Advice on nationally determined contributions (NDCs)

Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs) represent the country’s contribution towards the collective global effort on climate change.

What is an NDC?

Aotearoa New Zealand has signed up to the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change. Under the Paris Agreement, every signatory (or 'party') needs to set an ambitious nationally determined contribution (NDC), which sets out what each party will contribute to the global effort over a specific time period.

Each party is also required to set successive NDCs that get progressively more ambitious over time.

Our role

The Climate Change Response Act does not require the Commission to provide regularly scheduled advice about Aotearoa New Zealand's NDCs.

However, the Minister of Climate Change can request advice from us under section 5K of the Act to inform the Government's decision on the level of an upcoming NDC.