New Zealand: Politics
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.
UK likes our way with international credits
13 Jun 2019
Britain is following New Zealand's lead in saying it will probably use international carbon markets in its drive to carbon neutrality - despite the advice of its own experts.
Auckland lays out plan to combat climate crisis
12 Jun 2019
Auckland Council has unveiled a plan it says will prepare the city to cope with the impacts of climate change and cut its emissions.
Defence budget puts climate front and centre
12 Jun 2019
New Zealand’s defence forces will struggle to deal with climate-related security threats if they don’t make climate change a priority, officials say.
Reward farmers for climate work, says Muller
7 Jun 2019
Farmers who plant trees for shelter and to protect waterways and who increase the amount of carbon being stored in their soils should get carbon credits, the National Party says.
Mark issues warning to Asian defence ministers
5 Jun 2019
New Zealand’s defence minister is calling on his counterparts across Asia and the Pacific to get serious about climate change.
Taxpayers face $600m carbon prices bill
31 May 2019
Rising carbon prices are likely to cost taxpayers $600 million this year.
$100 million Green fund ready to invest
30 May 2019
The Government’s $100 million Green Investment Finance fund says it is about to start investing.
Big emitters get together and make a plan
28 May 2019
New Zealand’s trade-exposed industrial emitters – who between them are given more than five million free carbon credits a year – have produced a plan to help to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Bridges predicts cut in money for free credits
28 May 2019
The Government is planning to spend less money on free carbon credits for trade-exposed emitters than it spent this year, the Opposition
Big Oil should set $250 carbon fee, says expert
27 May 2019
The oil industry is about to be told that voluntarily putting a $250-a-tonne carbon charge on its products will make it profitable and ensure its future in a low-carbon world.
Protesters again take aim at mining industry
27 May 2019
The mining sector is positioning itself as part of the solution to climate change, as protesters gear up to disrupt the industry’s annual gathering this week.
Lawmakers eye climate risk disclosure rules
24 May 2019
Companies in New Zealand could face compulsory climate-risk disclosure through new accounting standards.
NZ plays different carbon game home and away
23 May 2019
The gap between New Zealand’s international emissions reduction pledge and what it plans to do at home is big enough to drive an electric bus through.
Zero-carbon bill sets out on rocky road
22 May 2019
The Government’s zero-carbon bill is off for public consultation with some big questions hanging over it.
Climate-wise Smith warns of blind commitment
22 May 2019
New Zealand’s political elder statesman on climate change is warning of a potential gilets jeune-style backlash against the costs of climate action.
National MPs chew over zero carbon bill
21 May 2019
National Party MPs are meeting this morning to decide whether they will support the Government’s zero carbon bill.
Pricing delay carries risks, says ETS expert
17 May 2019
The Government is exposing the country to significant risk by delaying changes to the carbon pricing regime, says one of the architects of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
What’s in store with ETS changes
17 May 2019
The latest round of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme were announced last night, including tougher penalties for failing to surrender credits, the release of details about emissions levels from specific emitters, guidelines for the use of international credits, removing the $25 price cap and the possibility of a price floor.
Tourism sector must toe the line, says minister
16 May 2019
The Government’s new Tourism Strategy released today says the sector must “play its role” in dealing with climate change.
UN chief pushes case for carbon taxes
14 May 2019
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says income taxes should be replaced with carbon taxes.
Climate effort gets thumbs-up from UN chief
13 May 2019
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is praising New Zealand’s efforts on climate change.
How ZCB puts onus on Government to explain
10 May 2019
The Government will have to explain why it ignores any recommendations on the Emissions Trading Scheme from the proposed Climate Change Commission, officials say.
Public wants climate action now, new poll shows
9 May 2019
A poll to be released today shows a majority of New Zealanders – including National Party supporters - think the country needs to take action now on climate change.
How much methane will farmers have to cut?
9 May 2019
New Zealand’s farmers might have to reduce methane emissions from animals by nearly four million tonnes a year under the Government’s climate change plans.
Taranaki to be nation's clean-energy capital
9 May 2019
Taranaki will be home to a $27 million clean-energy centre, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just announced.
Carbon bill offers softer touch to farm emissions
8 May 2019
New Zealand’s agricultural emissions will be cut – but not as much as other gases.
ZERO CARBON: What happens next
8 May 2019
The Government is amending the Climate Change Response Act (the law that governs the Emissions Trading Scheme) to implement its zero-carbon plans instead of introducing a new law.
You'll like the ZCB, Peters tells party faithful
2 May 2019
The long-awaited Zero Carbon Bill is close – and New Zealand First expects its supporters will like it.
Agriculture about to get the emissions answer
29 Apr 2019
The agricultural sector will find out soon whether it is likely to come into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Footprint falling - but don't start partying
26 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s biocapacity surplus – its ability to produce resources and absorb wastes – is falling, new data shows.
HALFWAY HOUSE: PM changes our climate focus
24 Apr 2019
Jacinda Ardern’s nuclear-free-moment speech on the campaign trail during the 2017 general election struck a chord.
Review has price cap message for Government
23 Apr 2019
The cap on carbon prices should be lifted, the Government has been told.
Problems getting worse, says environment report
18 Apr 2019
Climate change is already making New Zealand’s environmental problems worse and threatens the economy, a new official assessment of the state of New Zealand’s environment says.
No CGT, but green taxes still on the agenda
18 Apr 2019
A capital gains tax might be off the agenda, but the Government isn’t ruling out environmental taxes recommended by the Tax Working Group.
MEMO LABOUR: The answers are in your files
17 Apr 2019
Labour could find solutions in its own files to the problem of putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
13 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment has released updated emissions projections to 2050, which show significant differences to the Climate Change Commission's recent projections for the same period.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Govt to ease climate reporting thresholds, water down liability
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The rollback of climate change reporting requirements has produced a wave of relief in corporate New Zealand as managed investment funds and listed companies with annual revenue under $1 billion are exempted.
