Why does National hate EVs?

Written By: - Date published: 2:17 pm, January 17th, 2024 - 71 comments
Categories: climate change, Environment, public transport, science, simeon brown, transport - Tags:

Transport Simeon Brown has shown what his true priorities are.  In the first three months of his term not only has he cancelled the Auckland light rail project but he has also cancelled the clean car discount policy and moved quickly to impose road user charges on electric vehicles and plug in hybrids.

As congestion grows and the wall of bus problem in the inner city increases the folly of the first decision will be shown.  Sure Labour overcooked the scale of the project and it should have been at grade rather than tunneled but it is still required.  While overseas cities rush to implement advanced rail systems Simeon wants to build more tarmac.

The EV policy changes are especially galling.

The Clean Car discount policy was working very well and EV numbers were skyrocketing.  Sure the overall environmental benefit from EVs is complex and there are better things that we can do but EVs, particularly the smaller ones, are way better than gas guzzling utes.

And although road pricing was inevitable the haste with which it is being introduced is unwarranted.  Despite the surge EVs currently only make up about 2% of the total fleet.  Every incentive should be used to increase numbers.  The slow in the growth in EV numbers that the policy will cause will only mean that the country will have to pay more for carbon credits because we will not meet our international obligations.

As has been pointed out by people in the know.  From Radio New Zealand:

It does not take a rocket scientist to realise the government’s decision to implement road user charges for electric vehicles will really slow down sales, industry group Drive Electric says.

On Tuesday, the government announced EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles will no longer be exempt from road-user charges as of 1 April.

Owners of light EVs will pay $76 per 1000 kilometres, to match equivalent diesel-powered vehicles.

Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid owners will pay a reduced rate of $53 per 1000km so they are not double taxed by the fuel excise duty.

Drive Electric chairperson Kirsten Corson told Morning Report the decision alongside losing the EV clean car discount will have a significant impact on sales.

“[It’s] disappointing in our bid to hit our Paris Agreement target.”

Corson said incentives had a “dramatic” impact on sales, with EV sales sitting at around 2 percent of new car sales every month in 2018. That increased to more than 27 percent by 2023.

“We know the biggest barrier is the upfront capital cost of EVs is higher, so we do need to talk to the government and see how we could put some incentives in place like other countries do.”

In dollar terms the change will bring in $80 million in revenue.  The National Land Transport Fund last year brought in about $4.2 billion in RUC, FED and other income so the extra income is about 1.9% of the NLTF total.  There was no need for this to happen urgently.

And it is a false economy.  The shortfall in the country’s greenhouse gas commitments will require the purchase of carbon credits.

And purchase decisions made now will have long term effects.  As noted by the Climate Commission in its final advice to inform the Government’s plan to meet Aotearoa New Zealand’s greenhouse gas reduction goal for 2026–2030 states:

Decisions made in the second emissions budget period will impact Aotearoa New Zealand’s ability to meet the third emissions budget. For example, the large jump in emissions reductions expected
from transport in the third emissions budget relies on a rapid scaling up of electric vehicle sales in the 2020s. Without that early scaling up, a higher-emissions vehicle fleet will be locked in, making the necessary emissions reductions from transport more costly and disruptive.

The Commission’s conclusion about the success of the Clean Car discount policy is particularly galling.  From the Commission’s advice:

[U]ptake of low-emissions vehicles has grown rapidly since the introduction of the Clean Car Discount in 2021, exceeding Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport’s modelled impact of the Clean Car policy package. The share of electric light vehicle registrations in 2022 grew to over 10% – a level not achieved until 2028 in the Ministry’s modelling. This also exceeds the Commission’s demonstration path, which projected a 6% share in 2022, reaching 11% in 2025. The share of hybrids also grew well beyond what was expected. This highlights the opportunity for electric and hybrid vehicles to deliver significantly higher and faster emissions reductions than previously thought.

Simeon’s preference, building more roads, is the worst thing you can do if you want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  This graphic from the Commission’s advice shows how retrograde what he is proposing is.

At a time when we need cool heads and leaders who understand the enormity of the problem that is climate change and the consequences of getting our response right we are getting this retrograde culture war from people who should know better.

71 comments on “Why does National hate EVs? ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Res Publica 1
    17 January 2024 at 2:52 pm

    Ironically, if my memory serves me right, the RUC exception for EVs was introduced by National last time they were in government. And was one of the very few good ideas Simon Bridges had as transport minister.

    When you're hastily trying to undo an accidentally good policy made by your own party as recently as 6 or 7 years ago, you have a problem.

  2. alwyn 2
    17 January 2024 at 2:53 pm

    You state that National "moved quickly to impose road user charges on electric vehicles and plug in hybrids".

    Why are you misrepresenting what the Government is doing? After all they are merely continuing what the previous Government had scheduled. That was that the exemption from RUC for electric vehicles should terminate on 1 April 2024.

    That was all the Labour had proposed, and budgeted for. If they had intended to go on for longer they should have announced, and financed the extension. They didn't make any provision for it and National are merely allowing the Labour scheme to come to its planned end. It was Labour who intended the exemption to end on that date.

    Prior to April 2023 the then Labour Government held consultations on the topic of

    "how light electric vehicle (EV) owners can transition into paying RUC when the exemption for EVs ends on 31 March 2024"

    https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/revenue/road-user-charges-system/

    • Chess Player 2.1
      17 January 2024 at 6:38 pm

      Correct – and I think anyone who did their research would know this.

      I did, and got a PHEV which works well for my situation.

      It would help if the funds gathered from RUC were ring-fenced and demonstrated to be spent on maintaining infrastructure, but that's not something any political party would take on, I suspect.

      On the bell curve of innovation adoption, 2 to 2.5% is about the level of uptake classed as Innovators, and then the growth comes from Early Adopters.

      NZers tend to own cars for a long time and keep fixing them as long as they can, so from my perspective that's the best environmental approach as repairing things and maximising their lifetime is better than creating new things and scrapping the old things when they still have life in them.

    • mickysavage 2.2
      17 January 2024 at 8:53 pm

      Que?

      I said that RUC for EVs was inevitable. But they dont have to do it now. They could delay the implementation.

      And are you saying that National is just following through with what the last Government was doing?

      If so why set the level at such a rate that hybrids are cheaper to run?

      • Chess Player 2.2.1
        18 January 2024 at 6:19 pm

        So, typically you're complaining that the new govt does the opposite of, or undoes, what Labour did, and now you're complaining that they shouldn't have done what Labour had planned?

        And as regards hybrids, they are a transition product, which is pivotal to the conversion towards electric over time, as many wouldn't take the leap to go full electric yet.

      • alwyn 2.2.2
        18 January 2024 at 6:21 pm

        People have been preparing for the move to RUC on electric vehicles ever since the last Government set the date for the change on 1 April 2024.

        Why create more confusion now? The last Government set 1 April this year and without very strong arguments that they were very badly wrong why not stay with it?

        A case can be made that the rate for EVs should be more than twice the rate for the simple hybrid form used by companies such as Honda or Toyota rather than just double the figure. Pure EVs are much heavier than hybrids and the damage done to a road goes up by the fourth power of the axle weight.

        I will look at the Kia Niro which was, I believe, the subject of the complaint about the RUC for an EV compared to the simple hybrid which would only pay Motor spirit taxes. It is just a back of envelope calculation but it should exhibit the argument.

        The kerb weight of a petrol driven, simple hybrid, Niro is 1470kg. The EV is 1893kg. Assuming 50% of the load is on each axle the weight, and axle load, ratio is 1.28. The fourth power of this is 2.75. Thus to a first approximation the charge should be 2.75 times as much for the EV as for the ICE version.

        That is very simplified of course but it does illustrate why it is reasonable to charge more for an EV than a hybrid with only a very small battery.

        Weights are taken from

        https://kia.co.nz/vehicles/niro/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5_XCypXmgwMVTAx7Bx2wLQKPEAAYAiAAEgLxwvD_BwE

    • Tricledrown 2.3
      18 January 2024 at 9:40 am

      Alwyn you are right wing er but you forgot that MMP was put in place back in 1996.

      Labour had an outright majority in the last term of govt.

      They would have to rely on the Green's if they had got over the line.

      But National blue and Labour Red (look blue go purple ) Labour otherwise known as as National lite ,lite blue is the commoners description of what is today's Labour Party !

      National and Labour both are not looking at the savings of not importing vast quantities of very expensive oil.The biggest single item using up around 30% of foriegn exchange earned from exports.

      We would be a far wealthier country without a continuing huge balance of payments debt which has continued for decades and cost 's our country more in higher interest rates being a debter rather than a saver.

      I thought the heart of "Con"servative bedrock economic management was to "always" balance the books.

      Dependence on imported oil leaving NZ in continual debt.

  3. Michael 3
    17 January 2024 at 2:54 pm

    National hates EVs because it is owned by Big Oil.

    • alwyn 3.1
      17 January 2024 at 3:00 pm

      Really? And your evidence is what precisely?

      • CharlieB 3.1.1
        17 January 2024 at 7:14 pm

        Probably not entirely owned by 'big oil'.. but they were certainly paid a big chunk of donation money by mainfrieght and a couple of the other trucking companies.. Having EV and PHEV owners pay a disproportionate amount in RUC's helps those fellas pay less.

      • Michael 3.1.2
        18 January 2024 at 9:13 am

        Res ipsa loquitur.

        • alwyn 3.1.2.1
          18 January 2024 at 6:24 pm

          I guess by that quote you are simply saying "I have no idea but I have never let a lack of logic inhibit my comments"

        • weka 3.1.2.2
          18 January 2024 at 6:57 pm

          mod note: the matter doesn't speak for itself. If you want to make a claim of fact like that please explain your thinking, and back up with evidence as necessary. Read the site Policy on this.

    • Tricledrown 3.2
      18 January 2024 at 9:51 am

      Michael my opinion as I Don't have the links maybe someone can allude to what's going on . But I am sure Between National ACT,NZfirst some have oil donations some have tobacco , some have roadtransport some have road building contractors donations as far as I know.

    • roblogic 3.3
      18 January 2024 at 8:19 pm

      Quite likely.. .there's definitely a pattern here

      So to recap. So far Boy Wonder has tackled transport emissions by:

      1/taxing EVs at twice the rate of diesels

      2/canceling funding for all walking & cycling projects nationwide

      3/canceling Auckland's biggest transit project with no replacement.

      I'm sure this will work out fine

      https://x.com/Cameron78588471/status/1747481194235932744?s=20

  4. ianmac 4
    17 January 2024 at 3:23 pm

    No Right Turn has an alarming message re taxes on E-cars:

    ….EVs pay road-user charges. "But they're making the e-cars pay tax at twice the amount an equivalent modern vehicle would pay in petrol excise tax:

    https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2024/01/from-clean-car-discount-to-clean-car-tax.html

    • mikesh 4.1
      18 January 2024 at 9:15 am

      One would have to wonder how the $80.00 figure was arrived at. How many kilowatts would be needed per 1000 km on average? Knowing that, one could arrange for the EV equivalent of a “gas guzzler” to pay more than a more economical vehicle.

    • Tricledrown 4.2
      18 January 2024 at 9:56 am

      Maybe Christoper robin Luxon could take some of his low taxed rent money and pay the $8,500 taxpayer subsidy his wife recieved and the unpaid road user charges back so we can fix some potholes.

    • Graeme 4.3
      18 January 2024 at 10:21 am

      The road user component of petrol excise would have been calculated when an economical car used 8 l/100km. I've got a 10 yo base model Demio that does half that.

      Very good case for petrol vehicles to move to a milage based road user charge and a carbon charge on hydrocarbon fuels. The Government has said it's looking at it, but no timeframe, in the ODT

      The government has said it intends to move petrol cars to the same road user charges system as diesel and electric vehicles, but has not set a date.

      • Ghostwhowalks 4.3.1
        18 January 2024 at 2:52 pm

        Good points . But they are basing EV RUC on the diesel cars which were even more economical than the petrol cars 8L/100km figure you mention

        Havent actually seen the numbers other than the 'Twice as much ' headline grabber

        • Ghostwhowalks 4.3.1.1
          18 January 2024 at 3:07 pm

          I see WK/ NZTA discussion document from 2022 talks about a 'light' petrol car driving 11,000 km per year and fuel consumption is 9.5 L/100km – on average

          The heaviest HGW trucks pay $95,000 RUC for their mileage 150,000 km pa

          Maybe they could extend the ‘light’ electric or petrol vehicle of 1 tonne or less up to say 1.5 tonne at a reduced rate ?
          https://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/RUCDD-2022.pdf

          • Stephen D 4.3.1.1.1
            18 January 2024 at 4:11 pm

            Currently my hybrid is doing 5.3l/100k.

            • alwyn 4.3.1.1.1.1
              18 January 2024 at 7:43 pm

              I get a steady 3.9 l/100km from a Honda Jazz and about 5.2 l/100km from a Toyota Camry.

              I can see no reason at all to buy anything other than a basic hybrid. If we really got up to high percentages of EV or PHEV I don't think we would be able to charge them.

        • Graeme 4.3.1.2
          18 January 2024 at 3:32 pm

          The 'twice as much" headline was based on a modern small petrol car using around 4 l/100km. With light diesels ISTR that the rate was set to approximate what the 'average' petrol car would pay through the excise. Worked for a larger car, but completely stuffed up the economics of small diesel cars compared to petrol. Your link below goes there.

          Unfortunate reality is that the owner of the small modern petrol car is only paying half what they should be.

          • Ghostwhowalks 4.3.1.2.1
            18 January 2024 at 7:56 pm

            I drive a lot less than an average of 11,000km a year.

            Thats the point of an average though.

            Yes another lighter vehicle category would be good , but arent full electric cars heavier

            • alwyn 4.3.1.2.1.1
              18 January 2024 at 8:51 pm

              To your last sentence I would say yes and yes.

              The lowest category is for vehicles of up to 3500kg I believe That isn't a small vehicle. It is a rather large truck I would think.

              Even a minimum of category of up to 2000 kg would make a difference.

    • alwyn 4.4
      18 January 2024 at 6:26 pm

      I have commented on this in a comment just above here. It is rough and ready but does give some justification.

      https://thestandard.org.nz/why-does-national-hate-evs/#comment-1985445

  5. Sanctuary 5
    17 January 2024 at 3:26 pm

    Simeon Browne has completely drunk the kool-aid of US style nihilistic culture wars. He doesn't care about the climate or good policy, he just wants to own the libs.

    • Tony Veitch 5.1
      19 January 2024 at 5:41 am

      As my grandmother used to say (and that's going back a bit, believe me) the Natz are 'bought and well paid for' by . . .

  6. SPC 6
    17 January 2024 at 3:37 pm

    An example of who runs the National Party caucus – get rid of the Auckland petrol tax for the boys with SUV's and place RUC on the girls with EV's.

    There is a reason the Teal women independents supplanted the (petrol heads) boys of the Liberal caucus in those urban seats over the ditch.

  7. Sanctuary 7
    17 January 2024 at 3:41 pm

    "…There is a reason the Teal women independents supplanted the (petrol heads) boys of the Liberal caucus in those urban seats over the ditch…"

    Unfortunately, the Teal independents is the modern NZ Labour party, and they just lost.

    • Chess Player 7.1
      18 January 2024 at 6:14 pm

      Lol

      The NZ Labour Party is anything but teal, and none of them can think or act independently.

      Teal seems to be the name for those who are both capitalists (or at least understand that bills do need to be paid) and those who value the environment.

      Who in Labour has that? They had 6 years with the Greens collaborating and resisted environmental improvement all the way, and then lost out to the capitalist party. They're clearly no good at either.

      As for the 'independent' perspective? Yeah nah, maybe one or two wake up in the night thinking they need to take a different path, but at the end of the day they just line up and nod for their pay check like the other drones.

  8. Pat 8
    17 January 2024 at 3:49 pm

    Labour had already announced the end of the EV exemption prior to the election.

  9. David 9
    17 January 2024 at 4:18 pm

    "Sure Labour overcooked the scale of the project …"

    'Overcooked'? That is an understatement of epic proportions. Here's Matt Lowrie's take:

    "As a huge advocate for better public transport in Auckland, it continues to feel a bit weird that I’m not upset that a major public transport project is being cancelled. Instead I continue to feel disappointed and frustrated at the previous government for botching this project so badly that it was further from becoming a reality in 2023 than it was when they took it over in 2017."

    And his piece at Looking Back at Labour's Transport Performance – Greater Auckland looks in more detail at the Light Rail project, and in particular the part of both Phil Twyford and Michael Wood in it's demise.

    • Bearded Git 9.1
      17 January 2024 at 4:47 pm

      Winston stopped light rail in 2020. The Greens and Labour had contracts ready to be signed in 2020 but Peters used his NZF votes in parliament to stop this.

      The fact that there is no light rail already built in Auckland is entirely due to Winston Peters.

      • Tiger Mountain 9.1.1
        17 January 2024 at 4:48 pm

        yes

      • David 9.1.2
        17 January 2024 at 5:28 pm

        “Under Labour’s first transport minister Phil Twyford, Waka Kotahi were also ready to start delivering it, and my understanding is they had contracts ready to sign to start enabling works – that was, until the government got distracted by the NZ Super Fund proposal – which then led to the bizarre twin-track process that saw Waka Kotahi competing with the NZ Super Fund for who would build it. It turns out the Super Fund would have won the gig, had Winston Peters not blocked it a few months out from the 2020 election”.

        and

        “The new transport minister, Michael Wood, reset the process in 2021 – but notably put in charge the same consultants who were behind Waka Kotahi’s failed bid in the previous process; and this resulted in the tunnelled light rail proposal we have today. I feel that both Phil Twyford and Michael Wood got distracted by thinking they could be the ones to right the wrongs of the past – for example, the abandonment of schemes like that pushed by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson. Both often repeated the urban legends that have built up around ‘Robbie’s Rail’ but ignored the hard-learned lessons, that any programme needs to be fundable and builable in a rational, staged way. They were certainly encouraged by some officials and industry players to ‘build big’ from the start, and not repeat the experience of the Harbour Bridge which soon needed to be expanded again – even though (as the Harbour Bridge example shows), taking a staged approach would likely have resulted in a better overall system. Had they not been distracted, light rail along Dominion Rd would be in operation now – but sadly, the concept is probably now dead for a generation due to Labour’s mismanagement.”

        Looking Back at Labour's Transport Performance – Greater Auckland

  10. Tiger Mountain 10
    17 January 2024 at 4:47 pm

    The Natzos are supporting the right voting Ford Raptor and Ranger crowd who tow trailer loads of trail bikes, twin Mercury powered boats and jet skis rather than doing what is necessary–reducing fossil fuel use. Short term culture war vote herding that will have a long term effect if ICE vehicles span is increased.

  11. Mike the Lefty 11
    17 January 2024 at 4:57 pm

    Because Simeon Brown is a petrolhead, glorifying in putting down EVs. I get plenty of his Facebook feeds (unwanted) and he is always pictured with some kind of gas guzzling ute or sports car. Geoff Upson and similar minds regard him as a God because he promises all potholes will be fixed. But he is really just another National big headed big mouthed twerp totally full of himself, intoxicated with victory and devoid of common sense.

  12. Rolling-on-Gravel 12
    17 January 2024 at 5:27 pm

    It really is disappointing that we are regressing as a society on this topic when we should be amongst the leaders on this amongst the countries.

    It is infuriating that Simeon Brown et al are so much like teens who harm animals and other people to upset their parents just to seem "cool" to other teens who egg them onto doing worse things until everyone at the school and the family become harmed by their actions.

    Polluting the earth just to fit in with rich and/or cruel and loudmouthed jerks is no way to go through life.

    We will all pay for what we voted in with no mercy.

    Fuck you, National and ACT and NZF for helping destroy Aotearoa/NZ. You are the gobshites for harming your fellow people just to profit and to bask in the pain of other people.

    Proliferation of electric vehicles won't be perfect however it is a vast improvement on the status quo where we become sick from the exhaust smoke of the vehicles powered by fossil fuels.

  13. bwaghorn 13
    17 January 2024 at 6:54 pm

    As committed chardonnay socialists all ev drivers would have no problem contributing to the roads they drive, surly?

    Fuck luxon owns 2 he'd hate taking stuff for free surely, except maybe the ev subsidize but that was the little woman!@

  14. Chess Player 14
    17 January 2024 at 8:27 pm

    RUC will come to petrol cars too, as they should – it's just a matter of time

  15. No-Skates 15
    18 January 2024 at 8:19 am

    As an environmental conservative, it's really upsetting to see these to see these progressives win. What happened to good ol' fashioned values like living within your means, or providing a bright future for your children? Instead they want to raise the temperature more and more, and they expect everyone else to pay for it!

    They need to learn some personal responsibility. Stop pointing to others who are worse to excuse themselves from trying to better themselves, stop assuming some magical technology is going save them from their degeneracy, realise they're hurting their kids and themselves, and accept the consequences of their own actions.

    • Robert Guyton 15.1
      18 January 2024 at 10:25 am

      "They need to…"

      They haven't yet.

      They won't.

      Now, what do WE do about this awful business..?

  16. Ad 16
    18 January 2024 at 1:36 pm

    Neither NZTA nor IRD have a mechanism to collect RUC on this scale.

    NZTA have taken a decade to roll out a nationwide pt ticket system, starting a trial in Canterbury after a decade. So I'm not brimming with confidence.

    All tax must be efficient to administer, and fuel tax has been excellent. Nationwide RUC will be massively evaded.

    Also I bet RUC is regressive: the poor travel more for their multiple or delivery jobs.

    We shouldn't assume RUC is good for us.

    • Ghostwhowalks 16.1
      18 January 2024 at 2:57 pm

      RUC are already collected from diesel cars and utes. And every truck on the road

      And I have seen police checkpoint stops where they wave everyone through except RUC vehicles ( they can bee seen easily enough as they have two stickers- rego and RUC paid for.)

      Its no different to Rego stickers which have to be bought every year- much of which is ACC levy.

      • Ad 16.1.1
        18 January 2024 at 7:09 pm

        RUC isn't applied to 91% of our fleet.

        If you think there's not major evasion already on the 9% who could pay RUC you are mistaken.

        About 250,000 of 4,500,000 vehicles supposedly paying RUC.

        Step that up to 100% and you have another major black market.

        Also estimates I’ve seen is a further 6% vehicles on the road no license at all.

        • Pat 16.1.1.1
          18 January 2024 at 7:40 pm

          https://www.linktgo.com.au/how-it-works

          I expect that when RUC charges are universal it will involve a GPS tracking and billing as is used on Australian toll roads.

          • Ad 16.1.1.1.1
            18 January 2024 at 7:45 pm

            Remind me if we have a human right not to be tracked under BORA.

            • Ghostwhowalks 16.1.1.1.1.1
              18 January 2024 at 7:51 pm

              Could be .

              However similar sort of question came up over flouridation breaching the right to refuse medical treatment

              Supreme court settled it by saying it 'wasnt medical treatment as in a theraputic relationship'

              Key word was 'treatment'

            • Pat 16.1.1.1.1.2
              18 January 2024 at 8:01 pm

              I expect the rights will align with those in Victoria….where the system has been operating for years for toll roads.

              Perhaps you can make a case why it may be a breach of NZBoRA

              • Ad …
                18 January 2024 at 10:09 pm

                I don't work for Fonterra.

                Private vehicles are private.

                • Pat …
                  18 January 2024 at 10:30 pm

                  So workers arnt protected by BORA…that could be a problem dont you think?

                  Id suggest there is no issue and nor will any administration seeking to make RUC collection as effective and as efficient as possible

                  • Incognito …
                    18 January 2024 at 10:40 pm

                    All NZ Law has to be consistent with the BORA.

                    • Pat …
                      18 January 2024 at 10:46 pm

                      And I'm quite sure that Fonterra can afford the best legal advice.

                    • Chris …
                      19 January 2024 at 9:13 am

                      I don't think it does. The executive must interpret the law consistently with the BORA wherever possible, but legislation doesn't have to be consistent with it. For example, the A-G must flag to Parliament any bill that might be inconsistent with the BORA, but that doesn't mean the bill can't be passed into legislation. Another example is that despite a declaration from a court that legislation is inconsistent with the BORA, that doesn't strike that legislation down.

                  • Ad …
                    19 January 2024 at 8:25 am

                    OK so now I have to do a post on the fairness of fuel tax versus RUC.

                    This is going to take a weekend to draft.

                    • Pat …
                      19 January 2024 at 8:56 am

                      I will be interested to read that (no pressure)….Im unsure that RUC is any less fair than excise but I would note that I find RUC paid manually in advance a pain in the arse and that payment at the pump is convenient by comparison.

                      Not matter what system ends up being implemented all motorists will end up paying for the roads and probably at an increased rate in the future and there will be protest and concerns.

            • Craig H 16.1.1.1.1.4
              19 January 2024 at 3:11 pm

              We have a right of freedom of movement (s18 NZBORA). However, all rights recognised by NZBORA are subject to justified limitations (s5).

              It's very unclear whether that right would cover government tracking of vehicles for protection of public revenue, and if it did, whether that would be a justified limitation.

  17. Ffloyd 17
    18 January 2024 at 9:15 pm

    Every time I see that photo of Simeon Brown I kept wondering who he reminded me of and then it just came to me. PEE WEE HERMAN! Dead ringer.

  18. Thinker 18
    18 January 2024 at 10:34 pm

    Greed Is Good, Follow The Money…

    (Gordon Gecko, Wall St Movie)

    • Incognito 18.1
      18 January 2024 at 10:41 pm

      Hmmm, meaning??

      • alwyn 18.1.1
        19 January 2024 at 10:25 am

        Nominative determinism?

        People develop views that match their initials perhaps?

        Hence Gordon Gecko has traits that Greed is Good. Perhaps it applies to other politicians?

  19. SPC 19
    20 January 2024 at 7:22 am

    It's now official

    The costs of scrapping the Clean Car Discount would be about double the financial benefits of doing so, transport officials calculated.

    But as we know, the government had already decided it did not want to get any advice from officials that explained why their planed action was bad policy.

    The advice was finalised in November but never officially presented to Cabinet, because the new government suspended the need for regulatory impact statements for undoing Labour-era policies.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/01/19/scrapping-clean-car-discount-will-cost-twice-what-it-saves-transport-officials/

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