NEW ZEALAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Josh Williams, Anderson Lloyd
1. Multilateral and Regional Regimes 1.1 Multilateral Climate Change Legal Regime New Zealand has been a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since its inception, and has entered into all significant agreements made under it including the Kyoto Proto - col, the Doha Amendment, and the Paris Agreement. The country participates in the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings, where UNFCCC mem - ber countries discuss and negotiate climate-related issues, as well as review and assess the implementa - tion of the convention. New Zealand has made vari - ous commitments under the UNFCCC. In particular, it has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, contribute to climate finance for developing nations, and take steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change. It has adopted the Paris Agreement, joining the global effort to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 1.2 Regional Climate Change Legal Regimes Pacific Islands Forum New Zealand is one of 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which, in 2019, declared cli - mate change to be “the single greatest threat facing the Pacific”. In 2022, the Forum formally declared a “Climate Emergency” and emphasised the urgency of limiting the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius through rapid, deep, and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reduction. In recent years, the PIF has: • committed to implementing the Paris Agreement and acting on the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report; • committed to the transition away from coal, oil and gas in its energy systems (in line with IPCC path - ways for limiting global average temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels) and for fossil fuel consumption to peak in the near term; and • called on all development partners to provide sub - stantially greater levels of climate finance, technol - ogy and capacity to accelerate decarbonisation of the nations of the Pacific Ocean.
At the PIF’s most recent meeting in September 2025, the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility – a Pacific-led climate and disaster resilience fund which aims to assist pacific nations with loss and damage caused by climate change and provide finance for cli - mate mitigation initiatives – was signed and ratified. PIF members also endorsed the “Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace” declaration on regional security and stabil - ity. 2. National Policy and Legal Regime (Overview) 2.1 National Climate Change Policy Since 2024, New Zealand’s climate policy framework has undergone a period of recalibration, with a focus on simplifying compliance, enhancing flexibility, and balancing emissions-reduction objectives with eco - nomic considerations. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) New Zealand’s NDC is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51–55% below 2005 levels (expressed on a “point-year target” approach). This NDC, sub - mitted in January 2025, represents a 1–5% increase as compared with New Zealand’s previous NDC of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% below 2005 levels. Scope of NDC New Zealand’s NDC: • is economy-wide, covering all sectors including energy, industrial processes, product use, agricul - ture, land use and forestry, and waste; and • covers all greenhouse gases, including CO2, CH4, SF6, HFCs, PFCs, N2O and NF3. Scientific Methodologies for Calculating Commitments New Zealand has historically followed the method - ologies recommended by the IPCC and continues to do so. New Zealand calculates its commitments based on the methodologies prepared by the IPCC and, where applicable, as agreed by the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.
66 CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook