This order, which comes into force on the 28th day after the date of its notification in the Gazette, amends the Climate Change (General Exemptions) Order 2009 (the principal order). It inserts new clause 18, which provides a person with an exemption from being a participant in respect of the activity of deforesting to the extent that it complies with a heritage covenant or an authority. The order is made under section 60 of the Climate Change Response Act 2002, which sets out the prerequisites for making the order.

The relevant deforesting of pre-1990 forest land or pre-1990 offsetting forest land may be done to comply with a heritage covenant entered into under section 39 of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, an authority granted under section 48, or an emergency authority granted under section 62. The heritage covenant or authority is required to specify the land it relates to, taking into account best practice forest management, and contain geospatial information identifying the relevant area in accordance with the Geospatial Mapping Information Standard.