December 01, 2015
TPPA claimants ask for check on ETS link
Claimants have asked the Waitangi Tribunal to make a case study of the effect of the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement on New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme.
Lawyers for Ngapuhi hapu Ngati Kawau say it’s a significant issue for Maori, as forestry is a big component of some treaty settlements.
The Climate Change Iwi Leaders Group has previously argued National’s changes to the ETS, including letting cheap overseas carbon credits undermine the price New Zealand foresters can get, robbed Maori of hundreds of millions of dollars.
This loophole was recently closed after years of lobbying by Maori, but the claimants say this shift could be challenged under the TPPA, which allows investors to sue governments if they feel policies are eroding their profits.
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