Supreme Court finds government must consider climate change when offering oil and gas tenders

Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

The country's highest court has found that governments must consider climate change when deciding whether to offer oil and gas blocks for tender.

Resources Minister Shane Jones said climate change considerations "do not trump the need for energy security and affordability" and he will be asking officials to look at the court decision closely.

He stopped short of saying whether the government would consider amending the law.

In its decision on Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal that former Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods was required to take climate change into account when she granted on-shore exploration permits to two companies in 2021.

However, the court found that climate change is a mandatory consideration at the earlier stage of offering blocks for tender.

Climate change was "so obviously relevant" to a decision that could lead to the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels that it must be considered, the panel of five Supreme Court justices ruled.

"Climate change is a matter of pressing concern for New Zealand and its well-being both in the near and long term," the justices wrote in their decision.

"Moreover, the Crown has entered into binding obligations on New Zealand's behalf in connection with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Petroleum extraction and consumption are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand and internati