Climate Change

Simpson Grierson provides true insights into New Zealand’s climate change legislative regime and comprehensive legal advice on transitioning towards a low carbon future. We are New Zealand’s pre-eminent, full service, climate change legal services provider for both the private and public sector.

Our key advisory services

Climate-related risk and disclosure requirements

• Director and other decision maker liability and risk mitigation (private and public sector)
• Climate-related legal risk exposure, and assessing, managing and reporting ongoing climate related physical and transitional legal risks
• Reporting of climate-related financial legal risk (TCFD) including governance, strategic planning, and risk management

Emissions Trading Scheme

• Compliance advice and due diligence in respect of all sectors in the Emissions Trading Scheme
• Forestry specific issues
• Contracts for trading in emissions units, including ISDA and spot trades
• Contractual pricing provisions dealing with emissions costs in products
• Voluntary off-setting

Local government and resource management

• Implications of climate change for local government decision-making
• Regulatory responses to climate change risk, including plan changes

Legislative developments, and adaptation and mitigation strategies

• Submissions on policy and proposed legislative changes
• Decarbonisation and transitioning to a low emissions economy
• Publications, seminars, and workshops on climate change developments and strategy

Key contacts

Climate change strategy and policy development
Key contact: Mark Baker-Jones

Climate-related legal risk, disclosure and reporting, and directors’ duties
Key contacts: Josh Cairns, Charlotte McLoughlin

Financial institutions, and green financing (bonds and funds), insurers and asset owners and managers.
Key contacts: Josh Cairns, Helen Smith

Forestry, emissions participants and emissions-intensive industries (including energy producers, agriculture, transport, industrial processes and waste). 
Key contacts: Greg Allen, Nick Wilson, Joanna Lim

Government engagement, policy and legislative reform.
Key contact: Sally McKechnie

Iwi and Māori. 
Key contact: Gerald Lanning

Lifeline utilities and renewable energy
Key contacts: Don Holborow, Chris Browne

Local authorities, council-controlled organisations, and Crown entities.
Key contacts: Gerald Lanning, Matt Conway, Sarah Scott
 

Recent activity and workshops

A Near Horizon (virtual roundtable featuring Mark Carney, Adrian Orr and James Shaw) - Seizing the opportunities and managing the risks in the transition to net zero: The importance of climate-related financial disclosures [May 2020]; co-hosted with the McGuinness Institute and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board - click here to watch.

Preparing a Climate Change Policy for Local Authorities workshops [Feb 2020]; read the summary report here

Click here to register your interest for any of our upcoming climate change events. Click here to join our climate change updates mailing list.