New Zealand: Politics
Carbon farmer questions forestry land facts
22 Aug 2019
The country’s largest carbon-farming company says there is more marginal land available for forestry than officials are telling the Government.
Big Business wants equality for carbon credits
20 Aug 2019
A think-tank representing some of the biggest companies operating in New Zealand wants international carbon credits to be treated the same as domestic emissions reductions.
WISE WORDS: Aim for 2040 and attack methane
19 Aug 2019
A consortium of experts is calling for New Zealand to be carbon-neutral by 2040 and a doubling of the Government’s methane reduction-target.
Schoolgirl sounds alarm as Pacific leaders scrap
16 Aug 2019
Pacific Islanders’ fears of the effects of climate change which occupied their leaders for 12 tense hours at the South Pacific Forum overnight were passionately voiced in Auckland this morning by a young Pasifika woman.
Government said no to official methane advice
15 Aug 2019
The Government went beyond officials’ advice in proposing cuts in methane emissions of up to 47 per cent, briefing papers show.
New waste action targets makers of goods
9 Aug 2019
Producers and users of electrical and electronic goods, farm chemicals and plastics, tyres, refrigerants and packaging could be about to become legally responsible for their disposal.
Beware of freeloaders, warns Enviro-Mark chief
8 Aug 2019
Without regulations requiring all businesses to cut greenhouse gas emissions, some New Zealand companies will freeload off the efforts of others, the country’s leading emissions auditor is warning.
SCOTT SIMPSON: We want a seat at the table
7 Aug 2019
National's new climate spokesperson says the party has moved a long way on climate change - and he's had a hand in it.
Maori could have environment case, says expert
6 Aug 2019
Maori could legitimately take the Crown to the Waitangi Tribunal if councils around the country don’t work with them on climate change, a leading environmental law expert says.
Government rules out carbon market agency
5 Aug 2019
The Government says it will not set up a new agency to set the volume of carbon credits in the market.
Farmers can't agree on workable methane targets
5 Aug 2019
The agriculture sector is split over how much to cut methane emissions – but it looks like none of its members agree with the Government.
Saving natives good business, says strategy report
5 Aug 2019
Protecting New Zealand’s native species and ecosystems against the ravages of climate change will be good for business.
It must be carrot and stick, says business lobbyist
2 Aug 2019
Christchurch Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns has a neat response for anyone suggesting he doesn’t understand the implications of the zero-carbon bill on the agricultural sector.
Kyoto units move confuses forest owners
1 Aug 2019
THE GOVERNMENT'S decision to cancel Kyoto units has left forest owners with more questions than answers.
Free credits, existing forests suffer in ETS changes
31 Jul 2019
Free carbon credits to trade-exposed heavy emitters are being phased out and forests registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme before 2019 will be barred from the new averaging accounting system, the Government has just announced.
Shaw poised to announce more ETS changes
31 Jul 2019
The Government is about to unveil more changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Scott Simpson National's new climate voice
31 Jul 2019
Coromandel MP Scott Simpson is the National Party’s new climate spokesperson.
Paris means we must halve many emissions
30 Jul 2019
New Zealand needs to more than halve emissions of most gases over the coming decade if it is to meet its Paris pledge, the Government says.
Stand over Kyoto units could cost us $500 million
29 Jul 2019
Refusing to use Kyoto units to meet New Zealand’s Paris climate promise could cost taxpayers half a billion dollars.
RMA overhaul could see planning role for gases
24 Jul 2019
The Government is opening the door to greenhouse gas being considering in planning applications.
Climate Change Commission deadline looms
24 Jul 2019
Nominations for members of the proposed Climate Change Commission close on Sunday.
Plastic waste is fuelling our climate problems
23 Jul 2019
New Zealand’s plastic problem is feeding its climate problem, the head of the Engineers for Social Responsibility is warning.
Easy on methane means hard on other gases
22 Jul 2019
New Zealand is facing a 41 per cent cut in emissions of most greenhouse gases by 2030 to meet its international promises.
Officials examine future of dodgy Russian credits
19 Jul 2019
Officials are calculating the number of dodgy carbon credits New Zealand used in meeting its emissions reduction target, raising the prospect that the country might yet make good on its actions.
ON YER BIKE: Exercise great way to cut emissions
19 Jul 2019
Getting New Zealanders out of their cars and on to their feet or bikes would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 194,000 tonnes a year, researchers say.
UN hears call for sustainability voice in Cabinet
18 Jul 2019
New Zealand should have a Cabinet minister responsible for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has been told.
Pay the farmers now, says bioenergy lobby
17 Jul 2019
The Bioenergy Association wants farmers who cut greenhouse gas emissions to be eligible for carbon credits now.
Farmers might get tradeable credits in ETS deal
16 Jul 2019
Farmers will face a price on emissions from 2025 at the latest, the Government says.
Government sticks with 100% renewables plan
16 Jul 2019
The Government is pushing ahead with plans to make New Zealand’s electricity generation 100 per cent renewable, despite advice from the Interim Climate Change Committee that it would be better to focus on electrifying the transport and industrial heat sectors.
Zero-carbon submitters back 1.5deg target
16 Jul 2019
Submitters on the zero-carbon bill support a target of limiting warming to 1.5deg being enshrined in legislation.
Labour Party pushes public to back carbon bill
15 Jul 2019
The Labour Party is building a campaign base to push through the zero-carbon legislation.
Global carbon markets long way off, says Shaw
12 Jul 2019
Functioning international carbon markets are a decade away – probably two, New Zealand’s climate minister says.
Farm methane doing most damage, say scientists
11 Jul 2019
Methane from farm animals in New Zealand is doing more damage to the climate than the combined impacts of all other greenhouse gases, a new analysis says.
Government moving to auction system - and soon
10 Jul 2019
The Government is gearing up to auction carbon units from the end of next year at the latest.
Local governments want climate rules in RMA
8 Jul 2019
Local authorities want to be able to take climate impacts into account when they are considering applications under the Resource Managements Act.
Grant to find answers to native trees questions
8 Jul 2019
The Government is putting $422,000 into finding better ways to grow native trees for forestry.
ZCB might not do the job, Government hears
5 Jul 2019
The zero-carbon bill might not fulfil New Zealand’s international obligations on climate change, the Government is being told.
ProdCom report urges Govt to support councils
4 Jul 2019
The Government is coming under increasing pressure to provide local councils with the skills and resources they need to deal with the impacts of climate change.
Why we can't ignore imported carbon emissions
3 Jul 2019
Greenhouse gases released in the production of imported goods used by New Zealanders are coming under the spotlight.
BETTER WORLD: There's a lot to do, says Govt
2 Jul 2019
New Zealand can increase wealth and jobs and protect the environment – but it’s going to take work, the Government says.
Touring by car ups emissions, says report
27 Jun 2019
Domestic and international tourists driving cars are pushing up New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, counteracting a small drop in emissions from industry.
Government buying power goes green
27 Jun 2019
The Government is using its massive buying power to help to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ must act now on agriculture, says OECD
26 Jun 2019
The OECD is again calling on New Zealand to impose an effective carbon price, saying the expanding dairy industry is undermining the country’s goal to create a low-emissions economy.
We might have to step in, warns Reserve Bank
25 Jun 2019
The Reserve Bank says it might have to step in and regulate if companies fail to deal with climate risks.
SHAW: We're not stuck on 2030 methane target
24 Jun 2019
The Government’s target of cutting methane emissions by 10 per cent by 2030 is not set in stone, the climate minister says.
Shaw optimistic gas emissions will peak early
21 Jun 2019
New Zealand’s domestic demand for carbon credits is expected to exceed 43 million units in 2023 - up more than two million units on this year, new figures show.
NZ gets another fail mark on climate action
20 Jun 2019
The Government's plan to cut methane emissions by 10 per cent by 2030 is under fire from international scientists.
Shaw will wait and see on emissions targets
19 Jun 2019
New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions might not peak until 2035 under current policies, the Government says.
It's your job to care for the world, directors hear
14 Jun 2019
Directors should bear as much personal responsibility for the environmental damage their companies cause as they now do for the health and safety of their workers, the Government has been told.
Fossil fuels ban helping, says energy innovator
13 Jun 2019
New Zealand's partial ban on new oil and gas exploration is driving the electricity market away from gas and towards renewables, says an energy market innovator.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
