Homeowners in New Zealand's largest city will have to chip in around a dollar a week to plant urban forests, pave cycle lanes and reduce Auckland's emissions, as part of the city's proposal for one of the world's first climate-targeted rates.
On Wednesday, Auckland mayor Phil Goff announced plans for a billion dollar climate package to reshape the city's infrastructure and reduce carbon emissions by investing in electric ferries, cycling and walkways, and urban forests.
Auckland's emissions are not remotely tracking in line with our goal to reduce emissions by 50% by the year 2030, Goff said.
Long after Covid 19 ceases to be a major threat to us, there will be a crisis caused by climate change. We can't afford to put off any longer action needed to avoid a climate disaster. The proposed fund will plant 15,000 mature native trees in urban areas, 4,000 trees and plants for new forests, and add new cycling and walking paths with a focus on tree coverage, public transport and bike lanes for less-income areas.
The proposed rate, which is equated to NZ 1.10 57 p a week for owners of a median-value home, will raise an estimated NZ 574 m over 10 years $391 m with another $471 m secured through central government co-funding and other sources, the council said. All of the money raised will be used to fund climate action. The rate is the central feature of a mayoral proposal that sets out plans for the city's budget, which will be voted on next year.
A spokesman for the mayor's office said that while other countries had developed a variety of climate-focused taxes, they believed that the design of the targeted rate was a world first and certainly a first for the country.