Wednesday, 03 June 2026 14:55

Smith V Fonterra

Written by  The Hound

OPINION: To a chorus of crying greenies, and not a minute too soon, the Government has moved to put the courts back in their place through proposed amendments to the Climate Change Response Act 2002, intending to limit climate litigation claims such as Smith v Fonterra, in the interests of providing greater certainty for vital industry.

Parliament is entitled to amend the law and clarify the limits of liability if it considers that appropriate.

Climate law affects investment in industry and therefore impacts the national interest.

Your old mate reckons these things should not be shaped in court by judicial activists or agitators like Mike Smith, whose main claim to fame was not having the chain sharpened on his orange Husqvarna in 1994 and failing to knock down an average sized pine tree.

More like this

Editorial: Equity with Cuts

OPINION: The coalition Government’s plan to make about 9000 public servants redundant looms as a major election issue

Featured

Agri Experts Give Their Views on 2050

Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.

Government Mulling Plan Change 1 Intervention

The Government is looking at intervening on behalf of Waikato farmers who face new regulations around agricultural land use while Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms are underway.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Great Idea!

OPINION: Central Hawke's Bay farmer Mark Warren recently told the Hawke's Bay Times it's time for a conversation about allowing…

No Choice

OPINION: A nation that relies as heavily as NZ does on functional global shipping lanes will have to do its…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter