WELLINGTON-
New Zealand’s green reputation is on the line as the government rolls back environmental reforms in a bid to boost the ailing economy and deliver on promises to voters.
Since taking power last year, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s centre-right coalition has announced plans to lift the ban on oil and gas extraction, raise the price of agricultural emissions by five years and boost mining.
This is part of a shift in government priorities towards boosting exports to support an economy that grew just 0.3% in the year to March 2024, the slowest growth in the same period since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and has a current account deficit of 6.8% of gross domestic product.
