how to open an account for a new account holder in the
TRANSCRIPT
epa.govt.nz/ETS [email protected] 1
How to open an account for a new Account Holder in the Emissions Trading Scheme
February 2019
When you join the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), you must be set up in the Emissions
Trading Register as an Account Holder with at least one account. You can do this for yourself, or you could be setting this up for someone else. This step-by-step guide shows you how.
About the Register
The Emissions Trading Register (the Register) is the national registry for tracking Emission Units in New Zealand’s
Emissions Trading Scheme. An emission unit represents one metric tonne of carbon dioxide released into, or
captured, from the atmosphere – or the equivalent of any other greenhouse gas covered by the scheme.
To join the Emissions Trading Scheme, you need to set up an account in the Register. The Register acts like a
bank but it holds the emission units instead of money. The Register also holds the tools and forms to help
participants in the Emissions Trading Scheme meet their legal requirements.
How this guide can help you
This guide is for people opening a new account for people, organisations or groups who are not currently Account
Holders, for themselves or on behalf of someone else. We will show you how to:
Create a new Account Holder
Open their first account in the Register
Allocate roles to trusted people, if other people will be managing the account
Nominate people to prepare annual Emission Returns for the Account Holder, if needed
Need help with something else? See our guides on related topics
For all of our guides and factsheets about participating in the Emissions Trading Scheme and using the Register,
see the Guidance about the Register link on the login page of the Register: www.emissionsregister.govt.nz
Note: This guide is for opening an account for a new account holder. If you need help opening an account for a
person or organisation who is already a member of an existing Account Holder, please contact us (our contact
details are at the end of this guide).
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Overview
Log in/sign up
to Register
Open account for new
Account Holder
Introduction
Account Holder Details
Account Holder Users
Account Details
Authorised Persons
You will be giving us details
and also setting up how the
account will be managed.
You will be taken through a
number of screens in the
Register for adding the
information. On each screen
you will enter your information
before clicking ‘Next’ to go to
the next screen.
You can stop and save at any
stage by click ‘Save’ and ‘Exit’,
and come back to it later.
Activities
Additional information
Submit
Account Holder Declaration
Sign in and tell us about the
new Account Holder
Step 1
Nominate people to look
after the account, and give
your account a name
Step 2
The name of the page you will see
in the Register
Add information about your
greenhouse gas activities
(if applicable) and upload any
supporting documents
Step 3 (if applicable)
Verify your information and upload
a signed declaration form (needed for
legal purposes)
Step 4
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Information to gather before you begin
Make sure you understand how the Account Holder is participating in the ETS, and which activities
they are registering for.
See our factsheet: Different ways to join New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme
Account Holders can be made up of one or more people, one or more different types of organisations,
or one or more people and organisations.
For an explanation, see our factsheet: Who can be an Account Holder in the Emissions Trading Register
Make sure that you have the correct details for the individual(s) and/or organisation(s) making
up the Account Holder.
If the Account Holder includes one or more person, you will need either: a scanned copy of their drivers
licence or passport, or if they have a New Zealand drivers licence or passport, we can accept the details
without a scanned copy (see table 1 for what you will need).
Ask the individual(s) and/or organisation(s) making up the new Account Holder whether they are already in
the Register as existing Account Holders. If they are, contact us, as you will need to follow a slightly
different process to set up the account. Our contact details are at the end of this guide.
The Account Holder can either manage the account themselves, or they can delegate the work to others
by allocating people to particular roles that look after aspects of the account. Make sure you have
discussed how the account will be managed, and discuss this with the people who will be managing the
account.
If you wish to appoint people to any roles for the new account, they will need to be registered as a User
and you will need their individual ‘invite code’1.
If you need to register as a User of the Register, follow the prompts on the website:
www.emissionsregister.govt.nz. You will need to do this before you can set up the Account Holder.
If the Account Holder is a Participant in the ETS who will be reporting on emissions or removals of
greenhouse gases for their business activities, you will be asked for information about the type of
activity and when it started. Have these details handy.
Make sure the Account Holder meets the requirements for account holders set out in New Zealand law2.
1 The invite code is like an identification number for each Register user. They can find their invite code by signing into the Register. On the home page, open ‘My details’ and the invite code is located under system details. 2 See section 3 in the Climate Change (Unit Register) Regulations 2008, which gives a definition of a ‘qualified person’ as an Account Holder
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Table 1 – the information we need if you are entering details of a New Zealand driving licence or passport without
sending us a scan of the document
Drivers licence Passport
Licence number
Version number
Expiry date
Date of birth
Passport number
Expiry date
Date of birth
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Step 1 Sign in and tell us about the Account Holder
Step 1a Sign up, log in and start the process
Register if necessary3 and log into the Emissions Trading Register: www.emissionsregister.govt.nz
From your Home page (the first page that opens after you sign in), click ‘Open account for new Account
Holder’ which is in the list on the left hand side screen. You will be taken to the screen below.
Use the drop down menu ‘Application type’ to select: ‘ Open account for new Account Holder’.
Once you have selected, a button ‘Start application’ will appear. Click this button to continue.
3 To register, open the New Zealand Emissions Trading Register in your browser (www.emissionsregister.govt.nz) and use your Realme details to log in and sign up as a new user. If you do not a RealMe login, you will be prompted to create one.
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Step 1b Tell us how the Account Holder is participating
On the left-hand side of the Introduction page (below), you can see the steps that you will follow to set up the
Account Holder and their account. The Navigation buttons are on the right, repeated at the top and the bottom of
the page. At each step, you have the option to print the page, save it so you can continue later, exit completely or
go to the next step.
On the Introduction page, enter: ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the options that apply to the Account Holder (see table below).
It is fine to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for more than one option, if they apply.
If the Account Holder will be reporting forestry activities under the ETS, contact the Ministry for Primary
Industries once the new Account Holder and account has been approved and opened. You will need to give
them your account number. (Freephone: 0800 CLIMATE (0800 254 628), choose option 3)
Click ‘Next’ to move to the next step
How the Account Holder is Participating in the ETS Action
A Participant involved in forestry activities, and will be reporting
greenhouse gas emissions or removals from forestry activities
Select ‘Yes’ for “I am registering forest land…”
Contact the Ministry for Primary Industries once the
account is set up. Select ‘No’ if you have no forest land.
Non-forestry participants – whether mandatory or voluntary,
reporting on non-forestry activities
Select ‘Yes’ for “I am registering as a participant for any
other (non-forestry) activity…”. Select ‘No’ if you are not
registering to report a non-forestry emissions or
removals activity.
Investors or brokers
Receivers of Industrial Allocations of Units
Select ‘Yes for “I only want to open an account. I am
not registering as a participant…”
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Step 1c Tell us about the Account Holder
In this step, you will be telling us which type of Account Holder you are creating and will be giving us more
information about them.
Use the dropdown menu: ‘Account Holder type’ to tell us which type of Account Holder you are creating.
For more about different types of Account Holder and how they relate to the options in the dropdown list on
this screen, see our factsheet: Who can be an Account Holder in the Emissions Trading Register
Once you have selected from the dropdown menu, the page will refresh and you will be asked for more details
about the Account Holder (next step).
The next three sections show what you need to do if you are creating an Account Holder consisting of:
one person (an Individual Account Holder) – go to section (a) on the next page
one company or limited partnership – go to section (b)
more than one person or organisation, or a combination of both – go to section (c)
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(a) To enter the details for an Individual Account Holder
Read this section if you selected ‘Individual’ as the Account Holder type. This means the Account Holder will be
one person (18 years and older).
Enter the Account Holder’s first, middle and last names (their full legal name) and their phone number.
Click ‘Find Account Holder’.
What happens next
If the person is not registered in the
Emissions Trading Register
You will be prompted for more details. You will be asked to verify their identity
(their passport or drivers licence) and to enter their contact details.
Click ‘Next’ to be taken to the step ‘Account Holder Users’ (step 2 of this guide).
If the person is in the Register and
their details match the details you
have entered
Select ‘Exit’ and ‘Discard changes’ to cancel this application. Restart on the page
‘Open account with new Account Holder’. Select ‘Open account for existing
member of a group’.
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(b) To enter the details for a company or limited partnership
Read this section if you selected one of these as the Account Holder type:
NZ registered company Limited partnership
Australian registered company Incorporated society or incorporated trust
(including incorporated Māori trusts) Overseas company registered in New Zealand
Co-operative company Other body corporate
You will be prompted to enter the organisation’s name and registration number. These should be entered as
they appear in the New Zealand Companies register, or equivalent; please do not use abbreviations.
Click ‘Find Account Holder’.
What happens next
If the organisation is not already in the
Register as an Account Holder
You will be prompted for the address.
Click ‘Next’ to be taken to next step ‘Account Holder Users’ (step 2 of
this guide).
If the company already exists in the
Register
Select ‘Exit’ and ‘Discard changes’ to cancel this application. Restart on the page
‘Open account with new Account Holder’. Select ‘Open account for existing
member of a group’.
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(c) To enter the details for an Account Holder of more than one person or organisation
Sometimes, the Account Holder is made up of a group – this could be a group of more than one person or
organisation, or a mixture of individuals and organisations. Read this section if you selected one of these as the
Account Holder type:
o Joint Account Holder
o Trust
o Partnership
o Consolidated group - if you are thinking about setting up an Account Holder as a consolidated group of
organisations, please contact us, as we do not include the steps for consolidated groups in this guide
Once the Account Holder type is selected, the page will refresh and prompt you to enter the Account Holder details
for entities (companies) and individuals (people). The layout of the form is the same whether the Account Holder is
a Joint Account Holder, Trust or Partnership (screenshot below).
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What happens next
If you would like to add
companies, limited
partnerships or similar
organisations (such as
charitable trusts) to the
group
Click on the ‘Add Entity Account Holder’ and follow the prompts. You will be taken to another screen and given a dropdown menu to choose the type of company that you want to add, and a form will appear where you can enter the organisation’s name and its registration number. Then click ‘Find Account Holder’. If the organisation is already in the Register, the address details will appear automatically. If not, you will be prompted to enter the details.
Click ‘Add’ to enter more organisations. Click on ‘Add and Close’ to return to the ‘Account Holder Details’ page, which will now include the details of the organisations you have just added.
Use the ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ buttons to change details or to remove organisations.
If you would like to add
people to the group
Click on ‘Add Individual’ and you will be taken to a page similar to the form in step 3a. Note, you cannot save this page without completing the ‘Identity verification’ section. Make sure you have the details of the driver’s licence or passport for each person. Enter the account holder’s name and phone number and click ‘Find account holder’. If the person is already registered, the details will appear automatically, otherwise you will be prompted to enter their details.
Click ‘Add’ to enter more people. Click on ‘Add and Close’ to return to the ‘Account Holder Details’ page, which will now include the details of the people you have just added.
Use the ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ buttons to change details or to remove people.
Once you have finished adding organisations and individuals to the Account Holder, click ‘Next’ to be taken
to next step Account Holder Users (step 2 of this guide).
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Step 2 Nominate people to look after the account
Step 2a Nominate an Account Holder User (optional4)
The Account Holder Users screen will let you nominate someone as an Account Holder User. The name of this role
sounds similar to the Account Holder above, but it is different. An Account Holder User is one of the Account
Holders (either a person, or a Director or equivalent if the Account Holder is an organisation) who wants to have
access to the account themselves.
Even if you are one of the group that makes up the Account Holder, this doesn’t automatically give you access to
the account, and this is why an Account Holder User is nominated. Account Holder Users can operate every
aspect of the account and can input changes on behalf of the whole Account Holder group (if it consists of more
than one party).
To nominate an Account Holder User, click the blue button: ‘Add Account Holder User’ (as below).
4 If you do not want to nominate an Account Holder User, you do not need to complete this step. Click ‘Next’ and go to step 2b of this guide.
Note: when changes on behalf of the whole Account Holder group are made and they need a signed
declaration form to be uploaded, Account Holder Users can only sign on behalf of themselves. If there are other
parties in the Account Holder group, they cannot sign on behalf of other people or organisations.
Note: You can choose more than one Account Holder User if you have more than one person or organisation
in your Account Holder group.
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You will be taken to a new screen: Add Account Holder Users and prompted to add: ‘me’ or ‘someone else’
(screenshot below).
o If you choose ‘me’, click ‘the ‘Add me’ button and your details will be automatically added.
o If you choose ‘someone else’, you will be asked for their invite1 code. Enter the code, click the
‘Find user’ button, and their details will be added automatically.
You will also be asked to verify your or the person’s identity by providing your/their drivers licence or passport
details. Make sure they are linked to the correct member of the Account Holder group, using the dropdown
menu. Click ‘Add and Close’ to return to the Account Holder Users screen.
Once back on the Account Holder Users screen, use the ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ buttons to make any changes.
If you have finished assigning Account Holder Users, click ‘Next’ to be taken to next step Account details.
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Step 2b Choose an account name and Account Operators
The Account details screen lets you give your account a name, so that it is easy to identify.
Enter the name in the ‘Account name’ box; this needs to allow the people managing the Account Holder to
easily identify them.
You will also be given the option to appoint Account Operators. Account Operators can perform most administrative
parts of operating the account. They cannot complete annual emissions returns (if applicable) or sign declarations
on behalf of the people or organisations in the Account Holder.
If you have already chosen someone as an Account Holder User, you don’t have to appoint an Account Operator. If
this is the case, click ‘Next’ to progress to the next step. You can appoint an Account Operator as well as an
Account Holder User; you may choose to do this to ensure there is someone to cover the times when the Account
Holder User is not available.
Use the dropdown menu ‘Role type’ to choose whether the Account Operator is a ‘full’ or ‘split’ role5.
You will be taken to a second screen Add Account Operators and give the choice to add yourself or someone
else.
5 A ‘full’ role means that one person completes a whole task involving emission units (transactions, surrendering units, or repaying the Register; see our separate guidance about these tasks). A ‘split’ role means that two different people complete the task: one person prepares and inputs information and a second person approves it. These options allow administrative tasks in the Register to be allocated to junior/senior staff, for example, or to include double-checking or security steps. Additional people can be added later as a ‘viewer’, meaning they have read-only access.
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Click on ‘Me’ or ‘Someone else’, add their invite code1 and press the blue button (Add me/Find user) to
automatically fill out the full name and contact details in the form (screenshot below).
Then select the role type from the dropdown menu.
Click ‘Add’ to enter more people. Click on ‘Add and Close’ to return to the ‘Account Details’ page, which will
now include the details of the people you have just added. If you click ‘Close’, you will lose any changes.
Use the ‘Edit’ and ‘Delete’ buttons to make any changes.
If you have finished adding Account Operators, click ‘next’ to be taken to next step: Authorised Persons.
Step 2c Tell us about other people who will manage your account
An Authorised Person is someone who has authority to sign declarations on the Account Holder’s behalf. Signed
declarations from the Account Holder are sometimes needed by law when you change aspects of the account, for
example. If many parties make up a single Account Holder, it can take time to collect all of their signatures on the
declaration. An Authorised Person can sign once for all of the parties making up the Account Holder. Appointing an
Authorised Person is optional.
Enter the name(s) and details of the Authorised Person.
You can also assign a Power of Attorney6, if applicable. You will be prompted to let us know which person
or organisation in the Account Holder that this Power of Attorney is acting for.
Click ‘Next’ once this section is completed.
6 You will need to upload appropriate legal documentation for this
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Step 3 Activities and uploading information
Step 3a Tell us about your greenhouse gas activities (if applicable)
If you selected that you will be a “non-forestry participant in the Emissions Trading Scheme in Step 1b (i.e. involved
in activities other than forestry), you will need to tell us about your greenhouse gas emission and removal activities.
You will be taken to a page called Activities (screenshot below) to do this. If you are a forestry participant, a trader
or an organisation receiving Industrial Allocations, you will not see this page and will be taken to a page called
Additional Information (see step 3b).
Click the ‘Add Activity’ button. A new Add activities page will appear (not pictured). Choose which sector the
emissions relate to from the dropdown list and click ‘Load activities’. Choose the type of activity from the
dropdown list, enter the start date, and click ‘Add & close’ to save it. If you are unsure about this, please
contact us.
Repeat this for every activity you need to report.
You can add ETS Reporters by choosing from the “Role type” dropdown menu at the end of the Activities
page (see footnote 4). If you have chosen someone to be an Account Holder User, this step is optional. ETS
Reporters can prepare annual emission returns, operate most of the account, and if authorised as an
Approver, they can approve Returns (noting that the Account Holder remains legally responsible). The steps
for appointing ETS Reporters are similar to those for appointing Account Operators above. See our guide:
How to manage ETS Reporters in the Emissions Trading Register for more information.
Once you have finished entering activities and ETS Reporters, click ‘Next’.
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Step 3b Additional information and submitting
You have nearly finished setting up the new Account Holder. Just a few more steps left to complete.
On the next page (see below), you can upload other information, such as trust deeds if the Account Holder is
a trust, and you are welcome to upload any other relevant information. Click ‘Next’ when you have finished
doing this and you will be taken to the Submission page (see next section).
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Step 4 Submit the application and upload a signed declaration
Step 4a Submit the application
Once on the Submission page, you can choose to click ‘Validate’ to check there are no issues (this is
optional).
If there are issues, you will be asked to provide more information. Add the information, and keep clicking
‘Next’ through the screens until you get back to the Submission page.
Click ‘Submit’ and then ‘Ok’.
Step 4b Where to find the Account Holder declaration
When you submit your application successfully, the Open account for new Account Holder screen should
appear:
Look out for the link shown in the screen above (by the arrow). Don’t worry if you can’t see it straight away. It
can take up to 5 minutes to appear. Keep refreshing your browser screen by pressing the ‘F5’ key on your
keyboard.
Note: Before we, the EPA, can process your application to open an account for the new Account Holder, you
must upload a fully-signed declaration form. It must be signed by all parties that make up the Account Holder.
This is a legal requirement.
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When the link appears, click on it. Two things will happen:
1 At the bottom of your screen, you will be prompted to save or open the declaration (as below) – this is the
declaration that needs to be signed. Print the whole document out, ready for signing.
Arrange for all of the members of the Account Holder to sign the declaration.
If there are many people or organisations in the Account Holder, they can sign separate copies of the
declaration, as long as everyone has signed.
All pages of the fully-signed declaration/s should be scanned and uploaded into the Register, using the
‘Upload declaration’ button (as below).
2 At the same time, two blue buttons will appear on the screen (as below).
Click ‘Upload declaration’ button when you are ready to upload the signed and scanned copy/copies of the
Account Holder declaration7.
7 You can still choose to edit the details at this point (by choosing ‘Edit application’) but please be aware that you will need to download a new version of your Account Holder Declaration for signing (reflecting all edits).
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Step 4c Upload the Account Holder declaration
You may have logged out of the Register after you downloaded the declaration form, and while it was being signed.
To navigate back to the right place to upload the signed declaration form:
Log into the Register (this must be the same person that entered all of the details for the Account Holder and
account). You will either:
o be taken straight to the My tasks page (below) if your log in is only linked to one Account Holder, or
o you will see the name of the new Account Holder in the right-hand box on your screen (not shown), if
your login is linked to more than one Account Holder. Click on the account name, and the My tasks page
will display.
Click on the link ‘Open account for new Account Holder’ and the page below will appear. Click on the link
‘Account Holder declaration (PDF …KB).
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The two blue buttons will appear again (see below).
When you click ‘upload declaration’ you will be taken to the Declarations page and then click ‘Add
declaration’.
Ensure all the people/organisations in the Account Holder that have signed the declaration you are uploading
are showing, then click ‘Attach’ to upload your document (screen below).
Click on the ‘Browse’ button that appears to find the scan you would like to upload (file must be saved in
PDF format and smaller than 20 MB). Click ‘Ok’ to confirm that you want to upload it. Indicate whether
anyone is signing as a power of attorney and Click ‘Add’ to completely upload the document.
The view will change to show your uploaded file and the chance to view or delete it.
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If you wish to add more documents (if more than one copy of the declaration was signed), do this by clicking
‘Add’ and again select all the people or organisation in the Account Holder that have signed the declaration
you are uploading at the time.
Selecting ‘Add & Close’ when you have finished uploading the declaration/s and you will return to the Open
Account for new Account Holder screen.
In the menu on the left-hand side of the screen, click ‘Submission’. (Otherwise, you can get to the same
place by clicking ‘Next’ through several screens until you reach the Submission page.) Click on ‘Submit. This
will send the application and the signed declaration/s to us at the EPA for review.
You will know you have done this correctly, if you see that the status on the Open account for new Account
Holder screen has changed to ‘EPA Review’, and a link to your uploaded, signed declaration will appear, as
shown below.
Note: you may need to upload a declaration again in future, for example when you are making changes to
the account/account holder like updating details or assigning new people to roles that look after the account.
The process for uploading declarations depends on the role of the person in that account.
We give more information about this in our separate guide: Uploading declarations into the Register
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Our review and confirmation that the details are updated Once you upload your signed declaration, we will check your application details and the declaration. We have
to do this by law.
We will confirm when the new Account Holder is established in the Register, once the declaration is reviewed.
This email will be sent to all of the people linked to the new account (all assigned roles: Account Holder User,
Account Operators, ETS Reporters etc).
Your account is then open and ready to use.
For more information
Email us:
General enquiries: [email protected]
ETS participants: [email protected]
Industrial allocations: [email protected]
Call us:
Freephone (within New Zealand): 0800 CLIMATE (0800 254 628)
Phone from overseas: +64 3 962 2708
For a link to related guides, see: www.emissionsregister.govt.nz
For more information, see our website: www.epa.govt.nz/ETS
Disclaimer: All reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this publication is
accurate, up to date, and otherwise adequate in all respects. Nevertheless, this information is made available
strictly on the basis that the Environmental Protection Authority disclaims any and all responsibility for any
inaccuracy, error, omission, lateness, deficiency or flaw in, or in relation to, the information; and fully excludes
any and all liability of any kind to any person or entity that chooses to rely upon the information.