New Zealand: Politics
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.
Nelson talkfest to get serious about contaminants
24 Aug 2015
Business, government and academic global leaders gather in Nelson this week to talk about the environmental impacts of manufactured contaminants.
Climate expert gives Anzacs a fail mark
17 Aug 2015
Australia has set a post-2020 emissions reduction target as poor as that of New Zealand.
'Myopic focus' costing us climate change progress
17 Aug 2015
New Zealand might have reached the limits of its ability to exploit natural resources, the Labour Party says.
Review ETS after Paris, says climate lawyer
17 Aug 2015
The Emissions Trading Scheme review should be pushed off into next year, a climate change lawyer says.
The urban machine solution is not good for cities
17 Aug 2015
First-world cities have an unhealthy dependence on the “urban machine” - the modern engineering solutions within their infrastructure - making their inhabitants vulnerable to disaster, new research shows.
World doesn't have time for pessimism, says IPCC man
10 Aug 2015
IPCC deputy chair Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele says he hasn’t got time to be pessimistic about whether the world will take action to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Treasury maps out our path to a low-carbon enconomy
27 Jul 2015
A strong carbon price, better urban planning, a climate commission and systematic assessment of how government policies affect climate change would help New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy, Treasury says.
Key: It's our climate policy and we're sticking with it
27 Jul 2015
Prime Minister John Key has rejected calls for cross-party agreement on climate change policy.
Recycling trial aims to solve plastic bags problem
20 Jul 2015
The packaging sector and the Government are working together to find a way to recycle supermarket bags and other soft plastic.
'Failed' NZ could be walking into trap at Paris climate summit
13 Jul 2015
New Zealand could be in trouble with its post-2020 emissions reduction target if the world doesn’t allow us to continue to use creative accounting to meet our obligations, international scientists are warning.
Businesses put brakes on climate action, says study
13 Jul 2015
Fewer businesses are taking action on greenhouse gases than two years ago, Waikato University’s latest sustainability report shows.
Groser off on climate-talking tour
13 Jul 2015
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser is off to climate talks in Paris, Luxembourg and Dublin.
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.
