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Additional proposed amendments to the Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations 2008

Update – 1 November 2021

Cabinet paper on amendments to forestry regulations and supporting documents

On 13 September 2021, Cabinet made decisions on several major amendments to the Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations 2008. These amendments will implement the new forestry provisions in the Emissions Trading Scheme that take effect on 1 January 2023, including the new averaging approach for carbon accounting.

The regulations are being drafted and will be finalised and published by 1 October 2022.

Find the Cabinet paper and supporting documents

Summary of submissions on additional proposed amendments to the Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations 2008 [PDF, 1 MB]

About this consultation

In June 2020, the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Act 2020 passed into law. This will introduce new forestry provisions to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) on 1 January 2023.

The Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations 2008 need to be updated to make the new legislation work in practice.

The amendments to the ETS Forestry Regulations we consulted on included:

  • the detailed rules and settings for averaging accounting
  • technical amendments to simplify the ETS and let us implement new policies.

Full details are in the consultation document. We held 2 webinars to help explain the proposed amendments.

What was proposed

Between early November 2019 and mid-January 2020, Te Uru Rākau consulted on a package of amendments including options for averaging accounting, and other technical amendments.

The amendments consulted on in March 2021 included the rules and settings for averaging accounting, such as:

  • detailed age band frameworks
  • rules for accounting for forests over multiple rotations
  • the model for how the average age will be calculated.

This consultation also covered technical amendments to simplify the ETS and let us implement new policies. This includes:

  • a clearer definition of sub-areas
  • rules for the new pre-1990 forest land offsetting process
  • amendments to make it simpler to participate
  • amendments to implement existing decisions.

Consultation document

Additional proposed amendments to the Climate Change (Forestry Sector) Regulations 2008 – Discussion document [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Related information

About the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme – Ministry for the Environment

Presentation: Introduction to forests in the Emissions Trading Scheme [PDF, 2.1 MB]

Presentation: Averaging accounting options [PDF, 3 MB]

Presentation: Technical updates [PDF, 2.4 MB]

Fact sheet: Introduction to averaging carbon accounting for forests in the Emissions Trading Scheme

Fact sheet: Overview of consultation options for averaging accounting

Fact sheet: Overview of trade-offs of options for Māori landowners and forest managers

A cost-benefit analysis of simple to more complex settings for age bands in averaging accounting

Area weighted Field Measurement Approach (FMA) table [XLSX, 13 KB]

Previous consultation that closed on 15 January 2020

Proposed changes to the climate change forestry regulations

Webinars about the proposals

We held 2 webinars to explain key parts of the proposals on 12 and 19 March.

The 12 March webinar on averaging accounting was recorded and is available to view.

Video: Averaging accounting webinar (58.54)


Submissions are public information

Note that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have good reasons for withholding them. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that it's commercially sensitive or it's personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.

MPI may post all or parts of any written submission on its website. We'll consider that you have consented to its publication, unless clearly stated otherwise in your submission.