New Zealand
New Zealand Country Profile (World Bank)
Status under International Climate Change Law
- UNFCCC: 22 May 1998 (signature) 19 December 2002 (ratification)
Target: Unconditional 5% reduction by 2020 - KP: 22 May 1998 (signature) 19 December 2002 (ratified)
- Quantified emission limitation or reduction commitment – first commitment period: 59.80 (base level at 1990)
- Vienna Convention: 21 March 1986 (signature) 02 June 1987 (ratification)
- Montreal Protocol: 16 September 1987 (signature) 21 July 1988 (ratification)
- Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution: New Zealand has not signed/ratified
- Energy Charter: New Zealand is not a member or an observer of the Charter
- Energy Efficiency Protocol: New Zealand has not signed/ratified
- Espoo Convention: New Zealand has not signed/ratified
- 2030 Commitment: 30% reduction of GHG emissions below 2005 levels (equivalent to 11% below 1990 levels) by 2030.
- INDC summary – includes LULUCF and gases covered (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions 2015)
- INDC summary – includes adaptation and conditions for implementation (Climate Policy Observer 2016)
Federal Laws on Climate Change
Climate
- Climate Change Response Act (2002) [English]
- A list of New Zealand’s climate regulations can be found here.
Air protection
- Ozone Layer Protection Regulations (1996) [English]
Energy
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (2000) [English]
Forests and Land Use
- Resource Management Act (1991) [English]
- Forests Act (1949) [English]
- Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations (2008) [English]
Environmental Impact Assessment
- Environment Act (1986) [English]
- Resource Management Act (1991) [English]
Others
- Waste Minimisation Act (2008) [English]
National Plans, Programs and Initiatives
- The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) (Ministry for the Environment) [English]
- New Zealand’s Framework for Adapting to Climate Change (Ministry for the Environment) (2014) [English]
- Doing Our Fair Share (Ministry for the Environment) [English]
- Greenhouse Gas Reports (Ministry for the Environment) [English]
- Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Ministry for the Environment) [English]
- Roles and Responsibilities for Climate Change (Ministry for the Environment) (2016) [English]
- Former Government Initiatives to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Ministry of the Environment) [English]
- Clean Development Mechanism (Ministry of the Environment) [English]
- Climate Change: At Home and in the Pacific (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) [English]
- Adapting to Climate Change (Ministry for the Environment) [English]
- Sustainable Land Management & Climate Change Research Programme (Ministry for Primary Industries) [English]
- Transport Climate Change Work Programme (Ministry of Transport) [English]
- Adaptation Toolbox (Ministry for Primary Industries) [English]
- National Infrastructure Plan (2011) [English]
- National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2014) [English]
- New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (2010) [English]
- Climate Changes, Impacts & Implications (CCII) Project (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) (2012) [English]
- Adapting to a Changing Climate: A Proposed Framework for the Conservation of Terrestrial Native Biodiversity in New Zealand (Department of Conservation) (2014) [English]
Local, State, and Regional Legislation and Initiatives
- Adaptation and Local Government (Ministry for the Environment)
- Community Environment Fund (Ministry for the Environment)
- Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership: signature (September 5, 2013)
- Auckland City: Auckland Energy Resilience and Low Carbon Action Plan (in draft, finalization due May 2014)
- Bay of Plenty: What We Are Doing (Bay of Plenty Regional Council)
- Canterbury: Climate Change (Environment Canterbury Regional Council)
- Christchurch City: Climate Smart Strategy 2010-2025 (Christchurch City Council)
- Dunedin: Reduce Dunedin’s Climate Change and Environmental Effects (Dunedin City Council)
- Hamilton City: Local Action Plan on Global Warming (Hamilton City Council)
- Hawkes Bay: Climate Change (Hawkes Bay Regional Council)
- Nelson: Climate Change (Nelson City Council)
- Northland: Climate Change (Northland Regional Council)
- Palmerston North: Corporate Climate Change Action Plan (Palmerston North City Council)
- Queenstown: Sustainable Environment (Queenstown Lakes District Council)
- Rotorua: Communities for Climate Protection (Rotorua Lakes Council)
- Tauranga: Stormwater Improvmements (Tauranga City Council)
- Waikato: Climate Change (Waikato Regional Council)
- Wellington City: Wellington City Climate Change Action Plan 2013 (Wellington City Council)
- Wellington Region: Climate Change Strategy (Greater Wellington Regional Council)
- Upper Hutt: Sustainability Strategy 2012-2022 (Upper Hutt City Council
Government Documents
- Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) (2015) [English]
- New Zealand’s First National Communication under the UNFCCC (1994) [English]
- New Zealand’s Second National Communication under the UNFCCC (1997) [English]
- New Zealand’s Sixth National Communication under the UNFCCC (2013) [English]
- New Zealand’s Second Biennial Report under the UNFCCC (2015) [English]
- 2014 Annex I Party GHG Inventory Submissions
- National Inventory Report (2014) [English]
- Common Reporting Format (2014) [English]
Additional Resources
- New Zealand Profile (Climate Action Tracker) (2015)
- Preparing for Coastal Change: A Guide for Local Government in New Zealand (Ministry for the Environment) (2009)
- Guidance for Voluntary Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting (Ministry for the Environment)
- The New Zealand Climate Change Centre (New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes, Massey University, University of Canterbury, and Victoria University of Wellington)
- Climate Change Information (Ministry for the Environment)
- Victoria University Climate Change Research Institute (Victoria University of Wellington)
- New Zealand Climate Science Coalition
- Adaptation in the Community (Ministry for the Environment)
- Publication:
- Alastair Cameron, Climate Change Law and Policy in New Zealand (2011).
SCCCL thanks Shirley McGill for her assistance in preparing this summary.
Updated as of: December 2, 2013