AUSTRALIA AND New Zealand plan to work together to unlock potential economic opportunities as the transition to clean energy accelerates, including through work to develop green shipping lanes across the Tasman.
The Australia‑New Zealand 2+2 Climate and Finance Dialogue was held in Brisbane on 30 July, hosting New Zealand’s finance minister Nicola Willis and climate change minister Simon Watts.
A joint announcement from Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers and Chris Bowen, minister for climate change, described an intention to work with New Zealand to maximise the economic and industrial benefits of the shift to net zero.
Streamlining trade of key low‑emissions products, expediting the net zero transformation, and finding new ways to help industry decarbonise were key areas where delegates from the two nations agreed to collaborate further.
The joint release underlined an agreement to work more closely with the aviation, maritime and agricultural industries to assist with decarbonisation, and specific work to improve the supply chain security of the sustainable fuels these industries will rely on more in future.
A key development out of the dialogue was an agreement to meet with maritime industry stakeholders to discuss how government and industry can work together to develop trans‑Tasman green shipping lanes.
The announcement called the shift to decarbonisation the “biggest transformation since the industrial revolution”.
Moreover, the announcement said New Zealand aviation companies and representatives would be invited to join Australia’s Jet Zero Council, to strengthen trans‑Tasman expert advice on decarbonising aviation.
In the agricultural sector, investment in better emissions monitoring and new technologies were believed would help reduce emissions in the long term.
“Deeper collaboration between our countries will help us grab the vast industrial and economic opportunities from the world’s shift to net zero” the ministers’ announcement said.
