New Zealand: Politics
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.
Treat agriculture like anyone else, says Caygill
30 Nov 2015
Agriculture should not be treated any differently from any other trade-exposed industry, says the man who led the previous Emissions Trading Scheme Review.
Agriculture fails to make the cut
24 Nov 2015
Agriculture - responsible for nearly half New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions - is not part of the Government’s just-announced review of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Groser hints at boost for carbon prices
23 Nov 2015
The Government has given the clearest signal yet that it intends to push carbon prices up as part of a package to meet the expected $30 billion cost of New Zealand’s 2030 emissions reduction target.
Groser: I've given no advice on stranded assets
16 Nov 2015
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser says he has given no advice to Finance Minister Bill English on protecting people’s pensions against the risk of stranded assets in fossil fuel companies.
Business speaks out: There's no other choice
16 Nov 2015
Business has a clear plan for how it will lead on climate change over the next five years, according to the Sustainable Business Council.
This week ...
16 Nov 2015
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright will on Thursday release her report on the implications for New Zealand of sea level rises.
OFFICIALS: Why we need to halve our emissions
9 Nov 2015
New Zealanders need to halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to do their fair share – and that’s on 1990 levels, not the Government’s new favourite baseline of 2005 - officials say.
Get the waka back on course, says Maori expert
9 Nov 2015
Environmental protection, hard-hitting policies on climate change, and a carbon price floor should all be part of a drive to rebuild the economy, a Maori economic development consultant says.
Time running out on ETS review promises
9 Nov 2015
Parliament might have just a month of work left on its schedule for the year, but there’s still no sign of the promised Emissions Trading Scheme review.
TPPA acknowledges carbon emissions
9 Nov 2015
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement envisages countries working together to build a low-carbon economy.
Why we need a world agreement on agri emissions
2 Nov 2015
Pushing for a global agreement on agricultural emissions could benefit the climate and trade, says one of our leading climate scientists.
Higher carbon prices the key, says new book
2 Nov 2015
New Zealand needs higher carbon prices, says the author of a handbook on the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Businesses want more done, says survey
27 Oct 2015
Businesses support carbon pricing, want New Zealand to take a more ambitious stand on climate change, and fear the country is in danger of losing its clean-green reputation, a new survey shows.
Business boss believes voters can force action
27 Oct 2015
The current government won’t act on climate change until voters make it, says Northern Employers and Manufacturers’ Association chief Kim Campbell.
Groser confirms ETS review this year
21 Oct 2015
The Emissions Trading Scheme review will start this year, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has confirmed.
'Bottom-up' agreement possible in Paris
21 Oct 2015
International climate change negotiations in Paris are likely to produce a “bottom-up” agreement that will isn’t binding but will hold countries accountable for their actions, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser told business yesterday.
Business needs to take a stand
21 Oct 2015
Business needs to take a clear stand on carbon pricing, says former Climate Change Ambassador Dr Adrian Macey.
New pest threat will cost millions
21 Oct 2015
New Zealand faces another multi-million dollar fight to control pests in the South Island beech forests as the impacts of climate change start to bite.
Papers suggest what's on the table at ETS review
19 Oct 2015
Agricultural emissions, the one-for-two surrender subsidy, and the $25 price cap are likely to be on the table in the Emissions Trading Scheme review this year, according to confidential Government papers.
Email to English: Emissions cut target looks bad
19 Oct 2015
The Government knew that New Zealand’s post-2020 emissions reduction target didn’t look good compared with those of other developed countries when using the standard 1990 baseline, an internal email shows.
Powerful line-up to talk climate change
19 Oct 2015
New Zealand’s ability to come up with a plan for a low-carbon economy will be put to the test this week when businesses, politicians and scientists gather to talk about climate change.
We might have to help refugees, admits Groser
19 Oct 2015
New Zealand supports Pacific people’s desire to stay in their own countries – but acknowledges that climate migration might be a reality, says Climate Change Minister Tim Groser.
Biofuel, e-cars and trees are the way we must go
5 Oct 2015
New Zealand needs to embrace biofuels, electric vehicles and energy forests, and get rid of coal and gas-fired industrial processes if it wants to meet its 2050 emissions reduction commitment, officials have told the Government.
Our climate excuses don't wash, say enviro officials
5 Oct 2015
The Government’s favourite defence for the failure of New Zealand to take meaningful action on climate change – that it’s a small country generating negligible greenhouse gas emissions – doesn’t hold water, officials say.
China ups the pace, so the time to act is now
5 Oct 2015
China’s commitment to pricing carbon throughout its economy from 2017 means that the rest of the world should now be factoring the cost of greenhouse gas emissions into business projections, says a leading public policy analyst.
The climate change message is do something
5 Oct 2015
New research into what motivates people to take action on climate change shows that promoting the benefits of doing something to address the problem is an effective communication tool.
New party dips toe in the environment pool
28 Sep 2015
The man behind a new environment-based political party says he has stood in rivers with international tourists while milk and cow manure washed around them.
Government shows no interest in climate risks study
28 Sep 2015
The Government has rejected calls for a national assessment of the risk climate change poses to business, security, the environment and national well-being.
Anyway, says Key, the ETS was brought in by National
28 Sep 2015
Prime Minister John Key is claiming credit for bringing in the Emissions Trading Scheme – despite the fact his party actually voted against it.
How Groser battled for a 15% emissions cut
21 Sep 2015
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser wanted New Zealand to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, a Treasury email shows.
More officials mirror Treasury advice to Cabinet
21 Sep 2015
Treasury bosses are not the only officials telling the Government that New Zealanders want a settled, broad agreement on climate change policy.
Business, officials want cross-party climate deal
14 Sep 2015
High government officials and business leaders have recommended cross-party consensus on climate change - something the Government has since ruled out.
Go talk to China, Key tells islands leaders
14 Sep 2015
New Zealand has told Pacific Islands leaders to take to China their concerns about their countries being engulfed by climate-change-induced rising sea levels.
Paris pledges on emissions cuts too weak to work
14 Sep 2015
New analysis of promises made by governments on emissions reductions show they are not enough to stop global warming rising above the 2° danger level.
Advisers scrap over emissions cuts target
7 Sep 2015
Government departments are divided over how New Zealand should approach its post-2020 emissions reduction target – a target which the Government was going to set at just 6 per cent, Cabinet papers reveal.
Greens bend to seek political climate consensus
7 Sep 2015
A strong carbon price, a green investment bank and a climate commission are emerging as the basis of a political consensus on climate change policy – at least on one side of the House.
We're knee-deep in it (adding up emissions, that is)
31 Aug 2015
The Government is now doing what businesses have been doing since 2011 – totting up how many credits it has to surrender to meet its obligations.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
Thu 10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
‘Weaponised timber torpedoes’ – call for forestry changes after flooding
Mon 14 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | A climate scientist is calling for changes to forestry practices, after the second ‘one-in-one-hundred-year’ climate-fuelled flash flood to hit the top of the South Island in two weeks unleashed a torrent of pine forest waste, wiping out homes and a campground.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
