Hon Paula Bennett
Minister for Climate Change Issues

25 May 2017

Next steps to reducing emissions

Budget 2017 invests $4 million of new operating funding over four years to progress New Zealand’s climate change work programme, Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett says.

“The Government is moving to the next stage of its work programme to meet our ambitious Paris Agreement 2030 emissions targets,” Mrs Bennett says.

“This funding will mandate work across government to provide costed, tested and modelled policy options to meet our international emissions reductions targets under the Paris Agreement.

“Along with the recently announced Productivity Commission investigation into climate change we will now have advice on the actual economic trade-offs that we’ll need to make to meet our 2030 target.

“It’s important we make decisions based on the best advice available. We have expert advisory groups in agriculture, forestry, and adaptation all providing the evidence base for New Zealand’s policy options,” Mrs Bennett says.

“We’re also reviewing the Emissions Trading Scheme to make sure it is fit for purpose, and in January we began phasing out the one-for-two ETS subsidy.”

The Government has invested in a range of programmes aimed at reducing the impact of climate change, including:

· $20 million for agricultural greenhouse gas research.

· $31 million on research into understanding climate change.

· $19.5 million for the Afforestation Grants Scheme to provide grants to get more trees into the ground.

· $24 million over four years for the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund to encourage innovation and investment in electric and other low emission vehicles.

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