Government report (on reflection): Low-Emissions Economy – Draft Report, New Zealand Productivity Commission (2018)
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Published in April 2018, this draft report was prepared by the New Zealand Productivity Commission (Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa) in response to a government inquiry into how New Zealand can transition to a lower net-emissions economy while maintaining and improving incomes and wellbeing. The report is substantial in scope, spanning agriculture, transport, energy, land use, investment, and governance — with a six-year period for public submissions at the time of release.
Several sections are directly relevant to Māori communities and the kaupapa of Project Kāinga. The report acknowledges the Māori economy — estimated at up to $50 billion — as a significant force in the transition, noting that kaitiakitanga guides iwi investment with a multigenerational perspective well-aligned with climate mitigation. It identifies iwi as natural partners with central and local government in achieving transformational economic change. The report also discusses barriers facing Māori landowners, including the complexities of multiple land ownership and Māori freehold title in accessing capital for emissions reduction.
On governance, the report recommends that any new climate change legislation include a Treaty clause recognising the kaitiakitanga role of mana whenua and the Māori–Crown partnership. Dedicated sections address Māori and land use (section 10.9), Māori perspectives on waste (section 14.3), and the role of iwi investment in supporting a low-emissions transition (section 6).
While published prior to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019, this report laid important groundwork for the policy architecture that followed. For Project Kāinga communities, it offers useful context on how the economic dimensions of the low-emissions transition intersect with Māori land, investment and governance interests.
