Business backs multi-party pact on ETS

Business opinion favours a multi-party agreement on an emissions trading scheme, according to a poll commissioned by the Business Council of Sustainable Development.

The poll of 482 business decision-makers was undertaken by ShapeNZ and follows an offer by Labour to work with the Government on a modified scheme rather than see it become captive to the Act Party on the issue.

A spokesman for Climate Change Minister Nick Smith said he was open to building consensus on how best to tackle climate change, as the issue was one which would far exceed the life of any government.

The Business Council survey conducted over the weekend found 48 per cent of business respondents favoured a multi-party deal, 17 per cent opposed one, 20 per cent were neutral and 11 per cent did not know. It has a margin of error of 4.5 per cent.

Some 50 per cent agreed it was important an agreement was reached quickly, say in the next six months, while 37 per cent did not.

Business Council chief executive Peter Neilson said an agreement between the major parties would stop the tails from wagging the dogs.

"I think there's a majority in the House for having an ETS with some safeguards of businesses exposed to competitiveness-at-risk issues - basically what was passed late last year but with National's objections incorporated. It's probably neither the Greens' position nor Act's.

"What [the poll] is saying is: 'We want it fixed and we don't care who does it and we want it stable'."