Marama Davidson | on why we cannot fail to address climate change

The coalition government’s recent decisions to weaken the Zero Carbon Act and remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi have sparked strong opposition from the Green Party, with co-leader Marama Davidson calling both moves a direct attack on climate justice and Māori rights.

The domestic basis for climate-policy is the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 (CCRA) which amended the original Climate Change Response Act 2002. The 2019 Act sets out long-term emissions targets and requires the government to set emissions budgets and reduction plans. Under the Act, the independent Climate Change Commission (“He Pou a Rangi”) provides advice to government and monitors progress.

New Zealand is also a party to the Paris Agreement and must submit its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aligning with global warming-limits. The Act sets a target of net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases except biogenic methane by 2050. For biogenic methane (largely agriculture & waste), the target is a 24-47% reduction below 2017 levels by 2050, including a minimum of 10% reduction by 2030.

For New Zealand’s international commitment:

• • NDC 1 (2021-2030): reduce net GHG emissions to 50% below gross 2005 levels by 2030.

  • NDC 2 (2031-2035): a reduction of 51-55% below 2005 levels by 2035.

• Emissions budgets: The government has set for example a first budget period (2022-2025) of no more than 290 Mt CO₂-e, and second budget period (2026-2030) 305 Mt CO₂-e.

The government’s “Climate Strategy / Rautaki Āhuarangi” (December 2024) outlines five pillars:

• 1. Ensuring infrastructure and communities are resilient and prepared for climate risks.

  2. Credible markets that support the transition to low emissions.

  3. Clean energy abundance and affordability.

  4. World-leading climate innovation boosting the economy.

  5. Nature-based solutions (forestry, ecosystem restoration) to help remove emissions.

• The second Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP2) (December 2024) is the key instrument for 2026-2030, embedding the strategy into sectoral policies (energy, transport, agriculture, forestry, waste).

• Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) remains central: pricing carbon, enabling removals, incentivising change across sectors.

• Adaptation: the government released a National Adaptation Framework in 2025 to guide how communities adapt to inevitable climate change effects.