Update on Kigali Amendment to phase down HFCs

From: Meredith Davis <Meredith.Davis@mfe.govt.nz> on behalf of Montreal <Montreal@mfe.govt.nz>
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2018 4:04:37 PM
Subject: Update on Kigali Amendment to phase down HFCs

 Kia ora koutou,

The Minister for the Environment has decided to delay New Zealand’s ratification of the Kigali Amendment by 12 months to align the process with the wider health and safety work being undertaken by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and to ensure that you have enough time to apply for, and hear the results of permitting decisions before the phase-down commences.   This means that New Zealand will ratify on 1 October 2019, with all imports and exports of HFCs requiring permits from 1 January 2020. Please note that the new timeframes for consultation on the draft regulations, the permit application period and communication of permit allocation decisions by the EPA are still being worked out and are subject to Cabinet approval. Once these details are finalised, we will share this information with you as we appreciate it is important for business planning and operational decisions. 

The Minister is very committed to ratifying the Amendment and supporting global action on HFCs and has not taken this decision to delay lightly, but is focused on ensuring New Zealand has a safe and effective transition away from HFCs.   The Minister has spoken to a number of his colleagues about this work, in particular the Minister of Climate Change, James Shaw.    Both Ministers want to avoid unnecessary stockpiling of HFCs and you can expect to receive communication from Minister Parker on this issue, we will be seeking your support and co-operation on this.

On behalf of the Ministry, I want to thank you for your ongoing patience and engagement with us on this work programme. If you have any questions please contact Meredith Davis, Senior Policy Analyst, International (meredith.davis@mfe.govt.nz).

 Ngā mihi,

 Natasha

Natasha Lewis – Director, Stewardship
Ministry for the Environment – Manatū Mō Te Taiao
Website:
www.mfe.govt.nz 
23 Kate Sheppard Place, Thorndon, Wellington 6143