Transport Minister Michael Wood says the National Party turns every climate change policy into a "tacky little culture war" and is a party of climate change denial.
His comments came in a fiery exchange with his counterpart in the House today — National's transport spokesman Simeon Brown.
It follows a pre-Budget announcement on the Government's Clean Car Discount Scheme that means it will lower the threshold for eligible vehicles, lift fees on higher-emissions vehicles and change rebates for zero emissions imports.
In Question Time, Brown asked what the total amount of subsidies the Government had paid to Tesla owners through the Clean Car Discount Scheme were, and how many Teslas had been purchased through the scheme.
Wood said the scheme had been an "electrifying success" and thanked Brown "for his ongoing interest and the spotlight he shines on it".
He said since the discount came into effect last year, more than 100,000 low emission vehicles were registered in New Zealand.
More than 88,000 of those purchases were supported by the discount, he said.
He said 84% — 74,000 — were brands other than Tesla.
"That's over 35,000 more than the last time the member asked me this question in October. In comparison, the discount has supported the purchase of about 6157 Teslas."
Brown said the number Wood had provided was from April last year and the clean car discount scheme came into effect in July 2021.
Wood said Brown was referring to a partial start of the scheme in which the discount only applied to fully electric vehicles.
Brown rephrased his question and Wood said the number was $83m applying to 9730 "of those vehicles" — Teslas.
Wood said the National Party was trying to spark a "tacky little culture war" over the policy. (Source: Supplied)
Brown asked if he thought spending $83m "subsidising wealthy people to purchase Teslas represents good value for money during a cost of living crisis?"
Wood said he believed it was good value for money for the Government to "invest in initiatives that reduce our carbon emissions during a climate emergency".
"The Clean Car Discount Scheme has turned New Zealand from one of the world's worst markets for importing the dirtiest vehicles in the world, to one of the best markets for importing clean vehicles into our country. That has meant that the average emissions of the vehicles coming into New Zealand have decreased by 14% over that period," he said.
Wood said that meant people had access to vehicles that were cheaper to run.
"There was once a time in the National Party where members on that side actually supported action on climate.
"Unfortunately it's not a rare misstep that [Brown] is opposed to it, it has now become the cultural norm in the National Party, a party of modern-day climate denialism."
Brown asked if Wood could confirm if the Government would increase taxes on tradies and farmers purchasing utes so he could "hand out millions of dollars to people purchasing expensive Teslas".
The opposition says it means tradies and farmers are subsidising new electric cars for wealthy Kiwis. (Source: 1News)
Wood said National wanted to "turn every policy that is about addressing climate change into a tacky little culture war".
"But our Government is actually focused on practical measures that reduce emissions across our transport sector."
He said Brown was trying to present the Clean Car Discount Scheme as one that only applied to vehicles like Teslas.
"The biggest make of vehicles that has attracted both the largest number of discounts and the largest value of discounts have in fact been Toyotas."
Brown asked who was creating the culture war — the National Party which "says that Tesla owners shouldn't be subsidised" or Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni who said some people owned utes that weren't "necessarily needed for practical reasons".
"What makes a ute necessary for practical reasons?"
Wood said the National Party criticised climate action measures and did not proffer solutions.
"In 2023, when communities up and down our country have been devastated by climate change driven extreme weather events, for the main opposition party of this country to oppose any and all climate action for cheap political gain is a disgrace and an embarrassment to them."
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