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Climate Summary of Key Themes from Emissions Trading Scheme Consultation Hui with Māori Online version
5. Understanding the Complexities of ETS and Issues of Timing
The questions from the hui participants were numerous:
What are the opportunities and risks presented by the ETS? What are the business and research opportunities? What are the tax implications? How do we acquire and trade carbon credits domestically and internationally, or trade on the grey market? What is the life span of a carbon credit unit? How will the price for New Zealand Units be set? Will those prices be vulnerable to manipulation? Who will be liable for Acts of God? Who will monitor and administer the scheme? What’s in it for us?
Government officials readily acknowledged the complexity of the ETS, and these questions are indicative of the many questions that were asked about the technical aspects of the ETS. There were a number of requests for further wānanga to consider the implications for specific sectors and situations, and the need for the wānanga set down for 8 November became very clear.
Given the complexities of the ETS, concern was raised regarding the timing of the policy and the preparedness of Māori and the Māori economy to fully participate in the ETS. A deadline of 01 January 2008 for the forestry sector to come into the ETS was considered too soon to enable full understanding of the implications.
[I note a] concern with the capacity of local land owners to keep up with the sophisticated system for emissions trading that even the government officials express difficulty in articulating. From the perspective of the tangata whenua and land owners, there is concern that they may be penalised in policies that come out of Wellington.
(Amohaere Houkamau, Ngāti Porou Hui)
Forestry has a one-off allocation and is first into the scheme whereas agriculture comes in to the scheme in 2013 – that gives farmers six years to prepare for these changes. Forestry (which is largely owned by Māori) has just three months to get up to speed with this kaupapa and the legislation changes.
(Tui Hawke, Tāmaki Makaurau Hui)
