Contact  -  w@v5.nz.
Electric Vehicle Advocacy
Save the Clean Car Policies
Tell Winston and  New Zealand First to to implement the Clean Car Policies
The Clean Car Discount will help increase electric vehicle adoption and help New Zealanders save $627 million in fuel, and reduce CO₂/e by around 1.6million tons in just 3 years. ​

 The Clean Car  Standard will save New Zealanders $3.4 billion at the pump, and around $6,800 per vehicle due to requiring more efficient vehicles to be sold in New Zealand, and reduces around 5.1million tons of CO₂/e

Every million tons of CO₂ is about the same as a million trees could sequester in 40 years. Together, these policies would have the same impact as planting 6.7 million trees. 

Scroll down to see how you can help us get these policies over the line, or click the button to go straight to the action.
Get started
Not convinced about the enviromental benefits of EVs? See here.

The problem

We’ve had a lot of discussion about the Clean Car Standard (CCS) and Clean Car Discount (CCD). If you’re not familiar with these policies, you can see a video here, or read the policy documents here. The long and short of it is that these policies will make a real difference in reducing our emissions and incentivising cleaner transport. 

These policies are crucial to kick-start EV uptake—we need to massively accelerate the changeover from fossil fuel transport to electric transport if we want to have a chance of hitting our 2050 carbon free goals. Achieving these goals is critical to doing our part to prevent a global temperature increase of 3℃—something which would be catastrophic.

You can read more here about the methodology for how the CCD and CCS work in the policy paper, and why this was chosen as one of the many places to start working on emission reduction. But we’re coming to you because we have a big problem, a New Zealand First Problem.  New Zealand First either don’t understand or don’t want to understand why these policies are so important. They aren’t listening to science, nor to their coalition partners, but maybe they will listen to you.  

This bill is still under negotiation, with both Greens and Labour supporting the bill, but we need your help to reach NZ First to assure them that voters do understand the benefits these measures offer, and that we do want climate action, and that we do expect them to pass policies, not block them in this coalition government. Especially policies such as these that are so beneficial to every New Zealander.

Please help us to achieve cleaner transport sooner by writing an email this week to NZ First MPs. Without your support, the Clean Car Discount and Clean Car Standard might not become law.  You can copy and paste and edit our letter template, further down.

We really need your help to show NZ First that the large majority of New Zealanders want action on climate change, and see the benefits of electric vehicles.

​- Thank you for your help
William Stewart,
EV Advocate. 

Supported by:

Get started
How to write to New Zealand First
 Please write to at least one NZ First MP to let them know that you want them to support the Clean Car Discount and Clean Car Standard. If you can, please do before March 2020.

Below is a draft of a letter. Feel free to customise it and put things into your own words. If you live in an area with a NZ First MP, tell them that. If you have ever voted for NZ First, tell them about that too. If you live rurally, or have experience with how farmers need and care about climate action, please mention that. 

Choose which NZ First MP you want to send your letter to. If you live in an electorate or region where there is an NZ First MP, please write to them and tell them you live in their area. If you live somewhere else or have no preference, please write to Winston.

 
  
The NZ First MPs
Copy and paste the following into your email client. Make sure you edit the parts in brackets.
​See above for the addresses of the New Zealand First MPs

The Letter

  
Dear [NZ First MP]​

[I live in or near your electoral constituency and have voted for you, or know people that have in the past. This is my personal message about why you should listen to this letter.]

Thank you for New Zealand First’s contribution to a better New Zealand, one where we take seriously the Climate Emergency. I appreciate your work in passing the Zero Carbon bill, which calls for New Zealand to implement climate change policies.  Please support the Clean Car Discount (CCD) and Clean Car Standard (CCS) policies, as they are important climate change policies that are needed to reach our Zero Carbon goals.

The main barrier to Electric Vehicle adoption in NZ is the higher upfront cost of EVs in comparison to Fossil Fuel vehicles. The CCD will:
  • Lower the barrier to electric/hybrid/cleaner car purchases.
  • Give fuel savings of $5,200 on average per vehicle.
  • Be revenue neutral - Offers choices to the market and requires no taxpayer money.
  • Ensure that the harm to climate and society from high emission vehicles is included in the price of the vehicle.
  • Reduces Air pollution and CO₂ emissions.

New Zealand is one of only three developed countries without regulations to influence the fuel efficiency of light vehicles entering our country.  The CCS will:
  • Bring our new vehicle fleet up to the level of  similarly developed OECD countries.
  • Fuel savings for New Zealanders $6,800 on average per vehicle.
  • Reduces Air pollution and CO₂ emissions.

There are also flow on economical benefits from embracing electric vehicles:
  • The transport sector is responsible for 20% of all NZ emissions. Cuts made here will reduce the size of the cuts needed in other sectors, eg. the agriculture sector.
  • NZ spends over $7 billion on fossil fuel every year. Reducing this figure through electrification will reduce our trade deficit and mean more money in our own economy
  • More demand for electricity will allow already consented renewable energy projects to be built.
  • Our economy will be less affected by fluctuations in the global oil market. 
  • The 2012 Health and Air Pollution report found that vehicle emissions are directly responsible for the deaths of approximately 256 New Zealanders every year.
  • It also found that there are 352,300 health impacted days annually, and this has a combined additional social cost of $934 million every year.

Your office will no doubt have received calls, letters and emails from people opposed to these policies.  Although these people are loud, they do not represent the majority of New Zealanders and they are not informed about the benefits of electric vehicles.

Surveys have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders want action on Climate Change.  79% of New Zealanders believe that climate change is important according to an IAG-Ipsos Poll in 2019. The Clean Car Legislation reflects what the people want and it is your job to communicate the benefits and basis for these policies.

I absolutely agree that farmers should not be left behind without a suitable vehicle choice, however the current policy has provision for these vehicles. The Nissan Navara Double Cab 4x4 Manual ute with a 5 star safety rating has tailpipe emissions of only 172g/km and is thus included in the zero band of the CCD. New Zealand First can best serve farmers by working with their coalition parties to farmer proof the policy and ensure there is support for farmers to transition to fit-for-purpose cleaner vehicles and exemptions where needed if low emission vehicle options are not yet available in that category. Farmers' livelihoods are most at risk from Climate Change.

We and others have seen New Zealand First standing with other leaders at the front of Climate Action. We urge you to help your constituents understand these policies, and work with your coalition partners to make meaningful climate policy. It is up to leaders to lead, to make decisions based on scientific consensus and published facts

Kind regards,
 [Name]

​​

What now?

  1. Share
    Post about this on your social media accounts and help us get the word out that we want climate action and progressive policy
  2. Send it in
    Email any of the New Zealand First MPs before the end of March so that we can make the Clean Car policies happen.