The environment policies of the eight parties in Parliament are compared in the table below.
The Herald is covering all the major policy areas in a series running throughout the election campaign.
| Party | Policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ninety per cent renewable energy supply by 2025, 10-year ban on new coal- or gas-fired power stations, $1 billion home insulation fund, sustainable water programme, improve water quality, solar water heating funding, national statement on biodiversity, forestation, vehicle emission targets, upgrade national parks, walkways and nature reserves, protect more land and marine areas. | |
| National | Halve greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050, amended ETS by start 2010, exempt electric vehicles from road-user charges, solar water installation grants, dump biofuels bill and household insulation fund, simplify RMA, fast-track renewable energy projects, boost climate change research, develop national environmental standards and Environmental Protection Agency. | |
| NZ First | Additional funding for pest control, complete public access to Queen's Chain, ensure wide public consultation on energy, sustainable land management and climate change policy, advance work on meeting Kyoto obligations, further develop ETS, international leadership on emission reductions, promote organic farming, extreme caution around genetic engineering. | |
| Greens | Invest in public transport and energy-efficient homes, defend RMA, GE-free food and environment, support sustainable business practices, mandatory country-of-origin labelling, national policy to combat pollution of lakes and rivers, levy on nitrogen and phosphate fertiliser, increase ground-based pest control, increase funding conservation on private land. | |
| Maori Party | Encourage organic food production, oppose privatisation of water, GE-free New Zealand, reduce dependence on oil, protect streams, lakes, rivers and waterways from agriculture and domestic waste, rejuvenate wetlands and coast, give Maori owners first right to purchase Crown land, repeal Foreshore and Seabed Act. | |
| United Future | Greater use of multi-stakeholder decision-making and voluntary agreements on DoC estate, remove powers of Minister of Conservation to block resources granted by Environment Court, national environmental standards for water, increase funding to clean up waterways and contaminated sites, more funding for soil research, biennial reviews of Resource Management Act (RMA). | |
| Act | Repeal ETS and withdraw from Kyoto Protocol, reform legislation to be neutral on climate change and sustainability, oppose forcing New Zealanders to pay more for energy and electricity, review RMA and restrict its scope, compensate for removal of common law property rights, remove presumption of absolute environmental and conservation values. | |
| Progressive | Increase resources for DoC, extend role of Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, support return of areas of South Island high country for conservation use, research alternative energy, encourage use of public transport and cycling, endorse emissions trading scheme with phased-in introduction, higher priority for RMA review, moratorium on GM food products. | |