Terms of reference agreed for report on Government’s domestic contribution to global emissions commitment
7 August 2024
In June, Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts requested a report from the Commission on the levels of domestic emissions reduction that Aotearoa New Zealand could feasibly achieve as part of its second nationally determined contribution (NDC2).
We have now received the finalised Terms of Reference for this work.
This request supersedes the previous 2023 request and terms of reference from the previous Government.
Scope and timeframe
The Minister has asked the Commission, under section 5K of the Climate Change Response Act, to provide advice focusing on the domestic contribution to the country’s second nationally determined contribution.
When advice on the second nationally determined contribution was requested in 2023, the Commission noted that additional funding would be required to deliver on the scope of the advice in addition to our existing statutory requirements. This was reiterated in our Briefing to the Incoming Minister in December 2023.
The Minister considered this issue and decided to replace that request, and instead asked for advice with a narrower scope. This is to ensure the work is feasible with the time and resources available to the Commission, while still providing a valuable input to the Government’s decision on its NDC2.
We will deliver our report to the Minister by 31 October 2024 (which is earlier than the previous request’s delivery date of 31 December). This allows time for our analysis to inform the Government’s decision on NDC2, which is due in February 2025.
An NDC can also be met through supporting international action, for example by paying for emissions reduction overseas. This international component is outside the scope of the Minister’s request to the Commission.
Our role and approach
Our role is to provide independent, impartial, evidence-based advice to the Government. The Government’s role is to make the decision on what New Zealand's second NDC will be.
Given the alignment with our other current work, we will base our analysis for the request on the modelling work used in our recent draft advice on the fourth emissions budget and our discussion document on the 2050 target review.
Why NDCs matter
NDCs are important because they represent Aotearoa New Zealand's contribution towards the collective global effort on climate change, which the country signed up for under the Paris Agreement.
Related documents
Terms of Reference – Report on the domestic contribution to the second nationally determined contribution [PDF – 116 KB]
Related mahi
Report on the potential domestic contribution to the second nationally determined contribution
Related information
News release: Minister requests advice to inform the Government's global emissions commitment (13 October 2023)