Three days of hearing in the Wellington High Court in Lawyers for Climate Action and Environmental Law Initiative v Minister of Climate Change, concluded this afternoon.

The Minister was required by law to have a high level of confidence that New Zealand’s carbon budget would be met. However, the advice from his officials showed the chances of achieving the second emissions budget were not much better than a ‘coin toss’.

A landmark High Court hearing opens today as the Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) and Lawyers for Climate Action NZ challenge Climate Change Minister Simon Watts over decisions they say breach the law and endanger Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate goals.

Although ELI was not successful on the specific grounds of the judicial review, the judgment delivers powerful clarity about the Minister’s legal duties to protect hoiho.