press release

Better New Zealand Trust v Minister for Transport - press release

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Litigation

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points of claim

Better New Zealand Trust v Minister for Transport - points of claim

Filing Year For Action

In July 2024, the New Zealand government weakened the national Clean Car Standard, a policy that requires imported vehicles to meet a target for average emissions per kilometer. Importers that do not meet these requirements must pay a penalty or purchase surplus credits from low- and zero-emissions importers. Government modeling acknowledges that this will reduce the uptake of hybrid and electric vehicles. Section 167C states that before setting clean car standards, the Minister of Transport must “be satisfied … that the targets are set at an appropriate level to increase the supply of zero- and low-emissions vehicles in the market.” Standards must also be “consistent with transport-specific policies and strategies outlined in the emissions reduction plan.” The Better New Zealand Trust argued that the new targets will “decrease compared to the previous targets, and that the Emissions Reduction Plan target to have 30% of the fleet as EVs by 2035 will be that much harder to achieve.”

The claim was subsequently withdrawn.

Better New Zealand Trust v Minister for Transport

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

Better New Zealand Trust v Minister for Transport - press release

Target

Policy instrument

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Finance