Climate talks show NZ hypocrisy, says WWF

New Zealand has been tasked with playing a key role in climate change talks as countries attempt to thrash out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

A two-day meeting will begin in Auckland from Monday, with 60 negotiators from 35 countries focusing on the crucial issue of transparency around emissions reductions.

However, an environmental group is accusing the Government of hypocrisy over its own actions just days before the meetings begin.

International Climate Change Negotiations Minister Tim Groser said New Zealand's position as a small, responsible and unthreatening developed country had led to it playing a central role in climate talks.

Before any successor to Kyoto could be agreed on, countries needed to agree how to measure, report and verify their actions around emissions reductions.

Yet those were sensitive issues, particularly for developing countries.

Mr Groser said he hoped the Auckland talks would help build consensus and advance negotiations before the important Durban talks later this year.

But WWF New Zealand is accusing the Government of not making good on its international commitment to create a low-carbon development plan.

WWF climate change campaigner Peter Hardstaff said it was "hypocrisy" for New Zealand to present itself as an honest broker at the talks and as a country supporting progressive action.

The group has written an open letter to Prime Minister John Key expressing its concerns and others to sign included business leaders Lloyd Morrison and Sir Stephen Tindall.

In the letter, which was also sent to Environment Minister Nick Smith and Mr Groser, the group draws attention to the decision made at last year's United Nations climate talks in Cancun that developed countries should develop low carbon plans.

Although New Zealand had a target of reducing emissions by 50 per cent from 1990 levels in 2050, and had introduced the Emissions Trading Scheme, the group said having a 40-year target did not deliver reductions, and the ETS would not on its own reduce emissions sufficiently.

"It will make New Zealand look like a laggard in the international talks and make the job of the New Zealand delegation at the UNFCCC harder."

- © Fairfax NZ News