Climate activist Mike Smith is taking his fight over New Zealand’s climate policy international, following the lodging of a formal complaint with the European Commission.
The complaint was filed by Netherlands-based environmental justice organisation Both ENDS and asks whether decisions by the New Zealand Government are inconsistent with climate and environmental commitments contained in the New Zealand-European Union Free Trade Agreement. No breach has been established, and the European Commission will assess the complaint.
Smith says the complaint follows a series of Government decisions including legislation that prevented his climate case against major emitters from proceeding to trial and the reopening of New Zealand waters to offshore oil and gas exploration. He argues those decisions weaken climate accountability.
The NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force in May 2024, contains enforceable commitments on climate action and the Paris Agreement, alongside wider provisions covering trade and sustainable development.
Smith says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts should explain how the Government’s policy direction is consistent with those international commitments.
The complaint now puts New Zealand’s domestic climate policy under scrutiny through one of its most significant international trade relationships, with the European Commission yet to determine whether the complaint establishes a breach.
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