Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Electric vehicles
Electric vehicles could make a significant difference to emissions production, if they are
made from predominantly recyclable materials and powered from renewable sources.
Building on our clean green electricity generation, Labour will work with the electric vehicle
industry to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.
There is a role for government in establishing an environment that facilitates the large-scale
roll-out of electric vehicles. Numbers will grow slowly at first, but volumes will increase as the
production of electric vehicles ramps up internationally and prices come down.
Electric vehicles used for local travel can be recharged from an owner‟s home. Vehicles
used for longer distances, however, will need a supporting infrastructure of recharging
stations.
Labour will promote the introduction of a nationwide infrastructure to recharge electric
vehicles.
New Zealand should be one of the first countries to set up a nationwide infrastructure for
charging electric vehicles. We will need to work through a variety of issues, including the
cost and funding of recharging technology, and relevant health and safety issues.
Petroleum resources
Demand for oil is increasing. The time of peak conventional oil – when oil supplies reach a
peak and are expected to dwindle thereafter – has already occurred or is imminent.
Measures set out in this policy will lessen our dependence on petroleum imports, make New
Zealand more resilient to international oil price shocks, and transition us to a renewable
energy future. Meantime, however, oil remains the dominant source of energy in the
transport sector.
New Zealand has extensive petroleum resources and these cannot be ignored in a world still
heavily dependent on oil. Petroleum exploration in New Zealand has increased and new oil
and gas fields developed, with potential for more.
The world is in transition to a post-oil future. Developing our petroleum resources should not
slow our internal transition, but oil will continue to have an important role for some time to
come. New Zealand has valuable resources that can be developed to our economic
advantage.
Labour will ensure that New Zealand benefits from development of our petroleum
resources.
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