European civil society organisation Both ENDS has filed a complaint alleging that New Zealand is failing to meet climate and environmental commitments it made under the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
The complaint specifically cites concerns over the Government’s repeal of the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration and its controversial legislation to end climate liability claims against greenhouse gas emitters.
WWF-New Zealand warned when the EU-NZ FTA came into force in 2024 that the Government’s programme of environmental deregulation and climate backsliding risked putting New Zealand in breach of the terms of its agreement.
Interim CEO Abbie Reynolds says today’s news should be the final confirmation the Government needs that it must urgently change course.
“Aotearoa New Zealand signed on in good faith to an agreement with the EU that was hailed as ‘gold standard’ for its climate and environmental provisions.
“We have a responsibility to honour the commitments we’ve made. Doing what we say we're going to do is how we retain our reputation for trustworthiness and credibility.
“All warnings have so far fallen on deaf ears, and the Government has instead spent the last three years rolling back environmental protections, dismantling many of our climate policies, and propping up sunset fossil fuel industries.
“It’s therefore not really a surprise that groups in Europe are now raising concerns about whether we’re living up to our side of the bargain.
“The Government can no longer keep ignoring the warning signs, burying its head in the sand about the climate crisis we face, and jeopardising our international reputation in this way,” says Reynolds.
The EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement entered into force in May 2024 and includes commitments on climate and environmental protection.
The agreement requires both parties to effectively implement the Paris Agreement and includes a commitment not to weaken or reduce environmental protections to encourage trade or investment.
This complaint is the first to be lodged through the European Commission’s Single Entry Point on climate grounds.
“New Zealand’s reputation as a trusted trading partner is on the line,” says Reynolds. “Our businesses and primary producers should not have to carry the risks created by a Government failing to live up to the international commitments it has made.
“By continuing down this path, our Government is exposing New Zealand’s businesses and primary producers – and our economy - to major risk. That should be of huge concern to all New Zealanders.
“The world is watching and the Government should treat this complaint as the wake-up call it is.”