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Download AudioFormer New Zealand First minister Shane Jones says the Government’s climate change package is great if you want to ride an electric bike, but it fails to address underlying infrastructure challenges.
The Budget 2022 package includes help for the industry to move away from coal-fired boilers, subsidies to help people switch to electric vehicles and more support for native forest plantations – something kick-started by Mr Jones as minister for regional development.
He says overall the plan misses a critical target.
“And that target is to upgrade the transmission for more solar, more wind power in provincial New Zealand. Those developments are more or less hobbled in areas such as Taitokerau because we lack the transmission infrastructure. So I would spend less money subsidising middle-aged men who ride ebikes and put more money into foundation infrastructure in this country,” Mr Jones says.
