History repeating

The political cycle generally runs like this: after election, the new government takes some time to settle in and make connections with industry, MTA tries to get into these conversations. Then, there is about a year of intense activity with consultation papers coming out left right and centre. So MTA responds to those that impact on members. Then things quiet down and we spend time engaging with officials as they develop ways to implement all the issues they consulted on. By this time, we are back into an election year and the race is on to get in front of the politicians and the public with our ideas on what needs to be done. Rinse and repeat.

After a solid year in 2021, things are quiet on the submission side of advocacy. We are still meeting and engaging with officials, but the formal consultations are briefer, just looking for feedback on detailed points in new regulations and legislation.

Recapping 2021

2021 was a busy year for MTA’s Advocacy Team. Key themes were Climate Change and Covid-19.

The year ended with a number of important submissions, notably the Ministry for the Environment’s “Transitioning to a low emissions and climate-resilient future” where the Ministry revisited issues we had already submitted on in our submissions to the Climate Change Commission’s consultation and the Ministry of Transport’s consultation on Pathways to Net Zero. The discussion document was criticised by many as we were all expecting a very different report to what we received – an actual draft emissions reduction plan. MTA’s submission to the Ministry for the Environment can be found below.

The Ministry for the Environment also consulted on New Zealand’s waste strategy and proposed product stewardship regulations: tyres and large batteries. Product stewardship is an issue MTA has been advocating for and we’re excited to see how initiatives like Tyrewise and the Battery Industry Group (B.I.G.) become a reality.

The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) consulted on EV charging to ensure New Zealand has a fast charging network that will meet the needs of a growing electric fleet in the coming years.

The Productivity Commission consulted on their preliminary findings and recommendations on New Zealand’s immigration settings. MTA’s key recommendations to the Commission included:

• Government should acknowledge that skills from overseas are essential for overcoming skill shortages and growing the skills of local workforce
• Strengthen the relationship between industry and Immigration New Zealand
• Salary is not an indication of skill; it should be a consideration not a determining factor
• Improve coordination of education and welfare channels to meet industry skills needs.

Immigration is a key focus for the Advocacy Team in 2022, if you would like to have your say contact us at [email protected].

If you would like a copy of any of our submissions, please email MTA.

If you would like to have a say in future submissions, join one of our Advisory Groups.

Clean Vehicles Bill

MTA acknowledged and supports the Government’s climate change goals and the role of transport in achieving them. However, MTA did not support the Bill in its proposed form.

MTA’s main points were:

• Supply of zero emission vehicles and the targets in the Bill are unachievable:
• The proposed policies are too complex – especially in seeking to impose regulatory interventions on both the supply side and demand side.
• The Government should focus on influencing consumer behaviour by continuing the Clean Car Discount (CCD) until 2025, and
• The Government should defer the introduction of the CCS until at least 2025.
• The Government should reallocate resources for the CCS to addressing the existing fleet (through emissions testing and scrappage) and boosting incentives under CCD.

MTA's Response to Climate Change Commission Draft Advice

At its heart, MTA's response to the Climate Change Commission draft advice, is about ensuring that the full societal costs are understood in developing carbon reduction policies for transport, including costs of environmental and safety impacts.

EVs are part of the solution but not the only solution. The CCC report seems to focus on a couple of technological fixes for transport – principally EVs – and is not looking at a wider suite of measures that would supplement the ETS (which has under-delivered on emission reduction).

The Commission’s plan relies on changes in buyer decisions, but the recommendations appear primarily aimed at the sellers. The CCC plan and Government CCS policy force one part of society to lead the change. Aren’t we a team of five million?

No policy recommendations deal with the fact that people can choose not to buy a newer, cleaner, safer car and there are plenty of older cars left in the system. In fact, given our expectation of increased cost for low emission vehicles, it is likely many people will seek out affordable transport over environmentally friendly. This defeats the object of these plans.

We need regulatory action (financial, structural, educational) to incentivise, encourage, and support the preferred choices.