Key hedges on Copenhagen

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Prime Minister John Key is leaving open the possibility of attending the crucial Copenhagen conference on climate change, after earlier saying he definitely would not go.

Mr Key confirmed yesterday he had been invited to attend the meeting, but said there was a "95 per cent chance" he would not go.

"I can't say I unequivocally won't go but I'm not likely to go."

But his hand may yet be forced by other world leaders who have now agreed to attend.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen has formally invited all heads of state to Copenhagen, and 40 world leaders have now confirmed their attendance, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

US President Barack Obama is considering attending, while Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been invited as a "friend of the chair".

Greenpeace has lobbied Mr Key hard to attend, and actress Lucy Lawless and climate scientist Jim Salinger visited Parliament yesterday with a cheque to pay for Mr Key's airfare – economy class.

Lawless and Dr Salinger said Greenpeace's campaign had raised $4781 through cake stalls, sausage sizzles, donations and auctions across New Zealand.

But they only got as far as the Beehive's reception, after Mr Key declined to meet the pair. Mr Key said later he was "probably out getting lunch or something".

Earlier yesterday, Mr Key faced the wrath of farmers over National's proposed emissions trading scheme at the Federated Farmers' council meeting in Wellington.

Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson called for the scheme to be scrapped, claiming the Government was "obsessed" with carbon emissions.

But Mr Key said new estimates showed the average farmer would pay about $3000 a year under the scheme by 2020, which was less than their ACC levies. If New Zealand did not include agriculture in the emissions scheme, it would open farmers up to consumer boycotts in the northern hemisphere, he said.

The Government is under fire from all quarters over the ETS, which yesterday sparked heated debate in Parliament after Mr Key appeared to accuse Labour leader Phil Goff of playing the race card.

Labour has criticised a sweetheart deal for some iwi under the Government's amended ETS, giving them lucrative carbon credits for planting forests on public land, including the conservation estate. South Island tribe Ngai Tahu would be the biggest winner.

Mr Goff produced a Crown Law opinion rejecting the Government's argument that it was liable under the Treaty of Waitangi and has accused the Government of preferential deals for Maori.

Progressive leader Jim Anderton revealed the previous Labour government had considered compensating iwi in the same way but ruled it out as setting a dangerous precedent in opening up historic Treaty settlements for relitigation.

- © Fairfax NZ News