Summary

Government climate strategy: Let it burn 

– Newsroom, November 2025

The government has backtracked on virtually every significant climate policy this term; removing the clean car rebate, restricting funding for walking and cycling projects, importing more fossil fuel, adding subsidies for new oil and gas exploration, gutting key parts of the Zero Carbon Act, cutting methane reduction targets, and falling well short of its pledge to install 9,000 public EV chargers. – The Spinoff December 2025

• The Climate Change Commission was set up to provide impartial advice, challenge and hold the Government to account on climate action. By November 2025 much of its advice has been overturned, ignored, or sidelined. The links on this page refer to past roles and responsibilities and may no longer be operational.
• July 2025 the Ministry for the Environment proposed a new adaptation plan best summarised in Figure 1. Following a 20-year transition period, homeowners whose houses are flooded or damaged by weather events should not expect buy-outs. The panel recommended mandatory local adaptation planning, and legal changes to reduce council liability in part to enable it to withdraw services from high-risk areas.