Request for input: Update to advice on the fourth emissions budget
About this request for input
Following amendments to the Climate Change Response Act in December 2025, the Commission will provide the Minister with an update to our 2024 advice on emissions budgets by 31 March 2027. You can find our previous advice here. More context about the work we are undertaking is available on the overview page.
This request is an opportunity to provide input to the Commission’s next advice on emissions budgets – an update to our advice on Aotearoa New Zealand’s fourth emissions budget (2036–2040). Following this step, we will engage with people further to confirm points of evidence.
We expect to publicly release a summary of the key information underpinning our analysis in late 2026 to provide transparency, but will not be releasing a full updated draft report for consultation.
Your feedback
We are undertaking this process to provide some context on this piece of work, seek feedback on how we plan to approach it, and gather evidence. This will support a broader engagement process. At the end of this survey there is space for you to provide your details if you would like the Commission to contact you as part of our engagement.
A summary of what we heard from this process, and our broader engagement, will be provided in our updated advice.
While it is our role to advise on emissions budgets, the Government sets these budgets and ensures they are met. The Minister of Climate Change will set the fourth emissions budget by 31 December 2027.
Online survey
You are about to start an online survey. In this survey, you can provide your feedback by doing any or all of the following:
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answering a short series of questions and prompts
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sharing your feedback as 'one big thing' about the advice as a whole
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uploading a document (such as a PDF, Word document or spreadsheet).
You do not have to answer all questions – feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you would like.
Why should you provide your input?
The need to reduce emissions is clear. People across the motu are facing more and more disruption from storms, rain, landslides, drought and sea-level rise. Fifteen years ago, the country was hit by a storm about once a month; now, it’s more like once a week. Adaptation can only do so much. To reduce the scale of the risks we are facing, we must also contribute to the global effort to curb emissions – this is where emissions budgets come in. Emissions budgets set a pathway for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its 2050 emissions reduction target, as each budget is lower than the previous.
The Government is not required to publicly consult before making its decision so engaging with us to inform our advice to the Government is an opportunity to provide your input on what the level of ambition for the fourth emissions budget should be.
Hearing directly from people like yourselves helps us to ensure that our advice is grounded and fit for purpose.
We engage with those who are (or will be) affected by climate policies, so we can properly consider their views and evidence when developing our advice. Our conclusions and recommendations are founded on evidence, analysis and expert judgement, and – importantly – based on insights from stakeholders.
Other ways to provide your input
If you would prefer, you can provide a response by post or email instead.
If you are emailing or posting your feedback, please complete a contact and consent form and include this with your response.
Consent form (Microsoft Word, 343 KB)
Template for your response, including our questions:
Microsoft Word version (333K KB)
PDF version (422 KB)
You can email us your response at haveyoursay@climatecommission.govt.nz
You can send us your response by post to the address below:
Consultation: emissions budgets
Climate Change Commission
PO Box 24448, Wellington 6142
Kaupapa Māori
Tuia ki runga, tuia ki raro, tuia ki roto, tuia ki waho, tuia te here tangata, whakamaua kia tina, tina! haumi e, hui e, tāiki e!
We want to ensure that:
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Māori and iwi are comfortable and motivated to contribute to this kaupapa
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Māori voices, data and mātauranga Māori are appropriately included in our official advice on climate action
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We are collecting, storing and using these insights in a culturally safe way that upholds the principles of Māori data sovereignty
If you have any pātai about how your feedback will be treated please contact us at haveyoursay@climatecommission.govt.nz.
Get in touch
If you have questions about this process, or if you have accessibility requirements not met by the feedback options above, please email us at haveyoursay@climatecommission.govt.nz