Carbon News invited climate change minister James Shaw and the National and ACT climate spokespeople to give the online game a whirl too, but to date none of them have got back to us.

To be fair Shaw is the final stages of signing off the country’s first Emissions Reduction Plan, due to be released later this month– so it’s understandable that he might think his time is better spent on the real thing.

With two recent political polls showing Te Pati Maori could hold the balance of power after the next election it’s worth taking a look at what they will be asking for in any negotiations over forming the next government.

But back to the FT game. It was created with help from the International Energy Agency and the aim is to keep global warming to net zero by 2050.

“In 2021, [carbon emissions] reached a record 36bn tonnes a year. You must also deal with other greenhouse gases, and protect people and nature, for the planet to remain habitable,” players are told.

Players get to choose one of four advisers. Ngawera-Packer opted for the teen activist adviser – Gina Green.

She says she was keen to look at the issue of climate change from a different perspective.

With the help of Gina Green, Ngawera-Packer kept global warming to just 1.43 degrees. It’s a result that put the Maori Party co-leader in the top 32% of players.

But she didn’t quite manage to reach the net zero target by 2050.

One of the decisions that paid off for Ngawera-Packer was investing in a campaign explaining the need for radical policies.

“I also chose to invest heavily at the beginning and not conservatively - I could see how many traditionalists wouldn’t.

“Climate change is too important not to tackle boldly,” Ngawera-Packer says.

Te Pati Maori climate policies

So, what are Te Pati Maori’s climate change aims in the real world.

Not surprisingly they put Maori front and centre in dealing with the “existential threat to our culture, our whakapapa, our economy, and the natural environment that sustains us, including the taonga species that make up our unique indigenous biodiversity.”

“The protection of Papatuanuku and a stable global climate cannot be achieved without indigenous leadership and knowledge, or the recognition of indigenous rights. In Aotearoa that means that whanau, hapu and iwi must remain at the forefront of climate action and the solutions must be our own,” the party’s climate policy declares.

It proposes eight key ways of doing that:

 

1. End new onshore oil and gas permits and withdraw existing onshore and offshore oil and gas permits within five years and aim to decommission sites by 2030
2. Ban seabed mining permits nationwide and withdraw existing seabed mining permits
3. Establish dedicated $1bn Pungao Auaha fund for Maori-owned community energy projects and solar panel and insulation instillations on marae, kura, homes and papakâinga housing developments
4. Work alongside interested whanau, hapu and iwi to develop a national Maori strategy for renewable energy and clean technology and ensure the Crown supports Maori-led clean technology projects with R&D, start-up funding, and partnership finance
5. Phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser on farms by 2025 and bring methane emissions from agriculture into the ETS to disincentivise intensive methane-emitting agriculture
6. Establish $300m Matai Ahuwhenua innovation and support fund to incentivise Mâori farmers to transition to regenerative and value-add farming practises 
7. Ensure the Crown works with whanau, hapu and iwi to establish climate change adaptation plans and establish a fund to support whanau, hapu and iwi with adaptation
8. Ensure Aotearoa plays a greater role in supporting Pasifika leaders on the world stage through aggressive diplomatic efforts 
   

Finally, we’ll let you know if any of the other climate change spokespeople find the time to play the FT Climate Game.