How to participate in the discussion on the NZ ETS

For more information on public engagement activities and opportunities for you to participate, please see the following website: www.climatechange.govt.nz.

Following feedback from stakeholders and Māori on the core design elements of an ETS and engagement with stakeholders and Māori in the forestry and liquid fossil fuels (primarily transport) sectors, the government will make final decisions about the core design features and the detail for these two sectors proposed for entry to the NZ ETS (in 2008 and 2009 respectively).  These decisions will be the basis of a bill (legislation) introduced to Parliament that will lay down the framework for emissions trading, and will include provisions relating to forestry and liquid fossil fuels.  It may also contain provisions to guide the entrance of subsequent sectors to the scheme.

Following its first reading in Parliament, the bill will be referred to a select committee that will call for public submissions and hold hearings on the bill.  This is an important opportunity for the public to register support for, or express concerns regarding, the ETS.  The following website has a series of fact sheets that provide more information on the legislative and/or select committee process: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PubRes/About/FactSheets/.

For information on current select committees, including calls for submissions, visit the following website: http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/SC/.

If the bill is passed into law, the government will continue to work with stakeholders and Māori to resolve any remaining issues around design and implementation, particularly for sectors that are later entrants to the scheme.  Final decisions on the detailed design features for later entrants (stationary energy, industrial process emissions, agriculture and waste) will be made after in-depth discussions with those sectors.  The government will also continue to work with key stakeholders and Māori in relation to the future evolution of the NZ ETS in response to changes in the international climate change policy framework after 2012.