New Zealand: Politics
Industry unhappy with forest credits move
6 Sep 2013
The Government’s decision to replace Permanent Forest Sink Initiative credits with NZUs is wrong, says a market analyst.
We're talking ETS with Australia and Korea
6 Sep 2013
New Zealand has had discussions with Australia and Korea on the theoretical requirements involved in linking emissions trading schemes.
Shane Jones: It's all about balance
6 Sep 2013
Labour MP Shane Jones says that a Government led by him would balance environmental and economic interests.
Environment first, vows Labour contender
30 Aug 2013
A government led by Labour leadership contender Grant Robertson would make all legislation subject to an environmental impact assessment.
Is this the new Groser, asks academic
30 Aug 2013
Climate Change and Trade Minister Tim Groser appears to have had a Road to Damascus experience.
'I don't think I've ever driven a Kyoto Protocol ...'
30 Aug 2013
Last Sunday, Radio New Zealand’s Down The List programme turned its satirical eye on New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target.
Kyoto rules govern new emissions stand
23 Aug 2013
New Zealand’s 2020 emissions reduction target will be implemented under Kyoto Protocol rules.
Experts slam 5% emissions target
23 Aug 2013
Leading climate policy and science experts say the Government’s emissions reduction target is “markedly inadequate and disappointing”.
Tourism leaders stick with 100% Pure
23 Aug 2013
Tourism New Zealand is pressing on with its 100% Pure brand, despite on-going international criticism.
Commissioner wants new laws for land
23 Aug 2013
Crown-owned stewardship land needs greater protection, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Lucky winners Get Off the Grass
23 Aug 2013
Two senior executives have won copies of Get Off the Grass, courtesy of Carbon News.
Emissions target under fire from MPs
23 Aug 2013
The Government's 2020 emissions reduction target came under fire in Parliament this week.
Free market doesn't do it for us, say academics
16 Aug 2013
The free market will not deliver the innovation New Zealand needs to move to a high-tech, high-income, low-carbon economy, says the author of a book launched in Wellington last night.
NZ commits to 5% climate change target
16 Aug 2013
New Zealand has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to five per cent below 1990 levels by 2020.
Our Super funds back pollution, says WWF
16 Aug 2013
More than $1 billion invested for New Zealanders’ futures is supporting some of the world’s most polluting and environmentally destructive companies, a report released today by WWF-New Zealand reveals.
Foresters opting out of ETS, says Labour
16 Aug 2013
A new report shows the gutted Emissions Trading Scheme is damaging the forestry sector, Labour’s Climate Change spokesperson Moana Mackey says.
I'm proud of our climate record, says Groser
16 Aug 2013
Withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol has not damaged New Zealand's clean and green image, says Climate Change Minister Tim Groser.
We're a world climate leader, says minister
16 Aug 2013
New Zealand is near the top of the list for "sensible" climate change policy, the Government says.
Climate change threatens ancient sites
16 Aug 2013
Climate change is threatening New Zealand’s archaeological sites.
Palmer: Why we must protect environment
9 Aug 2013
New Zealand needs a constitution that includes environmental protection, says constitutional expert and former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer.
Carbon budget essential, says council
9 Aug 2013
The Sustainability Council is launching a new push to get New Zealand into carbon budgeting.
Fund managers minding climate risks
9 Aug 2013
Fund managers are incorporating climate risks into investment decisions, a new report shows.
Groser defends climate change attitudes
9 Aug 2013
This week in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser found himself defending statements by two of his Cabinet colleagues that seem to suggest they are not entirely convinced that anthropogenic climate change is real:
NZ eyes move to natural capital cost
2 Aug 2013
Government officials are working on ways to bring in policies recognising the economic value of New Zealand natural capital.
Climate action long overdue, says Labour
2 Aug 2013
The Labour Party says that a report by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser, Sir Peter Gluckman, must surely trigger some Government action to try to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Watch reform bill, EDS warns councils
2 Aug 2013
The Environmental Defence Society is urging regional and district councils to urgently consider the implications of the Resource Management Reform Bill on their indigenous biodiversity functions.
Milford Dart quiet on tunnel appeal
19 Jul 2013
There is no word yet on whether the backers of a $180 million tunnel through the Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks will fight to keep the project alive.
Nothing wrong with 1080, says environment watchdog
19 Jul 2013
Time is running out for native species on mainland New Zealand, says the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment.
Business not doing job, says green analyst
12 Jul 2013
Business is still failing to address climate change and environmental sustainability despite a talkfest in the capital this week, says one of our leading environmental policy analysts.
We're woefully short on green facts, says report
5 Jul 2013
New Zealand has the information to address fewer than half the major environmental problems it faces, according to a Statistics Department analysis.
Authority gets set to talk up EEZ
5 Jul 2013
The Environmental Protection Authority says it is ready to go to work on its new consenting, monitoring and enforcement functions in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Rudd aims to redraw carbon reduction plans
28 Jun 2013
Recycled Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is rumoured to be revisiting Australia’s carbon reduction scheme.
Obama shows up NZ, say young greens
28 Jun 2013
President Obama's announcement of a United States climate plan will test whether the National Government is still at all serious about its claimed "fast follower" approach to climate change, say some of the country’s youth leaders.
Scrap carbon price cap, OECD tells NZ
7 Jun 2013
The carbon price cap and free carbon credits for trade-exposed emitters should be scrapped, the OECD is telling New Zealand.
House hears ETS 'far left' debate
7 Jun 2013
This week’s OECD Economic Report on New Zealand sparked an exchange in Parliament over whether the Emissions Trading Scheme is a “far left” policy.
Minister defends Denniston decisions
31 May 2013
Conservation Minister Nick Smith says he deliberately approved Bathurst Resources’ mining application for the Denniston Plateau just one day before the new Crown Minerals Act came into effect.
Govt banks on low, low carbon price
24 May 2013
The Government is budgeting on a carbon price of just 24 cents a tonne for the foreseeable future.
Emissions windfall drops … by millions
17 May 2013
New Zealand’s emissions “windfall” has fallen to just $3 million because forests are being converted to dairy farms.
Free credit cash takes a cut
17 May 2013
The Government has almost halved the amount of money it sets aside to pay for free carbon credits it gives to industry.
Yes, NZ is in the carbon trading club
17 May 2013
New Zealand is contributing to the development of international carbon-trading markets, the Government says.
Govt dumps funding for RMA services
17 May 2013
The Government will cut funding of its Resource Management Act advice services, the Environmental Defence Society says.
Top scientist to look into the future
17 May 2013
Climate change commentator and the United Kingdom’s former Government chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, will give lectures at all three of Massey University’s campuses later this month.
Fresh faces join Environment Court
17 May 2013
New appointments to the Environment Court were announced this week.
Have we joined the carbon power brokers?
10 May 2013
New Zealand is apparently part of a “club” that will set international standards on carbon trading.
Worries deepen over future of ETS
26 Apr 2013
Deep uncertainty remains over the future of the Emissions Trading Scheme, according to a revealing survey of ETS participants.
New law protects EEZ, says minister
19 Apr 2013
A law which the Government says will enable the comprehensive environmental management of activities in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone will come into force in June.
Carbon returns build to June cut-off
12 Apr 2013
Nearly a third of post-1989-forest owners have filed carbon returns for last year.
Ministry studies carry-over submissions
12 Apr 2013
The Government has received 20 submissions on the issue of carry-over provisions for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
How do YOU see the carbon market?
12 Apr 2013
Today’s the last chance to have your say in Carbon Match’s survey on the outlook for the carbon market in New Zealand.
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
Today 10:00am
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
Tue 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.
