Don't hold back!
OPINION: ACT MP Mark Cameron isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he certainly calls it how he sees it, holding nothing back when ‘climate scientists’ had a crack at Kiwi farmers recently:
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says updates to the New Zealand Emission Trading Scheme have been made to ensure New Zealand has a more credible market.
“Since coming into Government, we have been clear we want a credible ETS-led approach to reduce emissions, and we were willing to make tough decisions to achieve this,” Watts says.
“To ensure the market operates as intended, we need settings to align with New Zealand’s climate targets and give participants confidence that their investments to reduce emissions will be rewarded,” he adds.
“The feedback we received is consistent with our decisions, and we have made the necessary changes that extends further than the advice we received from the Climate Change Commission.”
Watts says the Government will retain the current auction floor price, the containment reserve price, and current reserve volumes of New Zealand units in the Emissions Trading Scheme.
“These settings are doing their job and should be left alone,” he says.
The Government will also reduce the number of units available between 2025 and 2029, from 45 million to 21 million.
“As it stands, there is an oversupply of units held by participants which has contributed to a depreciated price of carbon,” Watts says. “This has led, in part, to the failure of recent auctions to clear, and poses a risk to achieving our climate targets and emissions budgets.”
He says that reducing the number of units will likely see the carbon price rise.
“We need the carbon price to encourage businesses and individuals to reduce their emissions to meet our climate targets.”
“We are mindful of the impact potential price rises will have on everyday New Zealanders, however, our modelling suggests the impact will be minimal,” Watts concludes.
Changes to unit numbers will take effect from the first auction of 2025.
On the eve of his departure from Federated Farmers board, Richard McIntyre is thanking farmers for their support and words of encouragement during his stint as a farmer advocate.
A project reducing strains and sprains on farm has won the Innovation category in the New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards 2025.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and other sector organisations, has launched a national survey to understand better the impact of facial eczema (FE) on farmers.
One of New Zealand's latest and largest agrivoltaics farm Te Herenga o Te Rā is delivering clean renewable energy while preserving the land's agricultural value for sheep grazing under the modules.
Global food company Nestle’s chair Paul Bulcke will step down at its next annual meeting in April 2026.
Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing and recipient of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at in Wellington this evening.
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