Nelson Backs ‘Ambitious’ Emissions Target, But Mayor Nervous

Thursday, 22 May 2025, 5:52 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter

Nelson’s mayor has been accused of “pouring cold water” on ambitious greenhouse gas emission targets proposed for the city.

The city council heard submissions on its draft climate change strategy on Wednesday.

Consultation on the strategy specifically asked residents about two targets: reducing most greenhouse gas emissions by either 6.83% or 8.3% per annum over the next decade.

The lower target aligned with Government’s 2050 net zero plans while the higher target aligned with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Despite widespread support for the higher emission reduction targets from presenters, Mayor Nick Smith was upfront about his “nervousness” on adopting those goals.

“I am yet, in my questions, to find either a council official or a submitter that can tell me what… can credibly reduce emissions by 25,000 tonnes [to meet the 8.3% reduction target] in the next year,” he said.

“I’ve seen over a thousand targets set, not one met, and I’ve learned from that. I’m not prepared to buy into a target without a clear plan of what we’re going to do.”

Local architect and sustainability advocate Lindsay Wood wanted Smith to “rally our citizens”.

“I would love to see [council] exercise your agency and go for that [higher target]… you come across as always pouring cold water on this strategy,” he said.

“Is the 8.3% [target] wrong? No, it’s very well founded … if we’re not doing 8.3%, we’re not doing our bit, we’re packaging more problems into the future, and goodness knows, they’ve got enough problems coming.”

Year 8 St Joseph’s School student Ignacja Urszulak echoed Wood.

“Climate change is one of the biggest struggles humankind is facing today, and it’s not going to be the older generations that will have to live with the long-term consequences.”

Urszulak is just one of many students going through a regional learning programme in schools to teach children about the effects of climate change and mitigation measures.

Four presented to the council, and they were united in calling for reducing waste, with Year 9 Nelson College for Girls student Chanulya Jayalath supporting continued soft plastic recycling, Broadgreen Intermediate Year 8 Timothy Abraham advocating for fewer packaged foods, and Amy Morton, a Year 9 at Nayland College, advocating for a shift to a circular economy.

They all spoke to the importance of the “crucial” programme and wider public education.

“Our perspectives should be taken seriously, not only for our own benefit, but for older and future generations too,” Urszulak said.

The Nelson Tasman Climate Change forum supported the higher target but wanted it revised annually based on “rapidly changing” scientific data.

“The high cost of inaction hardly bears thinking about,” said co-chair Joanna Santa-Barbara.

“Are we willing to deflect our climate costs under many who perhaps feed themselves?” added forum submission convenor Fred Overmars, growing emotional.

The forum sought a “polluter pays” framework to avoid passing financial, social, and environmental costs onto future generations, and wanted the council to consider the savings enabled by clean transitions rather than focusing on high current, or higher future, transition costs.

Several other forum members gave personal submissions and once they had all finished presenting, they stood and began singing “Sing for the Climate (Do It Now)”, a climate song written to the tune of the Italian protest anthem "Bella Ciao".

“We need to wake up, we need to wise up, we need to open our eyes and do it now, now, now. We need to build a better future, and we need to start right now,” they sang.

Businesses for Climate Action praised the council’s “ambitious” climate goals, and said that local businesses had a significant role to play but that they would need support to lower their carbon footprint.

Local architects Matthew Hay and Peter Olorenshaw both separately recommended the council change consenting fees depending on the amount of emissions produced by the building materials used.

Olorenshaw, convenor of sustainable transport advocacy group Nelsust, also urged the council to use “sticks as well as carrots” – congestion charging and expansion of paid parking, with fees linked to vehicle emissions – to encourage uptake of public and active transport, or transition to electric vehicles.

Kevin Fourie from HeapsMOREnergy advocated for the council to use more solar power for its facilities like neighbouring Tasman was doing.

Tāhunanui resident Harry Pearson thought there should be greater education for motorists on how to drive safely around cyclists, and an expansion of bus stops to include more car parking hotspots to encourage more people to use public transport.

Presenters also generally were supportive of protecting local biodiversity, initially targeting transport emissions which account for 61% of the city’s gross emissions, educating the public, and greater resident participation in climate planning.

The council is expected to consider submissions and adopt the climate change strategy on 12 June.

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