Leader Peter Whitmore Colours Red and Black | Founded August 2014 | |
Ideology Reducing Climate Change in New Zealand | ||
The NZ Climate Party is an unregistered political party in New Zealand. The party is focused on highlighting and addressing the threat of climate change. The party was launched in August 2014, and is led by Peter Whitmore.
The party did not register to contest the party vote in the 2014 election, but stood two electorate candidates, in Auckland Central and Rongotai. A representative from the party, Aaron Carter, attended a candidates meeting in Newtown, Wellington dressed in an elephant costume and bearing a sign which said "climate change". His main messages were: "Don't vote for me, vote thinking about the climate", "It's all rearranging furniture on the Titanic as it's sinking", and "Learn to swim". Whitmore and Carter received 50 and 66 electoral votes respectively.
Climate Party member Rob Painting contested the 2015 Northland by-election with the stated goal of "raising awareness of climate and coastal issues affecting the Far North". He received 39 votes (0.13% of votes cast).
The party is opposed to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, arguing that it is doing nothing to stop New Zealand's emissions from increasing.