Written By:
- Date published:
8:37 am, February 3rd, 2026 - 8 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, climate change, corruption, Environment, nz first, Shane Jones, Simon Watts, winston peters -
Tags: Environment
NZ First Deputy Leader Shane Jones, who decried “Goodbye Freddie! [if nature got in the way of his mining interests]” – a reference to Aotearoa New Zealand’s highly endangered, native and small Archey’s frogs – received flak this week around news that he pushed for NZ to ignore international efforts to create a road map away from fossil fuels.
Former NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark:
“Extraordinary that a minister from a minor party in NZ’s conservative coalition government overrode official advice to the Minister for Climate Change, leading to NZ refusing to support a road map away from fossil fuels at COP30 in Brazil. Dinosaur”
Australia, the UK, the European Union and a group of Pacific nations were among 80 countries that pushed for the road map to be included in formal negotiations at COP30 in Brazil last November.
New Zealand’s government submitted to Jones’ will.
Auckland Takapuna MP Simon Watts, who cosplays as Climate Change Minister, defended this, arguing that it was all “appropriate” and reasonable.
And Luxon simply claimed ignorance, saying he wasn’t aware when asked about it this week.
(It’s not the first time. Luxon pleaded ignorance. In 2024 when asked which of his Ministers received donations from tobacco companies, he claimed he didn’t know. This all came as National went about repealing Labour’s Smoke Free Generation law – with NZ First Minister Casey Costello omitting the $46 billion of smoke-free benefits to the country in official papers, Shane Jones said he didn’t “care” about tobacco transparency rules, and Ministers – including Luxon – parroted tobacco lobbying talking points that contradicted NZ’s official advice. Costello also brushed off concerns that showed the tobacco companies targeted the party as easy pickings.)
Back to Jones though – as much as the criticism is justified, it’d be inaccurate to blame it all on NZ First.
No minor party could define the country’s entire climate strategy and participation in global planning efforts without the direct support of National here.
And in reality all three parties – National, ACT, and NZ First – share the anti-climate, pro-fossil fuel fervour.
From reversing protections for wetlands and our fresh water, to reinstating offshore oil and gas exploration, to repealing the Clean Car Discount that saw EV sales nosedive 74% in one year, to breaking EV charger install promises, to facilitating NZ becoming a “dumping ground” for fuel guzzlers and pollutants, to increasing methane allowances, to amending the RMA to override environmental responsibility etc.
Their actions are significant.
Nevertheless, the world is responding.
Under a new UN framework convention for international tax co-operation, the world is looking to put the price of climate events at source: fossil fuel companies.
Donald Trump, Winston Peters, Shane Jones, and Australia’s Peter Dutton all plead direct and indirect allegiance to the fossil fuel industry.
And their rhetoric rails against international organisations like the UN for obvious reasons.
Just remember, there’s always a reason, but it’s not at all what they claim it to be.
Excerpt reposted from Mountain Tui Substack
MT. Re your thoughts on Shame Jones being (solely) to blame for this decision. I did think something similar and made comment on Open Mike..
IMO Ol' Wily Winnie , Shame Jones, and the other NZFist dodgy creeps, despite all their desperate dogwhistle populism, need to be signposted as absolutely connected with the NACT coalition, and all the terrible decisions that have been made.
We do have an alternative…for a Future NZ that is positive,bright and good.
Concur.
We can only guess what Simon Upton what thinks of today's National Party – as per its international standing and domestic governance practice.
One would guess in the former aspect it is lower than New Zealand's and in the latter lower than the Labour Party.
Whatever his personal partisan view (he may or may not be National Party member at present), he might see it as per the GOP (it losing power raises Americas standing in the world and improves domestic governance).
We need clear graphs of comparisons of spending areas of the last and this government.
We need Maps showing mining areas under consideration of Fast Tracking.
Now we also need areas of flood risk/insurance uncertainty/ and clarity around the "no buy back"
This Government turns up with KFC after an emergency, and has started to pop a few million here and there, after grabbing a 6 billion fund designed to help after disasters in improving local infrastructure. They are show ponies, all of them
Shane Jones is a blowhard fossil.
Winston Peters likes to play piggy in the middle, all about getting votes.
Luxon has not read the Prime Minister's job description, and tries to sell himself like some product.
These three with a large dash of Seymore' disruptive racist legislative straight jacket are intent on locking neo-liberalism into our landscape. Funding for private initiatives and defunding of people's Public services. Causing a surge in the cost of living.
Out out in 26!!!
Jones, (and Seymour) don't believe in Anthropogenic Climate Change. They can't – as it contradicts their view of reality.
Luxon and the other National Party decision makers, know it is real, but choose to prioritise growth and sacrifice the future (pretending that they believe that someone will come along later and fix it for them).
Who is more culpable?
Thanks for giving background on tobacco and did I read, $46 bullion (sic), even million would be a lot. And Shane J is riding the bucking bronco well (even though it is not legitimate action) which is in sync with the parody of political service this gummint turns out. It is theatre; they are just performers, having their time on broadway and well-paid for their pretence. We are spectators willing or unwilling, we still have to pay the ticket and be lucky if we get the mosh pit.
$46 billion yes – they left it out
I mean behind are a pack of cu&ts who are keeping quiet.
But let’s remember medieval people have been done dirty by history, but these pricks will not be.
NRT shows the government refusing to help build resilience against flooding. Particularly the Jones Boy. To a solution agreed by “farmers, foresters, environmental groups and the wider community, which would see the hills replanted with native trees”. There’s nothing in the kitty for future proofing and fighting recent terrors.
Basically I don’t want to call this a dark ages for New Zealand because the dark ages have had a lot of reconsideration, as has the Renaissance, however, this is a government that has avoided logic, science and the common good. They’re destroying institutions that were built over time. They’re attacking the voting system. They’re attacking the transparency of the public service. They’re openly crony.
They’ve let industries fail. They’ve let hate fester. They’ve removed Maori language. They have let foreign political ideologues and podcasters influence education philosophy for political purposes. There is no joined up thinking and they’ve played hookey kookey with house building, shocked that around busy inner city stations there might be 3 or 5 level apartments or townhouses. There is no moral base. There is no vision of New Zealand which will emerge, as they’ve trashed biculturalism and multiculturalism, but the 1950s are 70 years gone and rugby is not the only game in town.
It feels like the princelings and princesses of the 80s are looking ahead, not seeing much good and building themselves golden stockades to pass away in. Complete with barbed wire to keep climate victims out and prisons to keep the desperate in. And monopolies granted to farm and fleece the populace in food, petrol, banking, childcare, (social) media and elsewhere. It’s a bleak vision.