Submitted by WWF-New Zealand, Environmental Defence Society (EDS), Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society, Greenpeace Aotearoa and Pure Advantage.
Chapter 22 of the FTA outlines the commitments made by New Zealand and the United Kingdom (Parties) in areas such as climate change, sustainable fisheries, conservation of biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, deforestation and the transition to clean energy. It affirms their commitments to multilateral environmental agreements including the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity, acknowledging the Parties’ pivotal roles in addressing climate change and safeguarding biodiversity.
We submit that the actions of New Zealand’s recently elected coalition Government are inconsistent with its obligations under the FTA, or that it is otherwise failing to carry out its obligations under the agreement. These breaches are set to continue with the Government’s signalled changes to environmental law and policy.