For all its imperfections, the Clean Car Discount scheme started in 2021 was shifting the needle. Over its life, the scheme put 192,000 rebates into the hands of New Zealanders buying cleaner vehicle

Every decade brings an oil shock. Each time, New Zealand could have used the crisis to create policies and plans to wean itself off over-reliance on petrol. Instead, it has waited for prices to settle and gone back to building roads and buying petrol cars.

The country now owns 815 light vehicles for every 1,000 people, one of the highest rates in the world. Road transport emissions have grown 82% since 1990.

Every bus electrified, every cycleway built, every train funded is a direct reduction in exposure to the next crisis. The question now is whether New Zealanders begin to treat their car dependence not as a lifestyle choice but as a strategic liability.