Carbon auditing as a career
We have assembled some information on carbon auditing careers in New Zealand.
Market growth
It is great to see more people considering carbon auditing as a career.
The current GHG auditing market in New Zealand is predominantly voluntary and sits with Toitū Envirocare as part of their certification programme and then the large accounting firms (mainly Deloitte). The voluntary market is estimated at less than 1,000 businesses but should steadily grow over the next decade. The Carbon Neutral Government Programme (CNGP) has been introduced for government agencies. The CNGP is a compliance programme with mandatory measurement, reporting, reduction plan and verification for 126 agencies. In 2024, assurance will commence for GHG emissions disclosed under the Aotearoa New Zealand Climate Standards.
Training opportunities
If you have no experience in GHG reporting to ISO 14064-1:2018/GHG Protocol or in verification audits to ISO 14064-3:2019, completing training in these areas is a good place to start. Carbon and Energy Professionals NZ (CEP) offers a two-day training course on preparing a carbon inventory. Once you have completed this course (or an equivalent), you can then complete the GHG Carbon Auditor course again in two days. CEP has a Certified Carbon Auditor qualification as well for those who are eligible.
Getting experience after completing the course isn’t easy, and the current options include employment or a contractor relationship with Toitū Envirocare or employment within an accounting firm.
There is a big gap between completing training and being ready to conduct an audit. At McHugh & Shaw, we look for transferrable skills such as previous management system auditing, financial auditing and compliance auditing experience. To be a successful auditor, you need a curious mind and an eye for detail.
Try to get experience reviewing or conducting quality assurance on large data sets. Many voluntary reporters use an Excel spreadsheet for calculations, so it is important to be confident using spreadsheets (Intermediate Level). Rechecking and cross-checking calculations is a key skill, so be familiar with conversion factors (energy and waste) and the IPCC Global Warming Potentials.
GHG auditor vs. consultant
Before embarking on an auditing career, consider that being a GHG auditor is a good fit for you vs. being a GHG consultant (creating inventories and reduction plans). There is currently more work available in GHG consultancy than auditing, as that is the maturity of the market. It is advised to be a GHG consultant for a few years before moving into auditing. The good news is that the industry needs more GHG auditors, so we expect to see more entry-level positions available that provide good on-the-job training.
Where to next
The main consulting firms completing GHG inventories and reduction plans include Beca, AECOM, Tadpole, Think-step anz, Edge, Lumen, DETA and Tonkin & Taylor. The certification programmes Toitū Envirocare and EKOS provide excellent support packages to clients from data collection, measurement, and verification through to certification.
Overall, carbon auditing is a rewarding career. It provides the opportunity to travel and meet some fantastic people working in organisations making a difference.
If you are interested in finding out more about the opportunities to be a carbon auditor in New Zealand contact us at:
Last updated July 2023