Energy & Resources

New Zealand First is committed to ensuring that our energy sector is sustainable because our environment and decarbonisation must be at the forefront of our country’s thinking. Businesses that operate within the sector must be given surety. This includes consumers of energy. Long term planning is required across diverse sectors and industry to ensure energy and electricity costs do not increase for all users. It would be disingenuous of New Zealand to simply move the problem of carbon offshore. 

Policy:

• Promote policies that actively move New Zealand towards energy sovereignty
• Investigate a hedge market structure to encourage a greater number of genuinely independent retail operators in the New Zealand retail electricity market
• Remove the Electricity Authority and give their operations to the Commerce Commission. Ensuring that high electricity users are given confidence in pricing. Ensuring that commercial and regional New Zealand are not paying more for their electricity than they should be
• Conduct a national review on our natural resources, exploring their full potential and what can be done with them
• Explore the option of including hydro generation within the new water storage schemes that are being developed and implemented in our regions
• Continue to support and encourage options of including hydrogen as a domestic and exportable fuel source with a focus on green hydrogen
• Investigate other potential storage options for ensuring electricity supply security in a 100% renewable electricity system
• Set an aspirational goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2035. Whilst acknowledging the exponential marginal cost as we move closer to 100%
• Continue to draw natural gas from New Zealand gas fields both existing and new. New Zealand must not lock out the opportunity that is presented in the Great South Basin or Canterbury Basin, as they provide surety for future gas options in New Zealand
• Continue to support domestic electricity generation policies such as “net metering” and provide incentives for household solar panels and generators
• The retention of Tiwai will require government involvement to set out the facts as to why the smelter should be able to continue with its world leading production and the retention of thousands of jobs in Southland and its more than $450 million contribution to the New Zealand economy

Transport

New Zealand First supports land, air, and sea links that build an integrated transport system while improving regional connectivity. Transport funding and planning can no longer be urban focused only, due to its importance as an enabler of economic growth in the regions. Considerable work has already been done to ensure transport is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable while also being fit for future use.

Policy:

• Utilise New Zealand’s coastal shipping capabilities through championing initiatives such as “Blue Highways” and expanding our Merchant Fleet 
• Build an inshore fishing vessel industry further capitalising on New Zealand as a maritime nation with emphasis on establishing these industries in our regions (Whanganui, Taranaki)
• Continue to develop infrastructure and projects that help incentivise the use of electric vehicles in New Zealand
• Create incentives that encourage businesses to electrify their vehicle fleets as well as depreciation measures to support a second-hand electric vehicle market in New Zealand
• Not allow our roads to be privatised or corporatized 
• Further support policies that ensure our whole road network is properly funded so that regional New Zealand does not lose out in favour of our main centres 
• Ensure access to quality, affordable public transport for people in all major population centres, and in regional areas where there is a need
• Continue to support regional rail initiatives and complete geotech research on re-opening the Wairoa to Gisborne rail line
• Secure funding to build a rail spur from Puhinui station to Auckland airport
• Build and complete the Marsden spur linking Northport to the Northland rail-line 
• Full rebuild and improvements to the Christchurch-Picton rail corridor

Housing

Before the pandemic struck New Zealand faced an acute housing crisis marked by rapidly rising rents and house price escalation.  High immigration was fueling demand for housing.  A reduced demand for rentals and housing will alleviate housing pressures.  Those people struggling to rent or purchase a home will welcome this development.  More broadly, a rebalancing of the economy away from speculation on housing would be socially and economically beneficial.  

Home ownership and quality of housing is a fundamental component of ensuring that our nation can excel. It is an essential tool for ensuring equality in our society. New Zealand First believes that through direct government intervention, home ownership can become an integral part of each New Zealanders life. That is because regardless of circumstance, all New Zealanders should be able to live in a healthy, first-world home and have the opportunity to become home-owners. 

Policy:

• Encourage direct and long-term government participation in the housing market by establishing a Housing Commission to ensure a non-political approach in solving New Zealand’s housing issues
• Continue to encourage the use of New Zealand expertise in prefabricated houses
• Encourage private investment in high quality rental housing through options such as the tax system
• Continue to build more social housing
• Ensure the Resource Management Act is responsive to the needs of housing initiatives and not restricted by bureaucracy 
• Provide low cost government funding to local authorities for new elderly persons housing and public rental housing projects through which long term 2% loan finance would be made available
• Continue to implement, develop and refine New Zealand’s Housing Plan
• Align the Residential Tenancy Act 1986 with the Building Code to ensure there is one standard for installation requirements of photo-electric smoke alarms
• Investigate the option of families to capitalize on the Universal Family Benefit as a deposit on their first family home
• Promote and implement innovative housing solutions on Maori title land using relocatable dwellings and appropriate changes to the Building Act
• Support the retention of the 90-day ‘no cause’ eviction notices for landlords

Infrastructure

New Zealand First strongly believes that investments in infrastructure must facilitate long-term benefits and be able to adapt with the fast-paced nature of our modern world. New Zealand should not be unnecessarily restricted by a lack of Government action or bureaucratic red tape. That is why we have and will continue to commit to investing in infrastructure in New Zealand beyond roads and bridges. New Zealand First will continue to support the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission to work through challenges such as skill and labour shortages, unclear regulations, and poor risk management. We will ensure that New Zealand has a visible, coordinated pipeline of infrastructure projects well into the future. 

Policy:

• Continue to support and resource the Infrastructure Commission
• Investigate an infrastructure fund to ensure we have the long-term capital funds needed to address our infrastructure needs, especially in regional cities 
• Establish a ‘Defence Infrastructure’ fund 
• The Resource Management Act needs a radical urgent, overhaul to ensure that it’s fit for purpose.  The removal of unwarranted costs and delays must be at the forefront of this radical overhaul
• Cut red tape by increasing the fast-track approval process from 2 years to 5 years and review the RMA to increase the number of shovel ready projects
• Establish a Ministry for Works to address skill and labour shortage gaps 
• Continue to support the Provincial Growth Fund in recognition of its ability to deliver infrastructure investment where it is most needed
• Support moving ports of Auckland's operations to Northport