Progress reviewing submissions is going well

Just over a week since submissions closed on our first draft advice to the Government, we are making good progress on reviewing feedback.

As we have worked through the submissions, opening and reviewing each response, the count has increased to more than 15,500.

This exceeds the 15,000 submissions made in 2018 on the Zero Carbon Bill, which included the establishment of the Commission.

Our Chief Executive Jo Hendy says the submissions will strengthen our first package of advice to the Government.

“The level of constructive feedback we have received will ensure our advice to Government on the direction of its emissions reduction plan and emissions budgets are enduring and practical.

“As an independent crown entity, our role is to provide the advice, but the Government must develop the detailed strategy and take action. Once we have handed over the advice, the ball is in its court.

From next year we will start to monitor progress against these pieces of work.

Many of the responses, for example from representative groups, have bundled submissions on behalf of large numbers of members. In some cases, single emails included template submissions from hundreds or even thousands of people.

“A lot of organisations with a very keen interest in the transition to a low emissions future for Aotearoa have gone to great efforts to encourage their members to have their say and coordinate those responses. We are very grateful for the work that has gone into these submissions,” Jo said.

We are pleased to have received very positive feedback on our consultation process and extraordinary interest and engagement in our work. During the consultation phase, our team held or attended around 200 events and talked with an estimated 4,000 people.

“We learnt a lot through the consultation phase and one of the things we’re seeing as we go through the submissions is a lot of consistency with what we heard across Aotearoa during our consultation,” Jo said.

Submissions will be processed for release on our website once they have been analysed.

Key dates:

• 31 May: final package of advice due to Government, as per the Act.
• Within 10 working days: the Minister of Climate Change must table the advice in the House of Representatives, as per the Act.
• 28 June: deadline for the Commission to release the advice publicly. It will be published on our website alongside supporting evidence and information.
• 31 December: the Government must have set the first three emissions budgets out to 2035 and released its first emissions reduction plan.
• From 2022: we will begin a new work programme to monitor how our advice is implemented, including how well Aotearoa is tracking to meet the 2050 net zero target.