Guidance on the climate alignment of Meridian’s engagement with government bodies
Meridian prepares submissions and engages with government bodies on a range of subjects. Management will ensure that all Meridian engagements and submissions are aligned with:
- Meridian’s purpose of ‘Clean energy for a fairer and healthier world’; and
- Global effort under the Paris Agreement to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels and increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.
Our government engagement is currently limited to New Zealand, being the sole jurisdiction in which we operate. Meridian will apply the same approach to ensuring alignment with the Paris Agreement should we undertake government engagement in any additional jurisdictions in the future.
As a renewable energy company, alignment with the Paris Agreement is in our interests. However, management scrutinises all submissions and engagement material through the sign-out process to ensure alignment and governance and oversight ultimately sits with Meridian’s executive management team. Specifically, we review and monitor the alignment of regulatory and policy submissions and direct government engagement activities with the Paris Agreement through:
- Direct involvement by relevant subject matter experts on climate-related submissions and collateral, including a review by Meridian’s Head of Sustainability and/or Manager Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, for alignment with the Paris Agreement; and
- A final approval process for submissions and collateral by Meridian’s General Counsel or delegate, which incorporates consideration of alignment with the Paris Agreement.
Meridian is also a member of various trade associations and contributes to submissions and government engagements by those associations. Meridian’s spending on trade associations is disclosed in our annual reports.
Meridian regularly considers the alignment of these trade associations with the Paris Agreement. This occurs through reviewing submissions, engaging in policy discussions, and, where relevant, through Meridian’s position on trade association boards. We will advise trade associations when their activities do not appear to align with Meridian’s purpose or the Paris Agreement goals and will seek better alignment, acknowledging that associations must consider a range of views from members. In cases of significant ongoing misalignment, management will consider changes to Meridian’s membership of trade associations.
The trade associations Meridian is a member of also report transparently on their engagements and submissions to government bodies, including on relevant climate-related submissions, for example: