Skip to main content

Resetting the Emissions Trading Scheme annual charge for post-1989 forestry participants

Updates

23 December 2024 – Cabinet papers and related documents released

Following the consultation, MPI has released cabinet papers and related documents.

12 November 2024 – Questions and answers summary added

We published a question and answers summary of those made during the public
webinars and online hui on the 2024 forestry ETS consultation.

Go to the question and answers summary

5 November 2024 – Presentation slide added

We published a presentation slide about the consultation.

Go to presentation slide

Your views sought

We want your feedback on 2 proposals relating to cost recovery settings for forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) participants. We anticipate that changes would be made by early 2025.

  • Proposal 1: A reduced annual charge for post-1989 forestry ETS participants.
  • Proposal 2: Amending the Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022 for the field measurement approach during the 2023–25 reporting period.

As part of this consultation, we are holding 2 webinars and an online hui.

Summaries of the proposals are on this page and full details are in the discussion paper.

Submissions are open from 23 October until 5pm on 13 November 2024.

About Proposal 1

If you have post-1989 forest land in the ETS, the per hectare annual charge is calculated for the financial year. It's based on the amount of land you have in the ETS on 1 July.

We are proposing to reduce the per hectare annual charge from $30.25 to $14.90, starting in the 2024–25 financial year.

About Proposal 2

Forestry participants with at least 100 hectares of post-1989 forest land in the ETS have to use the field measurement approach to calculate carbon stored in their forests for their emissions returns.

When the previous (2023) cost recovery regulations were enacted, they imposed a service fee. The fee resulted in additional costs for those who could use their existing field measurement approach data or use default carbon tables to calculate carbon stock, during the shorter 2023–25 reporting period.

To address this issue, we are proposing to update the regulations. This means, that for any emissions return that covers all or part of the shorter 2023–25 reporting period, people using the field measurement approach can calculate carbon stock using:

  • the default carbon tables (in regulations) if they do not have field measurement approach participant specific tables, or
  • existing participant specific tables if they have them.

Discussion paper

Resetting the Emissions Trading Scheme annual charge for post-1989 forestry participants [PDF, 893 KB]

Webinars on the proposals

To support this consultation, we are running 2 webinars and an online hui. These sessions will provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and discuss the proposals. The online hui is a dedicated session for whenua Māori to give feedback on the proposals. You must register to attend the webinars or hui. 

Times and dates of the webinars and the hui

Webinar 1: 4pm on Thursday 31 October 2024.

Register to attend Webinar 1 – Connect

Webinar 2: 12pm on Thursday 7 November 2024.

Register to attend Webinar 2 – Connect

Online hui: 12pm on Monday 4 November 2024.

Register to attend the online hui – Connect

Presentation slide

Presentation on Resetting the Emissions Trading Scheme annual charge for post-1989 forestry participants  [PDF, 4.6 MB]

Questions and answers summary

Summary of questions and answers from webinars and hui [PDF, 233 KB]

Making your submission

Send us your feedback on the proposals in the consultation document by 5pm on 13 November 2024.

We would prefer if you made a submission electronically – either by using the online form or by email. However, we will also accept written submissions sent by post.

You are welcome to make your submission on the whole discussion document, or you can choose the areas relevant to you. Provide supporting evidence with your submission where possible.

Online

Online submission form – Alchemer

Email

If you are sending us a submission by email, we encourage you to use the submission template which has the same questions as the online form. 

Submission template [DOCX, 121 KB]

The email address is etsforestrychanges@mpi.govt.nz

Post

If you prefer to make your submission in writing, send it to:

NZ ETS Cost Recovery
Forestry System Directorate
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

MPI business units