The ACT Party is calling for New Zealand to pull out of the "broken" Paris climate accord as long as it insists on emissions targets that are "disconnected from science".
"Paris needs to change, or New Zealand needs to leave," leader David Seymour said, in a statement released Tuesday morning.
But the demand found little favour with Prime Minister and National leader Christopher Luxon who responded by saying: "We're not leaving Paris. It would only damage and punish and hurt our farmers."
ACT has long been sceptical of the global pact, alongside coalition partner NZ First which in March said the Paris deal should be "put out to pasture"
Both the minor parties were at odds with National, which signed New Zealand up to the Paris Agreement in 2016.
The treaty required countries to set up climate action plans with the goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
In his statement, Seymour said the country's climate settings were punishing households, businesses and farmers, while doing little for the environment.
"The Paris Agreement demands targets that are disconnected from science and blind to New Zealand's realities," he said.
"Net zero targets have been set without regard for the real cost to firms, farms, and families.
"The result is farmers forced off the land, the regions hollowed out, and higher prices for food, electricity, and production."
A "position statement" - released by the party - said the government should push for "fundamental reform" of the Paris Agreement but did not specify exactly what changes it would be satisfied with.
"New Zealand should remain engaged with our trading partners, but only on terms that make sense for us," Seymour said.
ACT would revisit the country's Emissions Reduction Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions and set "more realistic, affordable targets".
The party also reiterated its commitment to a "split-gas" approach and says it would model policy on countries like Uruguay, which has adopted different targets for methane.
Luxon remains committed to agreement
Asked for his response to ACT's position, Luxon told reporters pulling out of Paris would be the "quickest way" to hurt New Zealand farmers.
"Our competitor countries would like nothing more than to see New Zealand products off their shelves. And I'm telling you, having worked in large multinationals, they would just move to another supplier anyway.
"We've taken farming out of the ETS [Emissions Trading Scheme]. Very, very shortly, we'll have more to say about methane targets."
The former Labour government had legislated to include agriculture in the ETS by 2025.
But the coalition last year passed legislation to stop that and signalled an intent to set up a separate "fair and sustainable" pricing system for agriculture by 2030.
