National / Maori ETS Agreement

The National government have recently secured support from the Maori party for the controversial amendments to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The support was secured after a number of compromises were met, they include:

Measures to halve the price impact on households,
Enhancement of energy efficiency assistance,
Treaty clause in ETS legislation,
Treaty settlements pre-ETS where iwi unknowingly disadvantaged,
Involvement in international negotiations,
Crown/iwi partnerships for afforestation programmes,
Review of permanent forest sink initiative,
Fishing industry allocation,
Agriculture advisory group on inclusion in ETS,
National Policy Statement (NPS) on biodiversity,
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions research,
Broader environmental policy.

Of concern is the level of impact at which the concessions will have - on the scheme as a whole and in terms of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these points have not been given the level of scrutiny that is seen during the Select Committee process.

The amendments are thought to be passed over the next few weeks with the house under urgency, further reducing the level of scrutiny the amendments will receive.