any objection to it being tabled? There is not; it can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.James Shaw: Does she agree that it would be misleading to tell New Zealanders that "We have a target of 90 percent renewable electricity by 2025 and are well on our way" when energy experts Toby Stevenson and Greg Sise say that meeting that target is now "highly unlikely"?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Certainly all advice I am getting is that we will meet that target. We are currently at more than 80 percent. Certainly everything that I have seen says that actually what they are stating is not correct. We will continue to work towards reaching what I think is really ambitious—to be 90 percent by 2025.James Shaw: Would it be misleading for her to characterise Simon Bridges' electric vehicle initiative as ambitious when officials tell her that it will contribute only 0.2 percent of the cut in pollution that we need to meet the 2030 target?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I do think it is ambitious. He is doubling their number. He was in his previous role and he is really enthusiastic about it as Minister of Transport having two of them in his family now I believe alone. There is more that I think needs to be done and I get pretty excited about where I think the future is in electric vehicles. I reckon where it will be in 5 or 10 years' time will obviously be a lot different from what it is today.James Shaw: I seek leave to table appendix 1 from a briefing from the Ministry for the Environment to the Minister in May last year showing that the electric vehicle policy will cut only 0.2 percent of emissions needed to meet the 2030 target. Mr SPEAKER: Leave is sought to table that particular MFE report. Is there any objection? There is none. Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.James Shaw: Does she agree with officials who have advised her that failing to reduce climate pollution domestically now will "leave us increasingly exposed"?Hon PAULA BENNETT: I am finding it quite amusing that the member thinks that a briefing from last May that said to me that if we continue doing things as we are now we will not reach our 2030 targets—as the Minister I turned around and I have initiated a comprehensive work programme that gets us the right information the right facts so that actually this Parliament I hope can make the right decisions so that we are making a difference for the future. So yes what they said back in May is exactly where it was. We have now got the Paris Agreement we have got 196 countries signed up we are ready to go and domestically we will play our part. James Shaw: If what she is saying in public is the opposite of what her officials are telling her where is she getting her alternative facts?Hon PAULA BENNETT: What I am getting from officials and what I am saying publicly are completely and utterly in line with each other. They are saying that if we continued doing things as we were we would not reach the goals and accomplish what we want to as a country. We have then got a committed comprehensive work programme that actually the officials have been fantastic in pulling together and leading many of the groups throughout it. We will I hope as an entire Parliament not just as a party look at the changes that need to be made that will make it better for future generations. David Seymour: Is the Minister aware that not one single Green Party member attended last night's excellent presentation on fresh water at Mr Speaker's Science Forum?Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! There is no ministerial responsibility there. Supplementary question—David Seymour: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] No I just want to warn the member. I hope he is not in any way questioning a decision that I have just made. I would advise the member not to. Dr Megan Woods: Will the Minister admit that this projected failure to meet New Zealand's greenhouse gas emission target is finally sufficient evidence that failure to plan is planning to fail and accept the need for formalised carbon budgeting and an independent climate commission?Hon PAULA BENNETT: No."