Greens to push for more clean energy upgrades

Climate change and a major cost of living announcement will be on the agenda today, with the Green Party and Labour releasing policies ahead of Parliament’s last sitting block before the election.

The Green Party is set to make a climate change policy on Sunday. Stuff understands this will be pushing further than the Government’s Warmer Kiwi Homes expansion, which provides low-income homeowners insulation and heater grants.

The Greens’ push will include provisions for the roll-out of an even greater number of clean energy upgrades.

This would be expanding the Warmer Kiwi Homes grants to include additional upgrades, such as installing ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms, and replacing gas heaters with electric.

The Climate Change Commission proposed in 2021 to ban new gas connections from 2025. Its 2023 draft advice recommended targeted support to replace gas infrastructure, and that it should “also address barriers for lower income households”.

Data given to Green MP Julie Anne Genter in a written question showed the percentage of dwellings in New Zealand with gas connections had not significantly budged over the last 10 years and remained at 14%, despite the estimated number of dwellings increasing.

Genter said there were clear climate change and health reasons, one of those being gas stoves in enclosed spaces creating unsafe levels of air pollution, as to why New Zealand needed to phase out gas in the home.

“It’s actually got quite a big health impacts,” Genter said, adding it was concerning the percentage of gas fittings was not decreasing over time.

According to the commission, the policy would also protect the wallets of homeowners and businesses, due to the potential rise in cost of gas over the coming decades. Energy Minister Megan Woods said in 2022 “the Government is not considering a ban on new gas connections”.

While Labour will be making what has been described as a major cost of living announcement, around removing GST from fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables.

At his post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, when asked if the public could expect a Labour Party tax announcement this week, Labour leader Chris Hipkins said announcements would come “in due course”.

“I said a few weeks ago that it would it be in the next few weeks, and I stand by that statement.”

Last month, National deputy Nicola Willis claimed she was leaked details of a Labour Party election tax policy to wipe GST from fresh fruit and vegetables.

Hipkins would not confirm nor deny the plans. GST is the 15% tax on goods and services, which is applied to most purchases in New Zealand.

In March, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said taking GST off fresh fruit and vegetables, in light of Te Pati Māori’s policy to do so, was not something that was on the Government’s programme at this point.

“Obviously, our GST system is a very clean and concise system that doesn’t have exemptions for the very reason that those start to create very difficult definitional issues and difficult calculation issues.”

National and ACT will be hammering up hoardings, as most public signs are allowed to be up from Saturday (nine weeks before election day).