The Green Party has pledged to restore funding to the Warm Up New Zealand home insulation scheme if it is part of the next government.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
The Green and National parties had an agreement after the 2008 election to work together on home insulation, and 235,000 homes were insulated during the following four years.
The Government then targeted the scheme at low-income households.
Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei said 600,000 homes still need to be insulated, and her party would invest $327 million over the next three years to install insulation and clean heating in 200,000 of them.
She said $35 million of that money would be ring-fenced for insulating homes in the Canterbury region, including 10,000 in Christchurch.
But Energy Minister Simon Bridges said the Green Party's policy would treat millionaires and the vulnerable alike, and would not be a wise use of taxpayer funds.
"It's very clear to the Government, from what we've done in the past and our new approach ... that targetted responses to insulation are the best," Mr Bridges said.
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