New Zealand: Politics
Politicians need to lead on climate: Carr
Tue 30 Jun 2026
As the election campaign heats up, former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr has a list of actions he's hoping to see from our aspiring leaders, which includes confronting climate denial as well as refusing funds or policy advice from vested interests.
Govt trims environmental reporting schedule
Tue 30 Jun 2026
The Government has introduced legislation to reduce the frequency of national environmental reporting, in a reform whose own regulatory impact statement only partially met quality assurance standards.
No prosperous future for NZ built on fossil fuels – Hipkins
Mon 29 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour leader Chris Hipkins says New Zealand has "no prosperous future" built on fossil fuels, arguing a shift to renewable energy is essential for the country's economic and environmental future.
Labour won't scrap RMA replacement laws: Hipkins
Fri 26 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins says New Zealand needs to move beyond the "repeal and replace" approach to resource management, confirming the party would amend rather than scrap the Government's RMA reforms, if elected.
'Not enough': Pressure mounts to scrap conservation bill despite Potaka retreat
Fri 26 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Conservation Minister Tama Potaka's walkback of a proposal to allow the sale of public conservation land has failed to quell opposition, with environmental groups and the Green Party saying the Conservation Amendment Bill should be scrapped entirely.
Green Party pledges to protect public conservation land
Thu 25 Jun 2026
The Green Party is promising to scrap the Government's current conservation reforms and start again with a process focused on protecting conservation land and wildlife for future generations, if elected.
Forestry at heart of ETS problems – commissioner
24 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Forestry is a central driver of growing problems within New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton told the Environment Select Committee during Parliamentary Scrutiny Week.
Scrutiny week reveals unresolved trade-offs
24 Jun 2026
Last week's select committee scrutiny hearings showed how far the Government's energy and environment agenda has moved from target-setting to implementation. They also showed how many unresolved trade-offs now sit beneath that shift.
Carbon auction failures show ETS working, Watts says
23 Jun 2026
Failed government carbon auctions show the emissions trading scheme is working as intended rather than broken, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.
UN intervention could become election focus
22 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | A United Nations recommendation that the Government should change course on a proposed climate law change could become an election issue if it eventuates, according to a legal expert.
Govt climate claims don't match reality, lawyers say
17 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has accused the Government of presenting an overly positive picture of New Zealand's climate progress at the United Nations climate summit in Bonn, arguing key claims on emissions reductions and support for the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal are not reflected in domestic policy.
Climate change minister tight-lipped on ACT climate policy
16 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is keeping his cards close to his chest about the ACT Party’s election campaign pledge last week that it would resubmit New Zealand’s Paris Agreement target.
Call for wider investigation into private back-channel emails in PM’s office
9 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a full investigation into the use of private email in the Prime Minister's Office, as the scandal following a missing Fonterra and Z Energy climate policy briefing document drags on.
Oxfam calls on Govt to renew climate finance commitments
8 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government's failure to renew international climate finance commitments has left Pacific nations short at least $100 million a year, with Oxfam Aotearoa linking the funding gap to New Zealand's weakened Emissions Trading Scheme.
Willis touting mysterious ‘new approaches’ to meet Paris Agreement
2 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | Finance Minister Nicola Willis has again said that New Zealand is unlikely to buy significant offshore mitigation to meet the country’s international climate targets.
‘Shameful’ move to scrap Ministry for the Environment passes
28 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The curtain has fallen on the Ministry for the Environment after legislation paving the way for its merger into a new mega ministry passed its third reading in Parliament yesterday, with the opposition condemning the move as a major weakening of environmental protection and nature’s voice within government.
ETS auction failures created $1.4b fiscal hole – Greens
27 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hit back at the Green Party's claim that the repeated failure of New Zealand’s carbon auctions has added a $1.4 billion 'fiscal hole', with Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick blaming the Government for undermining the ETS.
Greens bill to ban mining on conservation land drawn from ballot
26 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A Greens member’s bill seeking to ban new mining, prospecting and exploration on conservation land has been drawn from Parliament’s ballot, with the party saying the proposed law would close a loophole allowing mining on land set aside for environmental protection.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
Labour condemns Govt plan to stop climate litigation
15 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Labour Party has slammed the Government’s move to block climate lawsuits against big emitters but won’t say if they would repeal the legislation if elected in November.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
13 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
Peters backs rail over road as Govt weighs heavier trucks
29 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Winston Peters has broken ranks with the Government over proposed changes to heavy vehicle rules, saying rail – not bigger trucks – is the answer to New Zealand’s fuel pressures as the Coalition considers easing weight limits to reduce freight costs.
Minister signals hands-off approach to emissions policy
29 Apr 2026
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts used last week's estimates debate to set out the Government's approach to emissions reduction, attributing New Zealand's lowest recorded emissions since 1998 in 2024 not to government policy but to the behaviour of households and businesses.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
23 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Pacific Islands nations have launched a landmark declaration for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, however New Zealand isn’t rushing to join the call.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
How much is climate misinformation shaping NZ Govt policy?
16 Apr 2026
COMMENT: While an inquiry into climate misinformation is sounding alarm bells about fossil fuel propaganda and its threat to the very foundations of society across the Tasman, we’re even more vulnerable to misinformation and unseen influence here in Aotearoa, writes Matt Halliday.
Brownlee meets China’s top legislator on green cooperation
16 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives Gerry Brownlee was at talks with China’s top legislator Zhao Leji in Beijing this week, with both sides signalling interest in expanding cooperation in green development, climate policy and emerging technologies.
Environment ministry straining under pressure of reforms and potential disestablishment
15 Apr 2026
The ministry responsible for New Zealand’s most significant resource management reform in a generation is doing so under institutional strain, compressed timeframes, and an uncertain future – including its own potential disestablishment.
Govt tweaks consenting rules for EV chargers
10 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has announced a national reset of planning rules for EV chargers, which it says aim to address infrastructure shortages which have put the brakes on electric vehicle uptake in New Zealand.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial year.
WWF boss joins Opportunity Party with centrist climate pitch
26 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Opportunity Party has unveiled its first slate of candidates ahead of November's election, including World Wildlife Fund Aotearoa chief executive Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, as the party positions itself as a 'centrist environmental force' ahead of the election.
Govt’s relief package risks entrenching fossil fuel dependence, critics warn
25 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s $373 million fuel relief package is facing criticism for propping up petrol use rather than reducing demand, as prices surge and some experts predict fuel shortages due to conflict in the Middle East.
Disestablishing Environment Ministry 'too risky', say environmental advocates
18 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government's plan to fold the Ministry for the Environment into a 'mega ministry' is fraught with risk, according to separate submissions from the Environmental Defence Society, Forest & Bird and Environment Network Manawatū.
Govt challenged in the High Court over climate plans
16 Mar 2026
A landmark case starts today that will see Climate Change Minister Simon Watts taken to the High Court over claims the Government’s climate plans are unlawful.
Climate Commission called to Waitangi inquiry over alleged breaches
10 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is being called to front up to the Waitangi Tribunal and give evidence over alleged legal breaches of its obligations to Māori.
Wellington climate spending targeted in council cost-cutting plan
10 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Wellington City Council is considering cutting $1.65 million from its climate budget as part of a cost-saving plan aimed at reducing projected rates increases, a move Green MP Tamatha Paul warns could undermine the capital’s progress on emissions reductions.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Hipkins rejects LNG terminal, backs renewables
24 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour leader Chris Hipkins used his State of the Nation address to warn that worsening extreme weather and rising energy costs show climate change is no longer a distant threat.
Environmental groups boycott Bluegreens forum
24 Feb 2026
National’s Bluegreens forum in Wellington doubled as a small but telling election-year rehearsal: a bid to reclaim “moderate green” territory while parts of the environmental NGO ecosystem conspicuously stayed away.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
New climate ambassador appointed amid mounting scrutiny of Govt policy
19 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Climate Change Minister has appointed senior diplomat Stuart Calman as New Zealand’s new Climate Change Ambassador, as the Government's climate agenda faces growing criticism from environmental groups, renewable energy advocates and policy experts.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Climate ambassador moves on
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
Rushed resource management reform bills unworkable: Environmental Defence Society
11 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Environmental Defence Society says significant amendments are needed to the government’s Natural Environment and Planning Bills, warning the proposed reforms risk weakening environmental limits, public participation, and regulatory certainty.
Ministers celebrate fast-track milestone amid criticism
10 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government is marking the first anniversary of its fast-track approvals regime, saying it is helping “build New Zealand’s future”, despite continued criticism from environmental groups, opposition parties, and industry voices following several controversial project decisions.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
Fast-track panel rejects Taranaki seabed mining bid
9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A fast-track approvals panel has declined Trans-Tasman Resources’ proposal to mine the seabed in the South Taranaki Bight, finding credible risks to marine species and determining the project would breach obligations to Māori under the Fast-Track Approvals Act.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
A tale of two electricity systems as NZ and Australia roll out new cost-saving measures
Today 12:00pm
By Oli Lewis | New rules requiring electricity retailers to offer time-of-use pricing plans, where consumers can access lower-cost electricity at off-peak times, have come into effect.
Fed Farmers' election wish-list includes stopping whole-farm conversions to carbon forestry
9 Jun 2026
Federated Farmers has launched a five-point plan for the next government, setting out what it says should be a major focus for political parties heading into the November election.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Electric bus fleet coming as Go Bus loses Hawke’s Bay city routes to Tranzit
Today 12:00pm
By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter | Go Bus will be gone on the urban streets of Hawke’s Bay next year as a fleet of all-electric buses takes over the runs.
Govt opens first ETS forestry permit ballot
22 Jun 2026
Applications have opened for the first ballot under new ETS forestry rules, with up to 7,500 hectares of exotic forestry on marginal land on offer for landowners to register in the Emissions Trading Scheme in the first of two annual rounds, totalling up to 15,000ha a year.
NZ Taxonomy project scoops London Climate Week award
24 Jun 2026
The New Zealand Taxonomy project has scooped an innovation award at the International Climate Bonds awards in London this week.
