Green Party issues ‘human catastrophe’ warning in ‘State of the Planet’ address

The Green Party is calling for a National Electrification Plan to transition homes, transport, and industry to natural energy in response to the ongoing fuel crisis.

Co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick delivered their annual ‘State of the Planet’ speeches in Wellington, outlining the party’s vision for energy security and cost-of-living relief.

Marama Davidson described the war in the Middle East as a “human catastrophe,” noting that civilians are being killed and international law is being broken.

Davidson argued that New Zealand’s dependence on unpredictable global fossil fuel markets creates instability for local families. She stated that the rising costs of food, energy, and rent are direct impacts of a global fossil-fuel economy that treats ordinary people as an afterthought.

National Electrification Plan and Energy Security

Chlöe Swarbrick detailed the party’s push for a National Electrification Plan, emphasizing the need for homegrown, sustainable resilience to power the country.

“We don’t need to depend on expensive fossil fuels hauled from the other side of the planet,” Swarbrick said. “We have everything we need here, at home.”

Swarbrick asserted that there is no trade-off between addressing the climate crisis and fixing the cost of living, claiming both are driven by the same rules that prioritize profit over people.

The party is also urging the government to boost funding for public transport. Swarbrick noted that expanding these networks would have cost $150 million, an amount she described as only three quarters of a single subsidy provided by the Luxon government to support fossil-fuel dependence.

Regarding New Zealand’s global role, Davidson stated that the Green Party supports an independent, principled stance focused on an international rules-based order that protects the environment, upholds human rights, and supports peace-building.