Gisborne District Council is one step closer to its goal of reaching carbon neutrality, adopting a 2030 net-zero target at a Thursday meeting.
Debate swirled at the council for over an hour on Thursday as councillors discussed the best options for the organisation to address its carbon output. Photo: LDR / Matthew Rosenberg
But the decision was not without debate, as councillors discussed the merits of different possibilities for over an hour.
Ultimately, they landed on an option that was not the staff recommendation.
Deputy mayor Josh Wharehinga began the debate saying he felt none of the targets provided by staff - 2025, 2040 and 2050 - struck a balance between ambition and reality.
The 2040 net-zero target was the staff recommendation, ahead of both an "ambitious" 2025 goal and 2050 option.
"Twenty twenty five is a super ambitious target … unrealistic for our community. However, for me, the 2040 net zero target, that's too far away," Wharehinga said.
"There's a fine line between ambition and realism. I don't think 2025 and 2040 meet either of those things."
Wharehinga then proposed a 2030 option, which prompted a range of responses from councillors.
Pat Seymour had already moved the 2040 recommendation, saying the council needed to be realistic about what it could achieve.
Josh Wharehinga felt the proposed carbon targets put forward by council staff didn't strike the balance between ambition and reality. Photo: Gisborne Herald / Paul Rickard
Meanwhile, Larry Foster questioned the impact council could have, labelling it a "little speck" in the world of emissions. He feared a shortened time frame added extra pressure to residents who were already under rates pressure.
Kerry Worsnop declined to vote, saying she did not believe in net zero targets because carbon offsetting only deferred the problem.
Research indicated that for all countries to have zero targets, there needed to be more arable land than what was available in the whole world, she said.
"We're joining the massive club who are deferring their action and putting it in somebody else's community."
Others felt it was important to set a goal and act on it with urgency.
Tony Robinson said it was time the council took some leadership in the issue, and believed immediate action was the responsible thing to do.
"This is urgent, people. The government declared a climate emergency last year. We haven't got 18 years to wait before we do our bit," he said.
Shannon Dowsing said he thought it was ironic it had taken councillors until the end of their terms to take action, because many based their campaigns on climate action.
He too, favoured Wharehinga's proposal.
"I'd rather miss 2030 than miss 2040."
Mayor Rehette Stoltz said 2030 was the best option available because it was time to stop talking about making a change, and commit to a plan.
Background information in the report highlighted the seriousness of climate change with predictions that within the next 10 years, the average temperature of the planet could reach 1.5C degrees above pre-industrial levels. Almost 140 countries have set net-zero targets, mostly for 2050, it said.
The council's decision to set a target of 2030 passed by eight votes to four at Thursday's Sustainable Tairāwhiti meeting, with one councillor abstaining.
Staff will report to the council by November on the necessary actions to reach the target, along with costs and other implications.
In 2019, the government committed to being carbon neutral by 2050.
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