Climate change — emissions work programme Te huringa o te āhuarangi, te hōtaka mō ngā putanga haukino

A new leadership body that brings government agencies together with the private sector has been set up to tackle domestic aviation emissions.

Read more in the media release from Te Manatū Waka and the terms of reference.

The Ministry for the Environment has released the first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP).(external link) 

The Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) contains targets and actions to achieve a 41% reduction in transport emissions by 2035. Te Manatū Waka will work together with transport agencies, local government, iwi/Māori and communities across Aotearoa to achieve this.

Achieving this will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and give us a more sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system that better supports economic activity and community life. 

Transport is one of our largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonising our transport system rapidly will require big changes to the way we travel and move freight.

The ERP sets four transport targets that will support our vision and align with achieving a 41% reduction in transport emissions by 2035 from 2019 levels.

The targets are:

• Target 1: reduce total kilometres travelled by the light fleet by 20% by 2035 through improved urban form and providing better transport options, particularly in our largest cities
• Target 2: increase zero-emissions vehicles to 30% of the light fleet by 2035.
• Target 3: reduce emissions from freight transport by 35% by 2035.
• Target 4: reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuel by 10% by 2035.

Key transport actions in the ERP include:

• Reducing reliance on cars and support people to walk, cycle and use public transport including by:
  • improving the reach, frequency and quality of public transport and making it more affordable for low-income New Zealanders.
  • increasing support for walking and cycling, including initiatives to increase the use of e-bikes
  • ensuring safer streets and well-planned urban areas.

• Rapidly adopt low-emissions vehicles
  • continuing to incentivise the uptake of low- and zero-emissions vehicles through the Clean Vehicle Discount scheme and consider the future of the Road User Charge exemption for light electric vehicles beyond 2024
  • increasing access to low- and zero-emissions vehicles for low-income households by supporting social leasing schemes and trialling an equity-oriented vehicle scrap and replace scheme
  • improving EV-charging infrastructure across Aotearoa to ensure that all New Zealanders can charge when they need to.

• Begin work now to decarbonise heavy transport and freight including by:
  • providing funding to support the freight sector to purchase zero- and low-emissions trucks
  • requiring only zero-emissions public transport buses to be purchased by 2025
  • supporting the uptake of low-carbon liquid fuels by implementing a sustainable aviation fuel mandate and a sustainable biofuels obligation.

For information on the ERP and what it means for the public as well as the sector, can be found in these factsheets below in related documents and publications. 

The Decarbonising the Transport System Conference, held on 1 March 2022, brought together experts and leaders from across the transport, social and health sectors to discuss ways of reducing emissions for our future.

The challenges and opportunities of decarbonising the transport system in a way that helps everyone in New Zealand was discussed, debated and challenged during the online event.

The virtual event saw keynote speeches from Transport Minister Hon Michael Wood, Acting Chief Executive and Secretary for Transport Bryn Gandy, and two panel discussions focusing on the challenges of decarbonising transport.

The panel discussions, highlighted that decarbonising the transport system is a difficult challenge. It re-emphasised the importance of bringing a wide range of people, sectors, businesses and ideas together to tackle this.

There is a highlights package from the event, as well as the speeches from Acting Secretary of Transport Bryn Gandy, Transport Minister Hon Michael Wood, as well as a Q&A with Hon Michael Wood:

• Keynote speech from Acting Transport Secretary Bryn Gandy(external link)
• Keynote speech from Transport Minister Hon Michael Wood(external link)
• Q&A with Transport Minister(external link)

The Hīkina te Kohupara discussion document was open for public consultation until the end of June 2021.

The Ministry received a total of 767 submissions on Hīkina te Kohupara. 190 of these were unique individual or group submissions, and 577 of these were Greenpeace template submissions.

Public submissions were from a variety of groups, including: private individuals; academics, universities, research institutions and student bodies; government agencies, such as local councils and State Owned Enterprises; hapū and iwi; NGOs and/or community groups; private companies; and business/industry bodies. 

The Summary of Submissions Report will feed into the transport chapter of the Government’s first Emissions Reduction Plan. Under the Climate Change Response Act 2002, the Government must prepare Emissions Reduction Plans in response to the Climate Change Commissions (the Commission’s) advice over five-yearly emissions budget periods. New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan must be published by 31 December 2021.

The Government will publicly consult on the draft Emissions Reduction Plan shortly, which will include transport content that has taken account this feedback.

The individual submissions will also be publicly available on Te Manatū Waka’s website shortly.

The Government is seeking feedback on options to accelerate the transport sector to meeting the draft advice and recommendations of the Climate Change Commission, and moving to a net zero carbon transport system by 2050. 

The Ministry of Transport’s ‘Hīkina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi - Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050’ sets out potential pathways and policies to phase out emissions across the transport system. The discussion document does not represent Government policy.

Eliminating emissions across the transport sector supports the response to climate change. The transport sector currently produces 47 per cent of CO2 emissions, and between 1990 and 2018, domestic transport emissions increased by 90 per cent.

We are doing targeted consultation on Hīkina te Kohupara. Full public consultation on initiatives to reduce transport emissions will follow in the 2nd half of 2021.

We welcome feedback on this discussion document from groups who have a strong interest in the transition to a zero-carbon transport system, including:

• Business associations / networks
• Community groups and NGOs
• Iwi
• Local government agencies
• Members of academic institutions 

All members of the public will be given the opportunity to provide feedback on Government initiatives to reduce transport emissions when the Government releases a draft Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) for consultation in the 2nd half of 2021. The ERP will include a transport chapter, based on content from Hīkina te Kohupara.

We are following this two-step consultation process to get rapid feedback on options to reduce transport emissions, before refining these for inclusion in the transport chapter of the all-of-government ERP. 

The Beehive press release is available here (external link)

Submissions have now closed. 

Submissions closed 5pm Friday 25 June 2021.

We may publish a summary of submissions. If you do not want your name or identifying information to be included, please note the reasons why at the end of your submission. This will be taken into account when we respond to any Official Information Act requests that cover your submission. If you are planning to make a submission via an online petition page or other automated platform, please contact us first to ensure your submission is accurately identified and collected.

The major part of the work programme is the development of the Transport Emissions Action Plan (TEAP). This will be our strategic plan for how New Zealand could reduce its transport emissions. It will be the basis of the transport section in the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan for the 2022–25 emissions budget.

Transport is one of 5 sectors the first emissions reduction plan focuses on. It accounts for 21% of New Zealand’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and is the fastest growing source of emissions. Between 1990 and 2018, road transport emissions increased by 100%, while emissions across the whole economy increased by 24%.

The TEAP will be finalised by June 2021.

This project looks at the role alternative fuels — electricity, green hydrogen and biofuels — could play in reducing emissions from heavy road freight vehicles. We released a strategic working paper in May 2020 for public comment. This paper and its feedback will inform future policy development.

Green Freight Project

New Zealand is working through its accession to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) convention, MARPOL Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships. It is also the platform for IMO action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships, with further measures set to be adopted in 2023.

The Select Committee treaty examination has been completed and we expect to engage with stakeholders between July and October 2020.

MARPOL Annex VI Treaty 

International aviation and maritime are major sources of emissions. Although they do not count as part of New Zealand’s emissions profile, the Ministry for the Environment estimates that if they did then international aviation would be responsible for 16% of transport emissions and  international maritime for 5%.

As part of New Zealand’s effort to reduce international aviation emissions, we will participate in the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Legislation for this is being drafted as part of Civil Aviation Bill. Subject to government priorities, the Bill may be passed in mid-2021.

We are also working with like-minded countries to implement the IMO’s Initial Strategy on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Reducing greenhouse gases from ships(external link)

CORSIA

The emissions from light vehicles we drive, are the largest source of transport emissions, accounting for nearly 70%.  We need to reduce light vehicle emissions if carbon dioxide emissions are to reach net zero.

Encouraging people to buy low-emission vehicles is crucial as New Zealanders tend to hold on to their vehicles for longer than people in other countries. An average new vehicle entering the country in 2020 will not be scrapped until around 2040, locking in significant emissions over its lifetime. The Clean Car Reforms were developed to address this.

Low-income households have fewer resources and choices to reduce their transport carbon footprints. One solution could be to lease low emission vehicles rather than to own them. To investigate this, we are exploring a pilot social leasing scheme for low-emission vehicles.

Clean Cars

Electric Vehicles Programme