Government urges all data centres to use renewable energy

In a major effort to align with New Zealand's ambitious climate goals, the Government is calling on all data centres to adopt renewable energy sources.

Technology Minister Hon Judith Collins KC and Climate Change Minister Hon Simon Watts have both shared their insights with TechDay on the significance of this move, emphasising benefits for the country's environmental and economic future moving forward.

"Data centre providers make their own decisions about their approach to energy sources," Collins said.

"I endorse public cloud data centre providers making choices that support the Government's goals of increasing the percentage of energy consumption coming from renewable sources, and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions."

Collins highlighted the important role of public cloud services in achieving the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and New Zealand's Net Zero 2050 goal.

"If done well, public cloud offers the potential to help with the emission-reduction aims," she expressed.

To further encourage sustainable practices, the Government Chief Digital Office (GCDO) has now developed guidelines around sustainability when choosing public cloud services.

"The Government Chief Digital Office offers the following guidance around sustainability when choosing public cloud services."

A new certification process has also been introduced to ensure public cloud data centres adhere to local security requirements.

"The GCDO has worked with intelligence agencies to establish a new Public Cloud Data Centre Certification process to certify applicable cloud facilities operating locally to New Zealand Protective Security Requirements (PSR)," Collins added.

While the certification process remains optional, Collins expressed hope that all relevant data centres will seek certification.

"This process gives agencies confidence that the Public Cloud Data Centres (PCDC) they use meet their PSR obligations; and that ownership, control, and supply chain risks will be reduced."

Investment in local data centres is also encouraged, though the decision ultimately lies with the providers. Collins noted, "My officials regularly meet with a range of representatives from across the technology industry and we welcome investments that support the economy, but ultimately the decision to build data centres in New Zealand is up to providers."

Hon Simon Watts also reiterated the Government's commitment to achieving New Zealand's climate goals.

"The Government is committed to meeting New Zealand's climate change targets, including net zero by 2050," he stated. Watts added that the commitment is reflected in the Ministry for the Environment's annual projections on the country's progress towards emissions targets.

He acknowledged the previous Government's shortcomings in climate action.

"The previous Labour Government often claims they are better when it comes to climate action, but that is not true," he said. "We didn't inherit a viable plan or the reductions in emissions we need to meet our international targets."

He emphasised the coalition Government's dedication to climate resilience and low-emissions investment. "The coalition Government is committed to meeting New Zealand's climate change targets and emission budgets and will responsibly invest into supporting New Zealand's transition to a low-emissions and climate resilient future."

In a bid to engage the public, Watts has announced plans for a consultation on the Emissions Reduction Plan.

"We will shortly consult with New Zealanders on our Emissions Reduction Plan, which will outline how we plan to meet our emission reduction budgets for the years 2026 to 2030."

The final Emissions Reduction Plan, set to be published by the end of the year, marks a crucial step towards New Zealand's net zero target.

"It will be a critical milestone for New Zealand to meet our net zero by 2050 target," Watts stressed.