NZ hits 100,000 EV milestone as Government consults on scrapping Clean Car Standard
Friday, 6 March 2026
More than 100,000 New Zealand-new electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have been registered on the roads, but environmental campaigners are in no mood to celebrate.
Word that registrations had hit six digits came on the same day it was revealed that the Government had been consulting on potentially scrapping the Clean Car Standard — the main policy measure designed to reduce cars’ carbon emissions.
Transport accounts for about 20% of the country’s total carbon emissions, according to the Ministry of Transport, and New Zealand would be the only OECD country without a policy akin to the Clean Car Standard if it were scrapped.
Kathryn Trounson, chairperson of the Better NZ Trust which lobbies for environmental initiatives, said New Zealand had fallen behind other countries adopting EVs.
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Regardless of whether the Government followed through on actually scrapping the Clean Car Standard, it had already walked it back to the point of making it “virtually useless”, she said.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said Transport Minister Chris Bishop was responsible for the Clean Car Standard, but they had regular discussions.
“The Government remains committed to its climate targets. We’ve got a wide range of actions under way across different portfolios to meet those targets,” he said.
Trounson said that was “hogwash”.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis qualified New Zealand’s commitment to meet its 2030 emissions reduction pledge under the Paris Agreement in December by making clear that was a case of “best endeavours”.
Watts said he did not agree it was hard to reconcile the Government’s stated commitment to climate action with the consideration it was giving to scrapping the Clean Car Standard.
“We’re seeing a greater uptake, particularly in the last quarter of last year, of purchasing of EV vehicles, which is obviously positive,” he said.
“But that’s one part of the conversation. We’re obviously doing a whole lot of other stuff in other areas, such as renewable energy.”
The Government relaxed the Clean Car Standard in November by slashing the penalties that importers need to pay if they import vehicles with higher average carbon emissions than the standard seeks to achieve.
Bishop said at the time that would have “negligible impact” on the country’s carbon emissions.
The Ministry of Transport, which recommended that change, conceded its advice only “partially met” quality assurance criteria for the purpose of informing Cabinet decisions, because of a lack of consultation.
It only consulted the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association and the Motor Industry Association, due to “time constraints”.