Earlier in the month Te Pāti Māori released its climate change policy. And looking at it, its pretty good, with a focus on cutting off fossil fuels at source. The headline policy is to shutdown the gas industry with an immediate ban on onshore exploration, and a phase-out of existing oil and gas mining permits within five years. Buried in the fine print is that they'd also target coal, banning new coal mining permits and phasing out industrial coal use by 2030. They're also committed to making farmers pay for their pollution, by bringing agricultural methane emissions into the ETS and phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. Finally, there's a bunch of funding for Māori community energy projects, Māori-owned renewable energy, and incentivising Māori farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture.
All of this is good, though very high level. It targets the big problems, while also easing disadvantage and focusing on Māori control ("yes, with tino rangatiratanga" in other words). While it doesn't engage with the nitty-gritty of the ETS or the Zero Carbon Act, it signals a very clear direction. If you're a climate voter this election - and we should all be climate voters now if we don't want to drown or burn to death - then this seems like a policy worth supporting.
