Like a certain cheese brand, good things take time, and that was certainly the case with last night’s parliamentary launch of the “roadmap to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for New Zealand’s steel industry”, hosted byHon. Simon Watts MP FCA, Minister for Climate Change.
The steel industry has made a bold and public commitment:
By 2030: to reduce direct and electricity-related emissions from steel consumed in New Zealand by more than 30% (from 2020 levels);
By 2050: to reduce emissions by more than 90%.
Achieving this will require coordinated action across five key areas:
1. Adaptive reuse — extending the life of existing assets;
2. Design and construction — using steel more efficiently;
3. Renewable energy — decarbonising electricity and hydrogen supply;
4. Lower-emissions steel — expanding scrap-based Electric Arc Furnace production at New Zealand Steel’s Glenbrook site;
5. Lower-emissions iron — reducing emissions from ironmaking.
Metals NZ is proud to have co-funded and contributed to the working group (thanks, Israel MacDonald) alongside other key partners including Sustainable Steel Council, Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ), Heavy Engineering Research Association, BRANZ, University of Canterbury, and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
It was encouraging to see strong cross-party interest, with MPs including Dan Bidois and Simon Court in attendance.
A special thanks to Jeremy Sole for his leadership, to thinkstep-anz for its collective insights, and Andrew E. for his supportive comments.
This is a great example of what can be achieved when all parts of the steel value chain and key enablers, like the Building Research Levy and Building Innovation Partnership, come together to deliver a shared outcome for New Zealand’s future.