New Zealand: Politics
Emissions failure will hurt NZ farmers, warns Fonterra
31 Oct 2017
A global failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions will see New Zealand farmers face demands for major production cuts, the world’s largest milk-processor is warning.
Get ETS working, say superfund guardians
30 Oct 2017
New Zealand cannot afford an Emissions Trading Scheme that doesn’t work, say the guardians of the $36.4 billion New Zealand Superannuation Fund - and that means bringing the agricultural sector into the scheme.
Shaw set to brief officials on plans for ETS
27 Oct 2017
New climate minister James Shaw next week will detail to officials his plans for the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Food ruined by drought could feed more than 80m a day
27 Oct 2017
The food destroyed by droughts would be enough to feed a country with a population the size of Germany’s every day for a year, says the World Bank.
WISE WORDS: It's not all about economic growth
26 Oct 2017
The Productivity Commission is being told not to let economic growth rule its investigation into cutting New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Changing climate will put our health at risk
26 Oct 2017
Scientists are warning that climate change will harm New Zealanders’ health.
Farming's ETS emissions bill no more than 5%
25 Oct 2017
The agricultural sector will be held responsible for no more than 5 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions – and that’s if the new Government brings it into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Carbon price set to break through $19 mark
24 Oct 2017
Carbon looks set to break the $19 barrier today as the market adjusts to a new government with more ambition to address climate change.
Labour in power sees carbon prices on the rise
20 Oct 2017
Carbon prices are rising on the back of the new government, hitting their highest level in a year within an hour of the market opening today.
New leaders have serious climate job to do
19 Oct 2017
Whichever political party forms a government this afternoon has a critical job preparing New Zealand for the impacts of climate change and in getting the country’s emissions under control.
Emissions register ready to take on water trading
18 Oct 2017
New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Register is ready to trade in other “environmental commodities” such as water.
Foreign credits bad call, warns ex-climate envoy
16 Oct 2017
Spending up to $20 billion on buying foreign carbon credits will be a “severe imposition” on the economy and will delay New Zealand’s decarbonisation, warns our former climate ambassador.
Officials vow to step up work on climate change
13 Oct 2017
New Zealand might not have an elected government just now, but officials are promising to step up on climate change.
MEMO MPs: The country needs a climate commission
12 Oct 2017
Politicians negotiating to form a new government have again been told that action on climate change is a priority for business and society.
NZ all talk on farm emissions, says UK climate chief
12 Oct 2017
New Zealand is not playing the leading role in research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture that it says it is, says the head of the United Kingdom’s Climate Committee.
Why National should lead on climate commission
11 Oct 2017
The National Party should support a climate commission, says a former Conservative British Cabinet minister.
Westpac backs climate commission and budget
11 Oct 2017
Westpac supports New Zealand adopting a United Kingdom-style climate commission and budget setting.
FIRE FACT: Heat goes on the East Coast
10 Oct 2017
A large swathe of the East Coast will be at risk of fire for at least half of the year by the end of the century, a conference in Auckland has heard.
NZ cuts climate aid to Pacific, says report
6 Oct 2017
New Zealand is being accused of cutting climate finance to the Pacific.
Why we need a carbon price of $100 ... or more
5 Oct 2017
Carbon prices of $100 a tonne - and possibly as high as $225 – are being foreshadowed in a new report.
WATCHDOG WARNS: Act now or face 'great risk'
5 Oct 2017
New Zealand will be stuck with high-emitting technologies if it doesn’t move to cut emissions soon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is warning.
Plant pines on public land, says Bluegreens chief
4 Oct 2017
The head of the National Party’s Bluegreens policy advisory group says pine trees should be planted on Department of Conservation land to offset New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Dairy group backs big climate change targets
3 Oct 2017
A dairy industry group supports carbon budgeting and the concept of a climate commission, and says New Zealand should be carbon neutral.
E-vehicles could lead to more use of fossil fuels
2 Oct 2017
New Zealand will have to use fossil fuel-generated electricity to charge electric cars if it’s not careful, Canterbury electricity distribution company Orion is warning.
E-vehicle policy lacking, say transport officials
28 Sep 2017
A second government department has said New Zealand’s current electric vehicle policy won’t get people out of fossil fuel-driven cars.
Carbon credits key to finding project capital
27 Sep 2017
Issuing carbon credits for schemes that cut greenhouse gas emissions could tip the balance in favour of projects like public transport, a consultant says.
Productivity probe has got it wrong, say lawyers
26 Sep 2017
The Productivity Commission is under-estimating the role the Resource Management Act can play in cutting New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Auckland District Law Society says.
WINSTON'S THE WORD: What NZ First leader wants
25 Sep 2017
A party which has vowed to get rid of the Emissions Trading Scheme now holds the balance of power in New Zealand’s Parliament.
Furious farmers should get with the programme
22 Sep 2017
Political protests this week over fart taxes and water charges are at odds with research showing the agricultural sector knows it has to pay for its pollution.
Dining with mining in the House of the Lord
22 Sep 2017
The mining industry possibly got more than it bargained for when it decided to hold its annual dinner in Christchurch’s Cardboard Cathedral this month – a climate change debate with the Anglican Church.
OPTIMISM OUT: We need new ways to talk climate change
22 Sep 2017
The extreme weather of the past months is a game-changer: surely now the world is ready to talk about climate change as a civilisation-collapsing catastrophe.
First step is cut domestic emissions, says report
20 Sep 2017
New Zealand could meet a large chunk of its Paris Agreement emissions reduction target through cuts in emissions at home, a new report says.
Nat turns up to debate and makes lone stand
20 Sep 2017
All political parties except National told an audience in Auckland last night that they rank climate change as the biggest issue they face.
TAX OR TRADE?: It doesn't make much difference
19 Sep 2017
Ditching the Emissions Trading Scheme in favour of a carbon tax will not solve New Zealand’s emissions woes, a new report says.
With political will, the world can get to 1.5deg
19 Sep 2017
Global warming can be held to 1.5deg if there is the political will, new research published today shows.
Climate debate tonight - but Nats might give it a miss
19 Sep 2017
The National Party is looking like a no-show for a climate debate in Auckland tonight.
THE COUNT: English stays silent on climate
18 Sep 2017
With less than one week left in the election campaign, Prime Minister Bill English has yet to mention climate change in any of his formal speeches or statements.
United Future backs emissions trading
18 Sep 2017
United Future’s new leader says he supports the Emissions Trading Scheme, the Zero Carbon Act and wants New Zealand to be carbon netural by 2050.
ELECTION UPDATE: Where parties stand on climate
15 Sep 2017
What does next weekend’s general election mean for climate change?
More than 320,000 sign climate action plan
14 Sep 2017
A climate action plan that includes a fund to relocate people dispossessed by climate change now has the support of more than 320,000 people.
We could do environmental rights, says Little
13 Sep 2017
Environmental rights could be enshrined in the Bill of Rights, if not in a constitution, under a Labour government.
Climate-change deniers stupid, says Pope
13 Sep 2017
Pope Francis has slammed climate change doubters as 'stupid' in the wake of the Caribbean hurricanes.
PALMER PRESCRIPTION: Climate needs constitution
12 Sep 2017
If Sir Geoffrey Palmer had had his way, New Zealand would have already cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent.
Coalition candidates want to rid us of ETS
11 Sep 2017
Two of the parties that could be involved in any centre-left coalition after the election want to scrap the Emissions Trading Scheme.
What Morgan would have said ... if he'd had the chance
11 Sep 2017
The refusal by TVNZ to include The Opportunities Party in televised election debates does the public a disservice.
THE COUNT: English stays silent
11 Sep 2017
Week 12 of The Count ... and Prime Minister Bill English is still in the starting blocks.
We need to get involved, says Maori candidate
7 Sep 2017
Maori need to get involved in fighting climate change, says Maori Party Kelston candidate Cinnamon Whitlock.
CLIMATE CASE: National happy the way things are
6 Sep 2017
National is taking a business-as-usual approach to climate policy, warning that Labour and the Greens would go too far if they got into government.
NZ backs global carbon markets cooperation
5 Sep 2017
New Zealand has signed a statement calling for renewed co-operation on carbon markets.
Leaked report lifts lid on coastal property risks
4 Sep 2017
A climate change report the Government didn’t want public yet has been released by the Green Party.
Profound shifts in our changing energy system – new data
Wed 27 Aug 2025
New Zealand’s energy system is undergoing a profound shift as falling gas production and a dry hydro year reshaped the electricity market in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Energy in New Zealand 2025.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Why climate strategy is now central to business success
Tue 26 Aug 2025
SPONSORED CONTENT: Ahead of next month’s Climate Change and Business Conference, New Zealand businesses are being urged to treat climate strategy not as a regulatory burden, but as a core driver of economic competitiveness.
