CHOGM, Agri-DENZ and Youth Justice Residences w/ The Green Party's Ricardo Menendez March: 30 October 2024

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has recently returned from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, also known as CHOGM, where one of the main topics of discussion was the impact of climate change and extreme weather events on island nations. 

While attending CHOGM, Chris Luxon told media and other delegates that he was concerned about rising sea levels and the pollution of water bodies in the Pacific, and that the government was doing “everything they could” to combat climate change and achieve net zero emissions.

Luxon’s attendance at CHOGM and stated commitment to mitigating emissions and sea level rises has been at odds with environmentalists and experts, who’ve said that the government’s domestic climate and industrial policies go directly against the Prime Minister’s statements in Apia, with measures such as the Fast-Track Approvals bill and reinstating of offshore gas exploration preventing New Zealand from achieving net zero emissions and contributing to the very same problems he was discussing.

For their weekly catchup, Oto spoke to the Green Party’s Ricardo Menendez-March about Prime Minister Chris Luxon’s visit to Samoa for CHOGM, and his defence of the government’s climate policies. 

They also discussed a new partnership between Germany and Aotearoa to combat emissions in the agricultural sector, and the Green party’s call to close Youth Justice residences.