Why Oppose the Land Transport (Clean Vehicle Standard) Amendment Bill (No 2)
Principle good — mechanism harmful. Reducing transport emissions is necessary. But this Bill achieves the opposite: it extends delays, creates loopholes, manipulates accounting, and protects polluters instead of people. Symbols without substance entrench pollution; real climate action requires strong and fair law.
Here’s what the Bill actually does, why it’s dangerous, and how it undermines accountability, fairness, and climate targets in ways that will be hard to reverse.
Key Principles at Stake
- Urgency: Emissions must fall this decade. The Bill delays real cuts by extending credit life and borrowing.
- Integrity: Credit exchanges are manipulated, so one “credit” no longer equals one unit of CO₂ reduction.
- Accountability: Ministerial power to change standards by regulation bypasses Parliament and scrutiny.
- Fairness: Large importers with capital gain an advantage, while smaller PAYG importers are squeezed out.
- Te Tiriti obligations: Climate harms fall hardest on Māori and Pasifika communities. Weakening standards breaches the Crown’s duty to protect hauora and taonga.
What This Bill Really Does
- Extends credits (s 180): From 3 to 4 years, letting importers stall instead of improving fleets each year.
- Removes barriers (ss 180, 184): New and used import credits can be swapped, turning compliance into a loophole market.
- Extends borrowing: Lets polluting cars flood in now on the promise of cleaner imports later — a debt that may never be paid.
- Manipulates accounting: One new credit becomes two used credits, or two used credits become one new credit — detaching credits from real emissions.
- Weakens oversight: Ministerial discretion allows standards to be watered down by regulation, not Parliament.
- Removes fairness: Scraps weight-based adjustments, favouring heavy utes and SUVs over lighter, cleaner vehicles.
Why This Threatens Accountability and Trust
- Delay disguised as progress: Old credits and future borrowing hide the lack of real cuts.
- Accounting fiction: With manipulated exchanges, credits no longer match actual emissions.
- Parliament sidelined: Regulatory changes bypass democratic debate and scrutiny.
- Public pays: Importers can pass costs down to consumers while continuing to pollute.
- Climate credibility eroded: Weakening standards undermines Paris commitments and trust in government promises.
What Good Law Would Do Instead
- Keep credits short-lived (3 years) to force regular fleet improvement.
- Maintain separation of new and used credits to prevent loophole trading.
- End borrowing after 2025 — no mortgaging the climate future.
- Ensure one credit = one unit of CO₂ reduction, always.
- Bind ministerial powers with clear statutory limits and require Parliament to approve changes.
- Reinstate weight adjustments to stop favouring heavy, polluting vehicles.
If You Care About Climate, Fairness, and Accountability
This Bill is not harmless — it is erosion. It makes polluters less accountable, climate targets less achievable, and public costs higher.
If you believe emissions must fall now, not later…
If you believe credits must reflect reality, not accounting tricks…
If you believe Parliament, not ministers, must safeguard climate law…
Then now is the time to oppose this Bill.
“A true standard drives real change. A loophole only changes the numbers.” — Ukes Baha
Read the full submission: Formal Opposition to the Clean Vehicle Standard Amendment Bill (No 2)