22 May: 350 Aotearoa says the government’s budget “is a backwards, scorched-earth Budget that attacks Te Tiriti, trashes climate action, and rips funding from communities who need it most.” Not one of the government’s 33 budget media releases mentions climate change.  It’s not even mentioned in the budget summary!

350 Aotearoa Co-Director Alva Feldmeier says, “This government has once again demonstrated that they do not understand that climate action isn’t charity, it’s basic infrastructure that saves lives, cleans our air, and creates jobs that can be relied on for decades to come. Refusing to invest in climate safety isn’t frugality, it’s gambling with our future.”

The Budget:

• • Cuts $56 million that was earmarked to decarbonise the bus fleet

• • Slashed international climate finance by half, despite a global push to scale it up

• • Diverted $200 million toward gas exploration, directly fuelling the climate crisis

• • Decreased funding for the independent climate commission (again!)

• • Fails to invest in a just transition for communities shifting away from fossil fuels
    

350 Aotearoa also says the Budget undermines Te Tiriti by:

• • No new funding for the Māori Health Authority — or any alternative.

• • Ongoing neglect of Treaty settlement commitments.

• • $375 million slashed from Kāhui Ako education funding — a model rooted in Te Tiriti and collaboration.

“This government is choosing to throw away $200m into a gas subsidy, which we know will become a stranded asset. They’re choosing to defund the independent climate commission.  But what’s most alarming about this Budget is what it leaves out,” says Feldmeier. “There’s no plan for climate action, no mention of the climate crisis –  just silence where leadership should be.”

“The government may be happy accepting a dystopian vision of climate chaos and austerity – but we most certainly do not”, says Feldmeier.  “We know that investing in people and the planet works. Climate action creates jobs. Māori-led solutions build resilience. Community energy, clean transport, and Tiriti-based governance are the path to real security, not $200m gas subsidies and budget cuts. This Budget is a political choice – and we’re choosing to fight back.”

ENDS