Tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti seek to mitigate climate harms by prioritising a cultural shift that addresses the root causes of climate change. This will be achieved by focusing on Te Tiriti o Waitangi-based solutions, energy sufficiency, efficiency and democratisation, supporting sustainable modes of transport, rapidly phasing out fossil fuels, agricultural diversification to plant-based, climate-safe and resilient models, and economic transformation that avoids growth. Adaptation planning, just transition and free public services will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable, and increase social equity.
Vision
We enjoy a liveable future in Aotearoa New Zealand, stemming from our urgent actions to negate the global climate crisis through an equitable and robust evidence-based process that prioritises mātauranga Māori.
Values and Principles
Actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change are based on these values and principles:
- Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti co-design solutions to address climate change, using a whole-system lens and prioritising tino rangatiratanga, for the benefit of land and people.
- Urgency: The window for reducing greenhouse gases to achieve a climate-safe world has almost closed. Immediate and transformative change to most human systems is required if we are to minimise species extinction and ecosystem collapse.
- Ecological Wisdom: We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to safe ecological and atmospheric limits, and sequester CO2, to allow the regeneration of ecosystems harmed by climate change.
- Global Responsibilities: Aotearoa New Zealand, a relatively wealthy country with high per capita and historic emissions, has a legal and moral obligation to provide international leadership by reducing emissions and providing climate finance to developing countries; especially the Pacific.
- Social Responsibility: Our transition to a climate-safe world means protecting community wellbeing; stopping excessive consumption; and addressing inequalities by empowering marginalised groups.
- Economic Transformation: An economic transformation must address the climate crisis by supporting collective wellbeing through prioritising indigenous values, sufficiency and equity; and providing opportunities for every member to develop their skills, in an inclusive society.
- Appropriate Decision-making: The decisions about how best to mitigate and adapt to climate change should be inclusive, transparent, prioritise the voices of those adversely affected, and based on mātauranga Māori and other science.
- Non-violence: Climate safe actions must avoid perpetuating: the harm on people and the environment caused by colonisation; our sense of entitlement as a developed nation; and ongoing exploitation.
Strategic Priorities
The Green Party’s strategic goals include:
“Aotearoa New Zealand will lead the world in reducing gross domestic emissions of all greenhouse gases, and will be on track to end fossil-fuel use and production no later than 2035, through legally binding mechanisms.
Our nation will lead the world in sequestering carbon through ecologically sound means.
Adaptation to unavoidable climate change will be well underway.
Sustainable transport, renewable energy and regenerative practices in all areas of economic activity, including land use and food production, will predominate.
Comprehensive support for communities and individuals affected both by the transition to a net zero emissions economy and by the impacts of climate change within New Zealand and the Pacific will be well established.”
In addition to climate-relevant actions in other policies, these goals will be achieved through:
- Support the autonomy and self-determination of whānau/hapū/iwi and Māori businesses to develop their own climate change adaptation plans, and ensure that sufficient funding and other resources are provided to redress inequities as Māori seek to develop those plans, and to implement them. (1.3)
- Require that all government policies and actions, the legislated emissions reduction targets and our Nationally Determined Contribution, are transparent, credible, fair and align with our global obligation to restrict global warming to within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels with no overshoot. (2.11.6)
- Support and resource the establishment of regional, representative, Tiriti-based citizens’ assemblies, and empower them to recommend their own climate adaptation plans based on Just Transition principles. (5.1)
- Rapidly phase out the dependence of our economic systems on fossil fuels and economic growth. (6.1)
- Update all New Zealanders with the latest climate change-related evidence in an empowering, capacity-building way, as part of a regular accountability statement that enables all New Zealanders to be part of the solution. (7.6)
Connected Policies
The following Green Party policies all contribute to the Climate Change Policy. See: Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Conservation, Democracy and Constitutional Transformation, Economic, Energy, Environmental Protection, Food, Forestry, Global Affairs, Health, Housing and Sustainable Communities, Income Support, Marine, Mining, Trade and Foreign Investment, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Transport and Workforce policies.
