Act calls for NZ to leave Paris climate agreement without ‘realistic targets’

Act leader David Seymour says NZ should consider abandoning the Paris climate agreement. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The Act Party wants New Zealand to abandon the Paris climate agreement if more realistic emissions targets aren’t introduced.

However, National leader Christopher Luxon has affirmed his commitment to the pact to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, saying New Zealand’s departure would only punish the country’s farmers.

Party leader David Seymour and several Act MPs made the policy announcement this morning from a farm in Patumāhoe near Pukekohe.

In a statement, Seymour reiterated his opposition to “overdoing” climate policy.

“Sending NZ farming and industry overseas where they emit even more hurts the climate and our way of life.

“Paris needs to change, or NZ needs to leave.”

The party sought to “revisit the Emissions Reduction Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions with a view to setting more realistic, affordable targets”, but didn’t specify what targets the party would be satisfied with.

“The Paris Agreement demands targets that are disconnected from science and blind to NZ’s realities. Net-zero targets have been set without regard for the real cost to firms, farms, and families.”

The party continued its advocacy for a split-gas approach concerning how methane is factored in to emission levels.

“It has never made sense to treat cow burps the same way as emissions from coal-burning. Act would look to countries like Uruguay that have achieved sensible, science-based differentiation of gas types,” Act MP Andrew Hoggard said.

Act restated its opposition to emissions pricing for agriculture.

In 2023, National promised not to put agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme and no emissions pricing until 2030.

Labour, which led the drive towards putting agriculture in the ETS, has remained vague about its 2026 policy on agriculture emissions pricing with leader Chris Hipkins saying the party’s position was under review.

Luxon, speaking this morning from Auckland, said he hadn’t seen Act’s announcement but claimed leaving the Paris accord would damage New Zealand farmers.

“Our competitor countries would like nothing more than to see New Zealand products off their shelves,” he said, warning large multinational companies would switch to new suppliers.

He add the Government would “very, very shortly” make an announcement regarding methane targets but did not provide any further detail.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters also appeared to respond to Seymour’s announcement by claiming to be the first to call for a re-evaluation of New Zealand’s climate change commitments.

“We don’t mind other parties agreeing with our policy stance we announced back in March - common sense is catchy … and after all, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery," Peters said in a social media post.

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.