Office of Hon Michael Wood
MP for Mt Roskil
Minister of Immigration
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
Minister of Transport
Associate Minister of Finance
Minister for Auckland
19 April 2023
Ben
[FYI request #22226 email]
Dear Ben
I refer to your email dated 23 March 2023, requesting the following under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
“1. Why are efficient vehicles such as the above-mentioned not included in the clean
car rebate given their total emissions are less than that of an EV?
2. Why are we not promoting the use of such efficient petrol or diesel cars over the use
of less efficient EVs that have an overall larger carbon footprint and the fact that we
also need to factor in how to dispose of these batteries?”
Your request has been referred to me as the uptake of low- and zero-emission vehicles is part
of my portfolio as the Minister of Transport.
I am refusing your request under the following section of the Act:
18(g)
that the information requested is not held by the Ministry of Transport,
and it has no grounds to believe that the information is held by another
department.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of this response by the Ombudsman,
in accordance with section 28(3) of the Act. The relevant details can be found on the
Ombudsman’s website www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
However, I appreciate your interest in these issues, and am happy to share some information
on the approach the Government is taking on these issues.
Clean Car Discount Rebate Eligibility
The Clean Car Discount provides rebates based on tail pipe CO2 emissions that a vehicle
emits. Rebates are currently paid for any vehicle that emits a 3P-WLTP combined value of
146 grams or less per km and that has a three-star safety rating or greater.
For more information on the scheme, and the eligibility criteria, please see the Waka Kotahi
website and for specific emissions from cars please see the Right Car website.
https:/ www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/clean-car-programme/clean-car-discount
https://rightcar.govt.nz/
The Right Car website wil show that there are several Suzuki Swift models, as per your
example, that are in fact eligible for the clean vehicle discount.
However, a Renault traffic diesel van would be ineligible for a clean vehicle discount as its tail
pipe CO2 emissions are greater than 146 grams per km.
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wel ington 6160 New Zealand
+64 4 817 8731 | [email address] | www.beehive.govt.nz
The objective of the Clean Car Discount
The Government is keen to support the uptake of EVs alongside other low-emission forms of
transport. EVs emit 80 percent less carbon dioxide than an equivalent petrol vehicle when
driven in Aotearoa, when including emissions from electricity production. The aim of the Clean
Car Discount is to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport.
However, the total carbon footprint of the production, shipping, and the power source or fuel
type of the vehicle is outside the scope for this scheme.
You can read more about the objective and purpose of the Clean Car Discount here:
https:/ www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/environment-and-climate-change/clean-cars/
Electric vehicle batteries (recycling / repurposing)
The Government is considering the overall impact of EVs, including battery recycling,
refurbishment, and reuse, and the environmental and/or humanitarian impacts resulting from
the manufacture of batteries for EVs.
As New Zealand moves to a more productive, sustainable, low emissions economy, the
linear ‘throw-away culture’ (take-make-dispose) wil need to change to a circular economy
(make-use-return). The Government is therefore working to find ways to increase the reuse
of the batteries and minimise risks from batteries collected for recycling.
In 2020 the Government announced that e-waste, including EV batteries, wil be one of six
products to be declared “priority products” for regulated product stewardship under the Waste
Minimisation Act 2008. You can find out more at
: www.environment.govt.nz/what-government-
is-doing/areas-of-work/waste/product-stewardship/
This work is being led by the Battery Industry Group (BIG). BIG’s proposed solution is a circular
Product Stewardship scheme that wil make sure we're taking responsibility for all large
batteries, from the moment of arrival in New Zealand through to the point of recycling at the
end. Batteries would be registered when they arrive in New Zealand, and the ownership of the
battery wil be tracked. When the battery can no longer power a car, it wil be repurposed for
a second use (like powering a home alongside solar panels, or storing wind energy). Once its
completely exhausted, the battery wil be sent for safe recycling. You can read more about the
scheme at:
https://genless.govt.nz/stories/the-big-solution-for-ev-batteries/
Thank you for writing and taking an active interest in our collective challenge to decarbonise
transportation in Aotearoa.
Yours sincerely
Hon Michael Wood
Minister of Transport
