ACT leader David Seymour. Photo: RNZ/ Nick Monro
The ACT Party says its local government candidates will oppose attempts to manage emissions at the local government level if they are elected.
ACT is standing candidates under the party banner for the first time at this year's elections.
If elected, those candidates would stand under policies including:
- No local emissions reduction plans
- No 'climate emergency' declarations
- No ratepayer-funded climate junkets
- No emissions reduction slush funds
- Emissions disregarded in all consenting and land use decisions
- Spending based on value for money, not carbon
- Continued improvement of infrastructure like stormwater and stopbanks.
The party's local government spokesperson, Cameron Luxton, said ratepayers were facing costly increases, and councils were getting involved in things they did not need to get involved in.
"Councillors will be standing for cutting waste, reducing rates, and keeping councils focused on their knitting, because that is the problem New Zealanders are facing," he said.
"Up and down the country, we are seeing massive rates increases that aren't justified, and it's because councils are taking it on themselves to go about declaring climate emergencies and going on junkets overseas."
A number of councils around the country have declared climate emergencies, and had put in place plans to cut their emissions by particular dates.
Luxton said those plans were redundant, because emissions targets were set nationally by central government, and councils were already incentivised to reduce emissions through the Emissions Trading Scheme.
"We have an ETS. It's working, it's got a sinking lid, it prices carbon and allocates carbon into the economy. Anything else they do is just a platitude, it's not actually helping New Zealand reduce its emissions. All it's doing is driving up costs on ratepayers," he said.
Last year, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told councils he wanted them to "rein in the fantasies" on spending and focus on essentials like fixing pipes and potholes, and picking up the rubbish.
The government has also removed wellbeing provisions from the Local Government Act, claiming they were leading to rates increases.
Labour has said there is no evidence the wellbeing provisions were responsible for rates increases, and one of the primary drivers has been the need to upgrade water infrastructure.
ACT has finalised its candidate selection, and intended to announce its candidates in the coming days.
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