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1:09 pm, February 2nd, 2026 - 9 comments
Categories: Christopher Luxon, climate change, Environment, national, nz first, same old national, science, Shane Jones -
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In determining who is the most Trumpian politician of Aotearoa it is hard to go past Shane Jones.
Just look at this photo which he proudly posted on social media.
Draping yourself in a flag while wearing a hat urging that your country is made great again and wanting to drill baby drill all at the same time is as Trumpian as you can get.
But Jones not only talks the talk but also walks the walk when it comes to climate change denial. There are many, many examples where he has played a part in the implementation of anti climate change policies.
And a further example has recently been made public. Weirdly the National led Government let him veto Aotearoa signing up to a road map leading the country away from fossil fuel use, even though this proposal met with approval from Australia and Pacific Islands and many other countries and even though the continued exploitation of fossil fuels is not consistent with our current civilisation continuing.
From Kate Newton at Radio New Zealand:
Resources Minister Shane Jones shut down the possibility of New Zealand signing up to a ‘road map’ away from fossil fuels at the annual global climate summit, documents reveal.
Opposition MPs say the documents underscore the disproportionate influence that National’s minor coalition partners wield over government policy.
But Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said it was “appropriate” to consult Jones because of his portfolios.
Australia, the UK, the European Union and a group of Pacific nations were among 80 countries pushing for a ‘road map’ to be included in the formal negotiations at COP30 in Brazil last November.
They were unsuccessful, but Australia and several Pacific nations were among 24 nations that signed the Belém Declaration on the Transition away from Fossil Fuels on the final day of the summit.
Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show New Zealand’s negotiating team was also considering signing the declaration – before officials back in New Zealand informed them that Jones did not want them to.
Earlier, a copy of a ‘decision submission’ was sent to New Zealand’s climate ambassador Stuart Horne to share with Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, who was at COP30 with Horne and the rest of the negotiating team.
In the submission, senior foreign affairs officials said the declaration “does not conflict or compromise New Zealand policy settings”.
“It is consistent with the COP28 outcome regarding the transition away from fossil fuels which Parties, including New Zealand, agreed to.”
Talk about the tail wagging the dog. Is National that indifferent to climate change that it will let NZ First effectively veto signing up to a policy that is consistent with what Aotearoa has already agreed to?
Christopher Luxon was asked about it this morning on Radio New Zealand. He had no clue that it had occurred.
Such indifference to climate change is startling. Although his commitment is shown by the fact he did not mention it once in his recent state of the nation speech.
The Government is also moving to grant Trump’s America preferential access to our rare earth minerals.
Trump had previously threatened further tarriffs if tariffs if trading partners failed to sign agreements on critical minerals.
So much for free trade. And as pointed out by Jane Kelsey the consequences could be significant as in all of our trade deals may be breached.
But NZ First is not concerned at all with their aquiescence to Trump being proudly pointed out.
This reinforces my earlier comment that NZ First presents a real dilemna and my personal view is that Labour should rule out going into coalition with them.
Continued Trump references may help NZ First solidify their base but will not help National. Too many kiwis think that Trump is an idiot.
But for now the best take on Jones’ latest brain fart belongs to Helen Clark.
I'm ashamed to admit that I once had a modicum of respect for that blowhard when he first became a Labour MP. I can assure you that that modicum has disappeared to where the sun don't shine.
He is a fossil.
He's so clever he was caught out using his Ministerial credit card to book up porn videos from the motel he was staying at while on government business. Go figure!
You will be aware Micky that I have posted several times over the last few months that Labour should rule out going into coalition with NZF. They should do this asap and reference Jones' pro Trump views as one of the reasons.
What people don't seem to realise is that, although the tin says NZF on the label, the contents are very different to those signed up to by Jacinda nine years ago. I know it is hard to believe but there will be plenty of voters out there that don’t realise Jones is a NZF MP….they just see Winston.
So, on The Standard we have two articles today on Shane Jones. We sure aren't discussing the Green Party or indeed anything in Labour.
New Zealand First are positioning their election run perfectly.
No other party, major or minor, is being talked about as much.
Helen Clark and MP Deborah Russell can call out the oversized Ministerial swagger, but honestly politics isn't about waiting for a process to become fair. Shane Jones is doing what politicians ought to do: overstate their case and get the impact that pushes everyone else out of the frame.
This is a competitive sport and NZF are winning because they are really good at it.
I really don't know what Hipkins is doing but it isn't enough. He needs to shout a whole lot harder in February if Labour is to blunt the rise of NZF to 15% and beyond.
This is exactly the problem. Every time we react to Shane Jones, we help him. Outrage doesn’t weaken politicians like him, rather it keeps them front and centre.
The left should know this by now. Politics is about setting the agenda, not commenting on someone else’s. Right now NZ First are dictating the conversation.
Calling out bad behaviour might feel righteous, but it doesn’t shift votes. If we want to stop Jones, we have to drown him out with our own priorities, housing, wages, climate. Not give him free airtime.
Bang on. As DL remarked after the 1984 GE: Labour won because they defined the issues and captured the mood. What they said and promised was what mattered, not what any of the other lots (including even the oxygen-sucking NZ Party) were saying, or Labour's opinions of them.
MS. Good Post and incl summation of the weird enigma that is Shame Jones.
IMO to paraphrase David Lange…You can smell the Petroleum on his breath.
I cant quite understand how a (once?) seemingly Intelligent person can have such wildly Climate denialist beliefs.
Maybe its simply the lure of lucre (for him)? It was always there? His love of bombastic, and frankly bizarre, word associations? Could well be all that, and more ….
Anyway a strange bod.
I feel that the way forward for us on the Left…is to show NZ has a very possible Positive,Bright and Good Future.
With Labour and Greens : )
Dig, baby, dig – don't those green banshees understand there's gold in them thar hills.
Forget about the future and consume, Kiwis, consume – the economy depends on it!
https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2602/S00006/a-change-in-the-weather-182.htm