New Zealand: Politics
Genesis explains wholesale price increases
7 Mar 2016
Increasing the price of carbon to $25 a tonne would push wholesale electricity rates up by $4.50 a megawatt hour, says Genesis Energy.
ETS overhaul not enough, says climate academic
4 Mar 2016
The Government’s overhaul of the Emissions Trading Scheme won’t be enough to get New Zealand across the line on the Paris Agreement, a new report shows.
Investors warn NZ of carbon over-protectionism
2 Mar 2016
An organisation representing $1 trillion of investments is warning the New Zealand Government against the dangers of over-protectionism when it comes to carbon pricing.
Quitting Kyoto might cost us, new minister hears
2 Mar 2016
Not signing up to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol might cost New Zealand a front seat in the development of international carbon markets, it has been revealed.
The NZEUR is dead, long live the NZETR
2 Mar 2016
New Zealand is getting a new, $12 million emissions registry.
$7.29m ... that's what the ETS costs to run
2 Mar 2016
The Emissions Trading Scheme costs $7.29 million a year to administer.
How ministers rejected carbon price floor
29 Feb 2016
Cabinet ministers discussed and rejected introducing a price floor for carbon, briefing papers show.
Watch ag emissions, Treasury tells Government
29 Feb 2016
Treasury officials have told the Government that it should be investigating just how well its strategies to reduce New Zealand’s agricultural emissions are working – even though agriculture has specifically been excluded from the current review of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
ETS uncertainty is a worry, says Meridian
26 Feb 2016
Uncertainty over the Emissions Trading Scheme is affecting the way Meridian Energy does business.
NZ and China best friends under carbon pact
25 Feb 2016
New Zealand and China are working together closely on carbon trading, after signing a bilateral agreement on carbon markets.
Z Energy wishlist: Everybody must be in ETS
25 Feb 2016
Fuel retailer Z Energy wants every sector in the Emissions Trading Scheme, a realistic price on carbon, political stability and an end to carbon subsidies.
Beehive shows signs of hearing business call
24 Feb 2016
The Government might be about to open the door more widely for business and other groups to have a bigger say in climate change policy.
ETS key is clear direction, say officials
23 Feb 2016
Officials have told new Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett that if the Emissions Trading Scheme is going to work it must have a clear, long-term direction.
New minister pushes for carbon price rise
22 Feb 2016
Carbon prices must rise, says new Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett.
NZ to promote international markets idea at UN
22 Feb 2016
A push by New Zealand to develop credible international carbon markets will take a step forward when United Nations climate change negotiators meet in May.
Late flurry lifts ETS submissions
22 Feb 2016
A last-minute flurry has seen submissions flooding in to the Emissions Trading Scheme review.
Why ETS examination should take the long view
22 Feb 2016
Motu Economic and Public Policy Research Trust senior fellow SUZI KERR answers the key question posed in the Emissions Trading Scheme Review – should the carbon price cap and the one-for-two provisional measures be scrapped?
ETS ... we're hitting the target but missing the point
22 Feb 2016
Ministry for the Environment officials have been blunt about the Emissions Trading Scheme’s impact to date: “Research for this evaluation, and evidence from the interviews, found no sector other than forestry made emissions reductions over the Kyoto Protocol Commitment Period One (2008-12) that were directly caused by NZ ETS obligations.”
Liquidity will return when prices push up again
16 Feb 2016
Spot NZUs closed yesterday at $9.25. OMFinancial reports:
Fund managers could face climate backlash
15 Feb 2016
New Zealand fund managers who fail to take the risks associated with climate change into account when making investments face a real possibility of legal action, says Bell Gully partner and climate change specialist Simon Watt.
We're looking for friends in the carbon market
15 Feb 2016
New Zealand is once again actively pursuing linkages with other carbon markets.
MPs back cross-party consensus
15 Feb 2016
Twenty New Zealand MPs from six parties have joined an international organisation aiming for cross-party consensus on climate change policy.
Time running out for ETS submissions
15 Feb 2016
The public has just four more days to have a say on whether emitters should be held liable for a greater chunk of their emissions.
Bill puts the environment in its place
15 Feb 2016
A bill putting the environment back into environmental protection is back before Parliament this week.
Worth listening to …
15 Feb 2016
The In The Eye of the Storm: Pacific Climate Change Conference gets under way in Wellington today. Radio New Zealand's Colin Peacock spoke to Kiribati president Anote Tong yesterday about what the Pacific is facing, and what countries like New Zealand should be doing.
Scientists issue chilling climate legacy warning
15 Feb 2016
Scientists stress the need for climate policy to focus not on this century but on the inescapable impacts of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10,000 years.
Saving our ecosystems step in the right direction
15 Feb 2016
When we think about adapting humanity to the challenges of climate change, it’s tempting to reach for technological solutions. We talk about seeding our oceans and clouds with compounds designed to trigger rain or increasing carbon uptake. We talk about building grand structures to protect our coastlines from rising sea levels and storm surges.
How's the carbon market going? Experts can't agree
9 Feb 2016
Government officials say that New Zealand’s carbon market is liquid – but Westpac’s economists say it’s not.
Why there's little cost in wiping ETS protections
9 Feb 2016
Scrapping the one-for-two and the $25 carbon price cap is likely to have little impact on the economy.
ETS has made little impact, says ministry
9 Feb 2016
The Emissions Trading Scheme has failed to encourage any significant emissions reduction by businesses, a government report has found.
Why Paris might lead to shortage of NZUs
9 Feb 2016
The supply of NZUs could be about to become tighter, a new report says.
Why post-Paris businesses must get moving
2 Feb 2016
Emissions Trading Scheme measures protecting industries from the full impact of carbon pricing have had their day, says an organisation representing a trillion dollars worth of investments.
Carbon questions lie in wait at Waitangi
2 Feb 2016
The Government is likely to face tough questioning at Waitangi this weekend over carbon prices.
Stakeholders next up in ETS review
2 Feb 2016
The Emissions Trading Scheme review moves into stakeholder meetings this week.
Our leaders suddenly silent on climate change
2 Feb 2016
The world’s leaders might have been talking big on climate change in Paris in December, but our local versions have been remarkably quiet on the subject in their state-of-the-nation speeches.
Labour setting sail to test the waters of the Pacific
2 Feb 2016
Labour is sending a task force to the Pacific to investigate the impact of climate change on fresh water supplies.
SBC chief off to work for the Government
2 Feb 2016
Sustainable Business Council executive director Penny Nelson is leaving to work for the Government.
NZ unlikely to act on emissions conditions
25 Jan 2016
New Zealand is unlikely to activate its conditional 2020 emissions reduction target, officials say.
Keystone pipeline case holds warning for NZ
25 Jan 2016
The Keystone oil pipeline case is the type of challenge New Zealand could face if it signs the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a new analysis shows.
We need fearless leaders, says Clark
25 Jan 2016
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark is calling for “fearless leadership” to get global agreements implemented – including the recently negotiated Paris Agreement on climate change.
Eight submitters lead in the charge on ETS
18 Jan 2016
Just eight people and organisations have so far made submissions on the latest review of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
ETS hits the highway
18 Jan 2016
The Government is going on the road to hear what people think about the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Businesses' biggest headache is the climate
18 Jan 2016
Climate change is now the single biggest issue facing business, according to a new global survey.
Facts come first, says our new climate chief
15 Dec 2015
The first big job facing new Climate Change Minister is the review of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Minister releases (some) TPPA safeguards
15 Dec 2015
Official analysis of the environmental implications of the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement have been released – in part.
They've done it!
13 Dec 2015
A new global climate change agreement has been reached, with nearly 200 countries committing to a deal described as the end of the fossil fuel era.
Labour's new voice wins support for island nations
7 Dec 2015
Labour’s new climate change spokesman for the Pacific already has runs on the board - getting the influential Parliamentarians for Global Action network to push for internationally recognition for climate change refugees.
Europe shows up NZ Kyoto credits decision
7 Dec 2015
The morality of New Zealand’s plans to use carry-over Kyoto credits to meet its 2020 emissions reduction target is being undermined by European countries cancelling millions of their own carry-over credits.
Little strengthens climate change muscle
30 Nov 2015
Labour leader Andrew Little has used today’s shadow cabinet reshuffle to send a strong signal on climate change and environmental issues, by boosting the issue up the rankings, appointing a spokesperson specifically for Pacific Islands climate change issues, and introducing a water portfolio.
$400m cost attached to keeping 1:2 subsidy
30 Nov 2015
Retaining the one-for-two subsidy for emitters will cost taxpayers $400 million – and that’s just at today’s carbon prices, says climate law expert Simon Watt.
Bill to ban new coal mines fails at first reading
Today 11:00am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A bid to outlaw new coal mines was defeated at its first hurdle in Parliament this week, after a heated debate pitting climate imperatives against energy security and affordability.
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.
Emissions down slightly - Stats NZ
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | Greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.5% in the June 2025 quarter, although the decline seems to reflect the economy continuing to contract rather than Aoteoroa inching towards decarbonisation goals.
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.
