Simeon Brown: Transport Minister on the possible changes to the Clean Car Standard

The Government's keeping possible changes to the electric vehicle scheme on the downlow.  

Some in the sector are frustrated only a handful of groups have been consulted but Simeon Brown says this isn't the case.  

The Transport Minister had attempted and failed to urgently repeal the Clean Car Standard on Budget night.  

Now the legislation's before the House. 

Brown told Mike Hosking that it's better this is resolved by a minister as opposed to Parliament or the public.  

He says the standard has to be flexible and respond to market conditions. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Joe Parker in the studio, Shall we go twelve or
fifteen rounds? I I I reckon looking forward to the
catch up shortly. A bit of banks around the motor
industry though at the moment, as the government goes about
reviewing emission standards for cars imported into the country, but
they're only asking the car industry for feedback. Ev importers
not happy about not being included in this. There is
a transparency concern. Apparently the Transport Minister sime and Brown

(00:24):
is with us very good morning to you, Good morning.
The line that is being touted this morning, it is
not keen you to publicize the changes or consult on
them very widely. The secretive consultation has ev importers upper arms,
with Tesla saying the government only went to its hand
picked allies for feedback.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
You say what, well, I mean TESLA should join the
Motor Industry Association or the Motor Trade Association or one
of the other associations we've consulted with. We're consulting with
the car industry around these standards because the government legislated
them in a way which ultimately would mean our standards

(01:05):
would become stricter than the European Union, and that would
impose significant costs on New Zealanders trying to purchase cars.
And so we're looking at the standards. We want to
reduce emissions from imported vehicles, but we also want to
do it in a way which is actually affordable for
New Zealanders, rather than posing thousands of dollars of costs
and actually having a standard which means we have to

(01:26):
find cars which are cleaner than what have been produced
in the European Union. By the way, we don't make
cars here in New Zealand, no.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
We do not. So what happens is when I import cars,
I can bring in a Lambeau V ten, but they've
got to balance it out with something that doesn't burn
the planet just as much. That's where we're at.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Effectively, that's how the standard. Effectively, that's how the standard works.
Most countries have these emissions or fuel economy standards. They're
designed to over time encourage importers to bring in a
cleaner mix of vehicles. We want to make sure that
that is done in a way which is affordable for
New Zealanders. Allows New Zealanders to get the range of

(02:00):
vehicles which are needed and it doesn't impose thousands of
dollars of additional costs or New Zealand as unnecessarily. Look,
we're reviewing that. The Cabinet hasn't made any decisions, but
we have put legislation in department to give the government
minister that's me, the ability to amend the standard via
regulation rather than it being baked into law as it

(02:21):
currently is the next couple of years.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
If you tried to flip it under agency, you couldn't
get there. So this will solve that problem presumably once
and for all. Is this once again too much power
in the minister's hands you decide, as opposed to the
Parliament or the people or whatever.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
No, I think it's actually better that this is an
issue that is resolved by a minister rather than having
baked into law, because ultimately you want the standard to
be flexible, You want it to be able to respond
to market conditions. We don't want this to be imposing
thousands of dollars of costs in New Zealand as trying
to purchase a vehicle. I mean some of the data
we've been seeing that in a couple of years time

(02:53):
it will add you know, potentially thousands of dollars to
the cost of every carving inputs. So we want to
make sure it's affordable for New Yelanders and that we
get the emissions reduction when you did at.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
The same time, Okay, when do we get there?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
The review? The reviews underweg At the moment, Capital hasn't
made any decisions yet, but the legislation is currently before
the House which will enable us to be able to
make those changes once the review.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Is this year. This year, okay, because in asking the
car industry, I know for a fact they don't like it,
so they'll be saying, I mean, this is this is
why I'm not in politics, because I don't have the
patience for it. You go to the car industry, the
car I know what the car industry are going to
tell you. They hate it because Labour Party didn't understand
emissions and cars or anything to do with them. So
you'll fix it. Why don't you just get on and
do it well.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
We want to make sure that a stand which is
achieves what we need to achieve them both in the
best field to talk to us understand what are the
cars being manufactured globally? We don't manifact the cars in
New Zealand and the best people to talk to, talk
to and find out that data and that evidence, to
the people who import vehicles, who actually manufacture vehicles, and
that's executive what we're doing. We want to make sure

(04:01):
that the standard is achievable, reduces emissions but also provides
that mix of vehicles that New Zealanders need. That's exactly
what we're doing.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Okay, good on, you go well with it, so assuming
and Brown, who's the Transport Minister.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
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