New Zealand: Politics
Is ETS a scheme or a scam, ask Greens
21 Sep 2012
New Zealand's emissions trading scheme could be renamed the emissions trading scam, Parliament has heard.
Foresters feel credits call, says Labour
21 Sep 2012
The National Government’s decision to not restrict cheap international carbon credits in order to secure the vote of ACT leader John Banks has enormous implications for the forestry sector, Labour’s Climate Change spokesperson Moana Mackey says.
Put that in writing, minister, says council head
14 Sep 2012
Sustainability Council chief Simon Terry is challenging Climate Change Minister Tim Groser to deny in writing that New Zealand faces a carbon deficit.
Committee begins to wade through ETS ideas
14 Sep 2012
Parliament’s finance and expenditure select committee next week will continue wading its way through hundreds of submissions on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
ETS submission: Changes a costly mistake
14 Sep 2012
The Government’s planned changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme are a costly environmental mistake, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
ETS submission: Make car tests mandatory
14 Sep 2012
The Government should introduce mandatory emissions testing of all vehicles as part of a suite of moves to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Motor Trade Association says.
ETS submission: Get real on power line trees
14 Sep 2012
Clearing trees to put up power lines should not invoke a carbon liability, the Electricity Networks Association says.
ETS submission: Clarify forest ownership
14 Sep 2012
The Emissions Trading Scheme is forcing forests out of the ownership of custodian trusts, a Parliamentary select committee has heard.
Businesses in north soak up ETS costs
14 Sep 2012
Northland businesses are absorbing the costs of the Emissions Trading Scheme rather than passing them on to customers, a new study shows.
Work goes on to link Tasman trading schemes
31 Aug 2012
Australia’s decision to link to the European Emissions Trading Scheme will not slow progress on linking to the New Zealand scheme, the Government says.
Public split as ETS changes face scrutiny
24 Aug 2012
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme have gone into Parliament as a new poll shows that New Zealanders are evenly split over whether we should even have a price on carbon.
ETS bill has October deadline
24 Aug 2012
The Government expects to have its changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme through the select committee and back into Parliament by October 17.
Most believe green is good for jobs
24 Aug 2012
Environmental protection is seen to promote economic growth and jobs, a new survey shows.
It's about balance, says science chief
24 Aug 2012
Balancing environmental issues with resource use and economic growth is the biggest issue New Zealand faces, our top scientist says.
Let's all be like Taranaki, says Joyce
24 Aug 2012
The Government is continuing its pressure on local authorities to give environmental consents to mining and big dairying operations.
Most Kiwis back a green revolution
17 Aug 2012
New Zealanders are willing to put their hands in their pockets to encourage clean industries and technologies.
People want more action on climate change
10 Aug 2012
New Zealanders want the Government and business to do more about climate change – but most of all we want other countries to do something.
Survey shows more New Zealanders go cool on climate change issues
3 Aug 2012
The number of New Zealanders who think climate change is an urgent and immediate problem has slumped, according to a new poll.
Academic diagnoses climate change fatigue
3 Aug 2012
A dramatic fall in the number of people who think climate change is an urgent problem is not surprising, given the current economic and political environment in New Zealand, says an environmental sociologist.
Business execs taking it seriously
3 Aug 2012
Business managers and executives are among the New Zealanders most concerned about climate change.
ETS impact report out today
3 Aug 2012
Latest figures on the impact of the Emissions Trading Scheme will be out today.
Dick Smith jolts Murdoch media
27 Jul 2012
Australian businessman Dick Smith has gone on the attack against what he says is bias in the Rupert Murdoch-owned media over climate change.
Greens: Why NZ was a failure at Rio
20 Jul 2012
New Zealand has failed to live up to the commitments to sustainable development it made 20 years ago at the Rio Earth Summit, the Green Party says.
Papers show support for credits cut
13 Jul 2012
Most people making submissions on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme supported Government plans to restrict the use of international carbon credits in New Zealand, Cabinet papers show.
Minister's maths way out, says council
13 Jul 2012
The latest round of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will cost taxpayers $328.4 million to 2016, Climate Change Minister Tim Groser has told Cabinet.
Huntly key to free credit allocations
13 Jul 2012
Trade-exposed emitters might find themselves entitled to more free credits if changes to the electricity allocation factor go ahead.
Major ETS change looks like payoff to Act
6 Jul 2012
Politics might be behind a Government decision not to impose restrictions on the importation of international carbon credits into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Labour vows to protect carbon price
6 Jul 2012
Labour says it will push for measures to protect the domestic carbon price.
ETS overhaul begins to take shape
29 Jun 2012
The Government’s final plan for an overhaul of the Emissions Trading Scheme is likely to be made public in the next two weeks.
Minister claims oceans victory at Rio
22 Jun 2012
Environment Minister Amy Adams says the key goals on oceans pushed by New Zealand at the Rio+20 conference in Brazil have been included for discussion in the summit's outcome document.
Greens probe fossil-fuel subsidies
22 Jun 2012
The Government is being accused of undermining its own policy to cut fossil-fuel subsidies, by encouraging oil exploration and giving free carbon credits to internationally exposed emitters.
Joyce slams businessmen's report
15 Jun 2012
Economic Development Minister Stephen Joyce says the Pure Advantage business group is just looking for subsidies for businesses it likes.
Travel leaders call for sustainability
15 Jun 2012
Travel and tourism leaders are calling for a new enlightened framework for sustainable tourism in a ground-breaking collection of essays compiled by academics at Melbourne’s Victoria University academics.
ETS cash cow has lost its moo
25 May 2012
The Emissions Trading Scheme has turned from a cash cow into a financial liability in a few short months.
Forget Australia, says business lobby
25 May 2012
New Zealand should assume its Emissions Trading Scheme will not be linked with Australia’s, says BusinessNZ.
Last-minute submissions flood ministry
18 May 2012
The Ministry for the Environment has been swamped with last-minute submissions on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
NZ wants new deal for carbon markets
11 May 2012
Negotiations for a new framework for international carbon markets will be a priority for the New Zealand delegation at international climate change talks in Bonn next week.
China will show the way, says think-tank
11 May 2012
The current dominant economies – including the United States – will stagnate over the next 40 years, while China will be a success story because of its ability to respond to changing conditions, the latest Club of Rome report says.
Time running out for ETS submissions
11 May 2012
If you haven’t yet made your submission on the latest round of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme you’re nearly out of time.
NZ eyes regional common carbon market
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand is maintaining a “watching brief” on developments in Asia that Australia believes could lead to a common carbon market.
Govt stands back from new-world calls
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand supports global action on environmental issues, but might stop short of supporting an overhaul of world governance systems at the upcoming Rio+20 conference, officials say.
ETS consultation rolls to a stop
27 Apr 2012
Regional consultation meetings and hui on proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme are over.
Prices force rethink on carbon books
20 Apr 2012
The Government is reworking its books in the wake of the carbon price collapse.
Labour backs calls for a new world
13 Apr 2012
Labour’s deputy leader says he supports calls for a major overhaul of the world’s economic, social and environmental management systems.
Why we must have an emissions target
13 Apr 2012
New Zealand will have to adopt an emissions target before it can introduce a cap-and-auction system.
We can't go on like this, says think tank
13 Apr 2012
Over the past 50 years, the world's middle and upper classes have more than doubled their consumption levels, and an additional 1 to 2 billion people globally aspire to join the consumer class, the Worldwatch Institute says in its latest report.
Greens predict urban sprawl, congestion
13 Apr 2012
The Productivity Commission's main recommendations for affordable housing will create sprawling, congested, and less productive cities, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says
Government airs ETS changes
11 Apr 2012
The Government has just released proposals to amend the Emissions Trading Scheme in the wake of last year's Caygill Review.
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?
Emissions Trading Scheme needs deep reform - commissioner
Fri 11 Jul 2025
The government’s attempt to limit forestry conversions on rural land is unlikely to lead to meaningful change, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
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.
