When the Herald later interviewed Peters, he dismissed a question about Government policy by instead talking about what NZ First would be offering at the November 7 election. <\/p>\n
NZ First leader Winston Peters was at Fieldays on Friday. Photo \/ Jamie Ensor<\/p>\n
As the veteran politician stood in front of the NZ First stall, crowded by volunteers and candidates, others working the tent told visitors they could get a photo with the next Prime Minister. <\/p>\n
New NZ First recruits Stuart Nash, the former Labour minister, Taine Randell, the former All Black, and Alfred Ngaro, the ex\u2013National minister, were along for the ride. <\/p>\n
It was Nash\u2019s first public campaigning outing with his new leader since his candidacy was announced<\/a>. He told the Herald the difference to working with Labour is that while Labour may set up \u201cworking groups\u201d and \u201cconsider things\u201d, NZ First \u201cis the party that does stuff\u201d. <\/p>\n Getting out of Paris <\/p>\n That \u201cstuff\u201d could include pulling New Zealand out of the Paris climate agreement. While the coalition Government position is to remain in the framework, Peters wants out. <\/p>\n In past speeches, as recently as last month, Peters has spoken about needing to \u201cre\u2013evaluate our Paris commitments\u201d. <\/p>\n He\u2019s said that in order to meet an upcoming target New Zealand would need to send billions offshore. The politician has also highlighted New Zealand\u2019s relatively low emissions profile compared to the likes of China or the United States. <\/p>\n On Friday, when asked about the Paris agreement, he said former National Prime Minister Sir John Key and former National climate change minister Paula Bennett had signed New Zealand up to \u201cstupid targets\u201d. <\/p>\n As part of New Zealand\u2019s commitments under the Paris Agreement, Bennett introduced what\u2019s called a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target. That was originally to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below gross 2005 levels by 2030. <\/p>\n However, her successor Climate Change Minister James Shaw later told his Cabinet colleagues that the target wasn\u2019t compatible with the objective of the Paris Agreement and recommended an increase to New Zealand\u2019s ambitions. <\/p>\n In 2021, Shaw and Dame Jacinda Ardern announced the NDC target would change to reduce net emissions by 50% below gross 2005 levels by 2030. <\/p>\n Peters asked attendees at the Fieldays Rural Advocacy Hub hosted by Federated Farmers: \u201cYou\u2019re members of the National Party, aren\u2019t you, many of you?\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThey went off to Paris and they signed up, and you\u2019ve got no idea what they signed up to. But here is the blunt, hard facts right here, right now. <\/p>\n \u201cEither we take a plain common sense decision and say we\u2019re not going to sacrifice this country and it\u2019s production one more minute, or we\u2019re gonna go along and do as Mr Luxon said just yesterday. He\u2019s gonna try and meet the targets.\u201d <\/p>\n Peters is referring to remarks from the Prime Minister this week<\/a>, that included acknowledging that hitting the upcoming 2030 climate target would be \u201cdifficult and tough\u201d but that \u201cwe\u2019re going to do everything we can\u201d. <\/p>\n Luxon ruled out sending \u201cbillions\u201d overseas as part of offshore mitigation. The Treasury yesterday released a report saying <\/a>that could cost $5 billion. <\/p>\n Peters went on to say, \u201cthere\u2019s no point in us belonging to this any longer\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fiction. We can\u2019t afford it.\u201d <\/p>\n He mentioned comments from former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, who in an essay last month said cheaper energy and electrification should be prioritised over net zero goals, with oil and gas resources used. <\/p>\n Luxon said this week that the position of the Government<\/a> \u2013 which includes National, Act and NZ First \u2013 was to stay in the Paris agreement, as leaving could hurt the marketability of New Zealand products. <\/p>\n Peters told the Herald that NZ First had \u201cto live with the fiction until the next election\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s up to the New Zealand people to realise right here, right now, that what they\u2019re being promised is a shibboleth.\u201d <\/p>\n He questioned Treasury for revising down its estimate for how much offshore mitigation may cost to hit the NDC 2030 target. <\/p>\n A 2023 report estimated it could cost up to $23.7b, but Treasury yesterday said its estimates had come down (now it\u2019s up to $5b) in part due to the price of offshore mitigation being \u201ctowards the lower end\u201d of the range used three years ago. <\/p>\n \u201cWhy would I trust Treasury?… They never get anything right,\u201d he told the Herald.<\/p>\n Act also put out its climate policy this week, stating that unless the Paris Agreement accommodated updated targets \u201cthat reflect the real warming impact of New Zealand emissions\u201d then \u201cNew Zealand should leave it\u201d. <\/p>\n The party proposed a new NDC, which would treat long\u2013life gases like carbon dioxide and short\u2013lived gases like methane differently, revisit emissions reductions plans and keep agriculture outside the Emissions Trading Scheme. <\/p>\n \u201cLast year, ACT made it clear that the Paris Agreement is broken and that New Zealand deserves a better climate deal. Today, we are putting forward exactly what that better deal looks like,\u201d said climate spokesman Simon Court. <\/p>\n Questioning rates caps <\/p>\n Asked by a Fieldays attendee about local government reform, Peters laid into \u201cthose that promised to cap rates\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to cap rates, go and vote for the right people to be on the council.\u201d <\/p>\nPrime Minister Christopher Luxon said the Government would give the climate targets a ‘good go’. Photo \/ Alyse Wright <\/p>\n
Simon Court of the Act Party (centre in blue) spoke about his party’s climate policy this week. Photo \/ Jamie Ensor<\/p>\n