“Kia ora, everybody. Great to be here, chatting with you all today. But let’s get to the point: climate change leaves no witnesses. All of our industries will be impacted by the climate crisis, especially our primary industries. Drier summers, limited water supply, harsher and longer droughts. Coastal areas and communities threatened by rising sea levels and erosion. A rise in mortality rates as the living environment becomes harsher. An estimated $19 billion worth of property is at risk from climate change impacts. 2000 kilometres of roads. 5 airports. 133,000 people affected.”

“The reality is that we must take action. The National Party, as you of all people know, continues to prioritise short term growth over long term sustainability, whether environmental or economic- not that you can seperate those two concepts, as the National Party would lead you to believe. No, the environment we live in and the economy that operates in it cannot be separated into two different baskets. If we leave climate action down the road, it’ll only cost us more later, and cause far more abrupt harm to industry and to workers. It’s to climate change what a ‘no-deal’ scenario is to Brexit.”

“The latest UN report makes it clear that we cannot sit it out, doing nothing. It makes it clear that we have to take greater action to reduce our transport emissions, cut down our forestry emissions, slash our methane emissions, amongst other things. It’s no secret that this will impact workers, and there’s also no doubt that inaction will cause greater harm to the economy, to workers, and to people’s homes and communities. It’s why we must not only start the transition to a zero carbon economy now, ensuring a more gradual transition than an abrupt change, but we must also ensure this is a just transition. A just transition means that we take people with us, nobody left behind. Workers in the oil industry or the farming sector can’t be left behind, their livelihoods struck out. We need mechanisms to support those impacted by the sunsetting of these industries.”

“The National Party prioritised the creation of the Regional Investment Corporation the last time they were in government. This was not motivated by any concern over climate change, but the decline of regional economies. We opposed that bill, because we were concerned about the lack of environmental safeguards when it came to investment, but the Regional Investment Corporation serves an important purpose. Regional economies were on the decline, but the threat has not disappeared. Regional economies, perhaps ironically, will be the most affected by climate change inaction but also the most affected by the transition. This is a major challenge, and one that the Regional Investment Corporation can play a big role in.”

“Rather than narrowly focussing on how one policy can benefit local economies, all government decisions in this decade and those forthcoming ought to always consider the climate impact and how these policies can positively benefit climate adaptation or mitigation efforts. The Regional Investment Corporation, in that regard, can play a big role by not only investing in regional economies, but investing in the transition of these rural economies to sustainable rural economies. The Green Party intend to expand the Regional Investment Corporation to begin investing in sustainable jobs and sustainable economic development opportunities to provide that necessary support as New Zealand transitions from a high emissions economy to a zero emissions economy.”

“We can transition to that zero emissions economy, and we can do that without leaving people behind. It requires economic transformation, yes, and it requires major investment in our people. But there is no other way. But if government does not exist to tackle the big challenges of our generation, what is the point? No, we must be bold, for workers, for the planet. That is at the forefront of the Green Party’s vision for Aotearoa New Zealand.”

“Thank you.”