Wai 3325: Climate Change Priority Inquiry

Wai 3325 is a kaupapa priority inquiry of the Waitangi Tribunal, looking into whether the Crown’s response to climate change is consistent with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi. The Tribunal can provide non-binding recommendations to the New Zealand Government. The inquiry is focused on four overarching issues: (1) What are the physical, spiritual, cultural, social, health, and economic impacts of climate change on Māori? This includes current and future impacts. (2) What relevant Tiriti/Treaty principles should the Crown consider when addressing the impacts of climate change on Māori? (3) Has the Crown’s conduct (including actions and omissions) in response to climate change been consistent with Tiriti/Treaty principles? (4) What recommendations should the Tribunal make in terms of how the Crown should conduct itself consistently with Tiriti/Treaty principles when forming future climate change policies? Claims include alleged breaches of Te Tiriti/the Treaty relating to a wide range of climate policy and decisions, including forestry, adaptation, and New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme. A broad cross-section of Māori interests are involved, including whānau, hapū, iwi, business, and advocacy groups. On 1 June 2016, the Waitangi Tribunal received an application from Cletus Maanu Paul, David Potter, and Andrew Peterson on behalf of the Mataatua District Maori Council (MDMC) alleging that the Crown is acting in breach of Treaty obligations towards Maori because the New Zealand Government was failing to implement adequate policies to address the threats posed by global climate change. The claim alleged that the Crown has continued to breach its obligations of active protection under Te Tiriti o Waitangi towards Māori by failing to put in place policies that would satisfy New Zealand’s obligations under the Paris Agreement, and that the steps the Crown had taken, such as establishing an emissions trading scheme, were ineffective and insufficient. The claim was declined on the basis that the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) policies and targets were subject to ongoing processes in which Māori would continue to have a role, and the Crown was still developing its domestic policies on climate matters. The application was dismissed. In 2019, the Wai 2607 applicants applied to have their claim heard as a priority on the basis that there would be a significant delay in hearing the claim, which would cause irreversible prejudice to Māori, as the Natural Resources and Environmental Management kaupapa inquiry was grouped eleventh in priority for hearing. At that time, the former Chairperson noted that the Tribunal was barred from inquiring into the matters as the matters raised in the statement of claim were the subject of the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading Reform) Amendment Bill, which was currently before the House. Renewed request for a prioritised inquiry within the kaupapa inquiry programme - Wai 2607 In February 2023, the Waitangi Tribunal received a renewed application for priority by the Wai 2607 applicant in relation to the Crown’s past and present climate change policies and the ETS. The Wai 2607 applicants contended that the criteria for priority had been satisfied, as climate change is increasingly impacting Māori and all of Aotearoa, as demonstrated by recent extreme storms and flooding that had impacted large parts of Aotearoa New Zealand. Further, climate change continues to have an impact on Māori businesses, including agricultural, horticultural and fisheries industries. On 13 March 2023, the Tribunal received a statement of claim for an urgent hearing by Emily Bailey on behalf of Climate Justice Taranaki (Wai 3262). The applicant submitted that climate change presents an emergency for Māori communities, which are disproportionately affected by climate change, and alleged that the Crown’s actions to address climate change through general policies, the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and the ETS are likely to cause significant prejudice to Māori. The Tribunal found that the Wai 3262 application did not, at that stage, meet the requirements for granting an urgent inquiry. However, the Tribunal granted a kaupapa inquiry into climate change policy, in light of climate change being an existential threat not only to the claimants but to Māori and the nation. For more on the case, please refer to "Wai 3262: Climate Justic Taranaki v New Zealand." After the kaupapa inquiry was granted, on February 15, 2024, it was directed that this would be a new record of inquiry, referred to as ‘the Climate Change Priority Inquiry’, with reference number ‘Wai 3325.’ Wai 3325 is ongoing. Note: All case documents relating to Wai 3325 are publicly available at: https://www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/en/inquiries/kaupapa-inquiries/climate-change-priority-inquiry.