Programme and Dates

SESSION 1. Climate Change And Climate Standards Fundamentals.

Content overview:
The session will provide participants with an overview of climate change risks and impacts and introduce the CRD Standards. 

Participants will gain an understanding of:

• the fundamentals of climate-related risks and opportunities and why unpacking these are important
• to appreciate the evolution of the Climate Standards
• to understand the key objectives of the Climate Standards and its core elements
• key actions required to lay the groundwork for effective disclosure
• how to assess their organisation’s maturity against the requirements of the Climate Standards.

FACILITATOR:
Erica Miles, Director, West Nine Consulting

SESSION 2. Climate Standards And The Business Response.

Content overview:
This session will provide guidance on how to take the core elements of the Climate Standards and apply them to strategic and operational decision making to achieve the transition. 

It will assist in moving the Climate Standards from a compliance requirement, to an important and useful tool in ensuring the future success of an organisation’s strategy and business model. 

Participants will learn:

• how climate change risks and opportunities should be considered across different aspects of a company’s organisational framework and be used to inform future business models
• the key transition risks and impacts, such as on cost to serve, insurance, access to capital etc
• the key areas to consider when improving organisational resilience to climate change (including OPEX and CAPEX)
• how to embed and operationalise climate risks, strategy, governance, metrics and reporting
• the importance of establishing clear and defined feedback loops to support a dynamic, organisation-wide response.

FACILITATORS:
Andrew Jamieson, Partner, Sustainability & Climate Change, PwC

SESSION 3. Key Legal Risks From Climate-Related Disclosure.

Content overview:

This session will provide participants with an appreciation of:

• director and executive expectations and liability for disclosures
• the key legal risks to be aware of in making voluntary and mandatory disclosures, setting emissions targets, including misrepresentations and greenwashing
• market trends in good governance of climate risk management and mandatory disclosures
• key nuances associated with achieving compliance with NZ CS-2 (adoption provisions) and NZ CS-3 (general requirements), such as coherence, balance and accuracy.  

Participants will gain knowledge of:

• the expectations of Boards and senior executive teams in the Climate Standards
• key terms such as materiality, scope, and value chain and unpack their relevance to an organisation’s strategic response
• the key legal risks to be aware of in making disclosures
• key considerations and questions senior executives should be asking around achieving compliance with NZ CS-2 (adoption provisions) and NZ CS-3 (general requirements).

FACILITATORS:
Nicola Swan, Partner, and Alana Lampitt, Partner - Environmental and Resource Management, Chapman Tripp

SESSION 4. Expectations Of The Regulator And Interplay With Financial Reporting.

Content overview:

The first part of this session will provide participants with an overview of the FMA’s:

• role in the regime
• regulatory approach
• record keeping monitoring approach

The second part of this session will cover how the Climate Standards, and an organisations climate impacts affect their financial reporting. 

Participants will learn:

• to understand the legislative requirements of the CRD regime
• the FMAs initial regulatory approach to climate-related disclosures
• what type of records the FMA would expect to be provided during monitoring reviews
• what actions the FMA can take as the regulator and what they would consider serious misconduct
• how the Climate Standards impacts affect financial reporting.

FACILITATORS:

Jenika Phipps, Manager, Climate Related Disclosures and Jacco Moison, Head of Audit, Financial Reporting & Climate Related Disclosures, FMA

SESSION 5. What’s Next – Moving Beyond Climate Reporting.

Content Overview:

The session will provide participants with an insight into the latest developments in climate reporting and broader sustainability reporting related work. 

The session will outline the likely wider reporting expectations anticipated over the coming years in this rapidly developing and evolving space.

Participants will gain an understanding of:

• the XRB’s role going forward, and the latest guidance notes available
• key global developments in Climate Standards and how Aotearoa New Zealand aligns
• key local and international developments in wider sustainability-themed reporting
• developments in assurance requirements over Climate Statements and what senior executives should be prepared for.

FACILITATORS:

Lisa Kelsey, Senior Project Manager - Climate Standards, External Reporting Board (XRB) (30th May class)

SESSION 6. Tips And Tricks - Panel Discussion With NZ’s Leading Executives.

Content Overview:

To conclude the course, INFINZ will bring together two to three of New Zealand’s leading directors and senior executives in an interactive panel discussion. 

This discussion will provide participants with practical insights based on their experiences to date in integrating climate resilience into their organisation, including how to get started, how to ensure an organisation-wide response, and how to effect the changes the Climate Standards call for.

SPEAKERS:

Mark Cross, Director: ACC; Chair: ACC Investment Committee; Chorus. Director: Xero.

Jonathan Mason, Independent Director, Air New Zealand, Vector Limited; Westpac New Zealand Ltd; Zespri Group Ltd.

Linda Robertson, Director: Alpine Energy; NZ Local Government Funding Agency; NETcon; Horizon Energy Group; Kordia Group; Invercargill City Holdings; SBS Bank; Chair: Crown Irrigation Investments; Central Lakes Trust

Louise Tong, Director: Infratil

Miranda James, Head of ESG: ANZ; Chair: NZ Bankers Association

Nic Bishop, Head of Sustainability & Environmental Innovation: FPH Care

MODERATOR:

Erica Miles, Director: West Nine Consulting