Exposure to volatile fossil fuels has driven inflation to its highest level in two years, piling more pressure on New Zealanders' cost of living, says the Green Party.
"Stats NZ has today confirmed what every New Zealander already feels at the checkout. Almost everything is more expensive. That is because our economy is wired up to fossil fuels," says Green Party Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.
"Inflation has hit 4.1 per cent in the year to June, up from 3.1 per cent in the March quarter. The biggest driver is the fossil fuel price spike caused by Donald Trump’s war on Iran, and those higher fuel costs are now flowing into food, freight and power."
"The Greens saw this on the horizon when the fossil fuel crisis first hit, and offered the Prime Minister our Green support to minimise our country’s exposure to imported inflation through rapid decarbonisation. All Luxon had to offer as I probed this in Question Time was, 'I understand inflation, rest assured.'"
"This is the same Prime Minister who boldly declared, ‘Hope is not a plan,’ but clearly, he has worse than no plan. His Government has worked to increase our vulnerability to fossil fuels and is trying to burn more than a billion dollars on an LNG import facility."
"New Zealanders deserve common sense economic management that keeps bills affordable, protects local jobs and is sustainable in every sense of the word: for people and planet. That’s why the Greens exist."
"We’ll continue to offer our collaboration from Opposition to the Government in the hopes that they see the value of working together to support regular, hard-working New Zealanders," says Swarbrick.
