New Zealand: Politics
It happened 10 years ago ...
20 Mar 2018
National Party climate spokesman Nick Smith was talking about an integrated carbon market with Australia, while his boss, then-Opposition leader John Key, was backing the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Cabinet talks turning off fossil fuels taps
19 Mar 2018
The Government is looking at ending oil and gas exploration.
It happened 10 years ago ...
19 Mar 2018
… the Government was getting ready to plead New Zealand’s case to allow the owners of pre-1990 forests to clear them without facing a carbon penalty, BP was warning against introducing a compulsory biofuels component into the nation’s petrol and diesel supplies, Trustpower was finding a ready market for credits from its Tararua windfarm, Orcon founder Seeby Woodhouse was moving into carbon, and businesses wanted to be allowed to use credits from nuclear power plants.
Business leaders like the look of minister Shaw
16 Mar 2018
Climate minister James Shaw appears to be convincing business he knows what he’s doing.
Here's a road to zero carbon, say officials
15 Mar 2018
Meeting New Zealand’s Paris Agreement pledge from domestic emissions cuts alone would put the country on a straight line to carbon-neutrality by 2050, officials have told the Government.
Shaw hints at end to oil and gas exploration
14 Mar 2018
Climate minister James Shaw has just given the strongest hint yet that the Government might end oil and gas exploration.
Government backs circular economy with funding
13 Mar 2018
The Government is looking to fund projects that boost the circular economy.
New-look Nats put skids under green jobs
12 Mar 2018
Climate change and the environment have failed to make new Opposition leader Simon Bridges’ front bench.
Science body pressures Commonwealth leaders
12 Mar 2018
New Zealand’s top science body is joining 21 others calling on Commonwealth countries to show “bold leadership” on climate change.
TPP ignores climate health threats, say medicos
9 Mar 2018
The just-signed Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal ignores the threat climate change poses to human health and should be urgently reviewed before New Zealand ratifies it, warns the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Climate commission's job to advise, says Upton
7 Mar 2018
The climate commission should make recommendations on the Emissions Trading Scheme and the number of international credits used to meet New Zealand’s targets, but control should stay firmly in the hands of the Government, says new Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
Minister aware of risk in delaying price cap rise
6 Mar 2018
The Government knows delaying lifting the carbon price cap could cost taxpayers money, but says it is unlikely to move until next year.
Ministry eyes emissions deals with businesses
5 Mar 2018
The Ministry for the Environment is looking to form direct partnerships with businesses to cut emissions out of the New Zealand economy.
Green accounts point finger at primary industries
27 Feb 2018
Primary industries contribute nearly two-thirds of the country’s greenhouse gases but account for less than 8 per cent of economic production, new figures show.
Energy minister to get the word on biofuels
26 Feb 2018
Energy minister Megan Woods today will be told how the country can use biofuels to cut its burgeoning transport emissions.
We'll soon know what the environment is worth
22 Feb 2018
New Zealand’s environment is about to have a monetary value put on it, in a new report examining the trade-offs between the environment and the economy.
Officials look for 'best way' global ETS links
19 Feb 2018
Officials are working on linking the Emissions Trading Scheme to schemes in other countries, saying it’s the best way to secure the international carbon units New Zealand will need to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target.
Billion Trees land approaches 50,000 hectares
16 Feb 2018
The Government says it is close to securing 50,000 hectares of land for new forests under its Billion Trees programme.
Raise cap or pay the price, warns ETS pioneer
15 Feb 2018
Taxpayers could get a hefty carbon bill if the Government doesn’t urgently lift the carbon price cap, a gathering of Emissions Trading Scheme experts has heard.
Climate change and storms our greatest threats
14 Feb 2018
Climate change and related impacts like intense storms are now the greatest threats the world faces.
Neoliberalism not way, says environment report
12 Feb 2018
Neoliberalism is failing to protect New Zealand’s environment, warns a new paper on the future of environmental law.
Emitters can keep stashed free carbon credits
9 Feb 2018
Trade-exposed heavy emitters sitting on free NZUs from taxpayers will be able to keep using them - even if they did contribute to New Zealand’s embarrassing “dodgy credits” incident.
FAIL MARK: Environmentally, NZ has got it wrong
8 Feb 2018
New Zealand is one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to exceeding planetary boundaries, new research shows.
Government wants drive for more electric vehicles
7 Feb 2018
The new government wants more electric vehicles on the road – but it’s not yet saying how many.
Maori landowners oppose delay in ETS changes
2 Feb 2018
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme are needed now, not at the end of next year, if the Government wants Maori land owners to plant carbon-sequestering forests, says a specialist in climate change and Maori development.
'It’s good to hear a government finally talking sense'
2 Feb 2018
What kind of reception is climate minister James Shaw likely to be getting from the Iwi Leaders Group as they meet at Waitangi today?
Poll shows we're divided over carbon-neutral aim
1 Feb 2018
The country is split over the Government’s plans to make New Zealand carbon neutral – despite most New Zealanders now realising it is the world’s biggest problem.
Landowners keep credits under Billion Trees plan
31 Jan 2018
Landowners will keep the carbon credits and liability under proposed new production forestry joint ventures with the Government as part of its One Billion Trees programme.
How Shaw intends to massively change our lives
30 Jan 2018
Climate minister James Shaw has outlined economic changes on the scale of those brought in by Michael Joseph Savage in 1935 and Roger Douglas in 1984.
Doughnut economics? What Shaw's on about
30 Jan 2018
When British economist Kate Raworth wanted to show where she saw economics going, she picked up a pencil and drew two circles, one inside the other.
Climate change is the country's biggest worry
26 Jan 2018
Two-thirds of New Zealanders rank climate change as the single biggest issue the world faces, new research suggests.
We'll do better than emissions target, says Shaw
25 Jan 2018
The new government will not officially increase the country's 2020 emissions reduction target.
Shaw puts ETS on ice until end of next year
23 Jan 2018
Any further changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme – including getting rid of free credits to heavy emitters and changing forestry rules – will not be made until the end of next year, the Government says.
Revealed: the cost of climate change
15 Dec 2017
Lack of government leadership means New Zealand business, society, infrastructure and the land itself are exposed to billions of dollars worth of potential damage from the impacts of climate change, the Government has been told.
Are we getting it right, questions emissions expert
14 Dec 2017
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from farming could have fallen by 20 per cent on 1990 levels if the efficiency gains of the past 25 years hadn’t been used to boost production.
This time, climate officials hope for a bit more action
13 Dec 2017
In late 2015, officials gave new climate minister Paula Bennett as list of five things they thought should be done over the next two years.
Climate commission will look at farm emissions
12 Dec 2017
Climate minister James Shaw says the new climate commission will play a role in dealing with agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ has 'reckless' plan for global carbon-trading
11 Dec 2017
New Zealand's approach to negotiating carbon-trading relationships with other countries is drawing fire.
Ardern and Shaw to miss big day out in Paris
11 Dec 2017
Neither Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern nor climate minister James Shaw will be at the One Planet Summit Day in Paris tomorrow.
HUSH-HUSH: Officials want lid on global-market talk
8 Dec 2017
Officials are working on getting New Zealand access to international carbon markets when they develop – but they don’t want their activities made public.
The trick is reading farmers' minds, says scientist
6 Dec 2017
Understanding why farmers are not taking advantage of ways to make more money while cutting greenhouse gas emissions is critical to getting New Zealand’s emissions down, says a leading scientist.
It's time to act on our oceans, say scientists
5 Dec 2017
New Zealand needs to start planning now for the impacts climate change will have on its oceans and fisheries, scientists say.
SHAW THING: Business needs to get into gear
4 Dec 2017
New climate minister James Shaw has a clear message for business: get your house in order because New Zealand is decarbonising ... fast.
C'mon Kiwis, says economist, show the world how
1 Dec 2017
New Zealand is being challenged to show the world how to decarbonise without tanking.
Climate commission might have carbon price role
30 Nov 2017
The climate commission – one of the Government’s promises for its first 100 days in office – is likely to play a role in setting carbon prices, the new climate minister says.
Force firms to report carbon, say energy leaders
28 Nov 2017
The Government is being told to make carbon reporting mandatory for publicly listed companies and to hold public-sector executives responsible for carbon performance.
Two global reports slam NZ's poor climate record
23 Nov 2017
New climate minister James Shaw might have wowed the world with his rhetoric at international climate talks last week, but it’s on the policies of his predecessor that New Zealand is still being judged.
Te Kuha coal mine first test for new minister
22 Nov 2017
Deciding whether to let a new opencast coal mine go ahead on the West Coast will be the first real test of the new government’s conservation policy, says an anti-coal mining lobby group.
Shaw might clear our name over dodgy credits
14 Nov 2017
New Zealand might yet come good on the issue of dodgy carbon credits.
Carbon pricing essential, says Energy Minister
10 Nov 2017
The new energy minister expects carbon to be priced into all energy projects.
Govt redirects energy innovation funding to solar on schools
Today 12:15pm
By Liz Kivi | Schools will save money, have greater energy security, and reduce carbon emissions through a $30 million Government initiative to put solar panels on up to 500 schools across New Zealand, say Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Education Minister Erica Stanford.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Carbon removal plans falling billions of tonnes short, experts warn
Today 12:15pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand needs to look beyond forestry and rapidly expand other forms of carbon removal to help meet global climate goals, according to a major international report.
Rotorua extends diesel bus contract after NZTA declines extra funding
25 May 2026
By Mathew Nash, Local Democracy Reporter | Rotorua is stuck with its diesel-powered public buses after a funding snag played a part in setting back plans for zero-emission buses by years.
Govt ramps up war on wilding pines with $79m boost
25 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is ramping up efforts to contain the spread of wilding pines with a $79 million funding boost aimed at protecting farmland, biodiversity hotspots, tourism landscapes and water catchments across New Zealand.
Govt’s LNG plan puts trade deals at risk, lawyers warn
26 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action are warning that the government’s plans for an LNG import terminal and to subsidise gas fields are in breach of New Zealand’s free trade agreements with the UK and the EU.
