New Zealand: Transport
“It’s not the car – it’s how we move” – EECA
3 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams| New Zealand’s transport emissions conversation has focused heavily on electric vehicles – but Richard Briggs, group manager, delivery and partnerships at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, says we’re asking the wrong question.
While govt ‘refreshes’ fund for low carbon trucks, are transport emissions set to accelerate?
28 May 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has announced it is updating the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund, however cuts to funds to decarbonise transport in last week’s budget, and potential changes to road user charges, could stall transport emissions reductions.
Public transport woes for Canterbury’s big growth areas
23 May 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | It is back to the drawing board on proposed bus services in the Selwyn district as Canterbury's regional council struggles with growing demand and limited funds, chairperson Craig Pauling says.
Govt budgets $600 million for rail upgrades
20 May 2025
The government has announced $600 million for rail upgrades and renewals ahead of Budget 2025.
Air New Zealand announces less ambitious emissions ‘guidance’
2 May 2025
Air New Zealand has published its first “emissions guidance,” saying it expects to reduce net “well-to-wake” greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel by 20-25% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
Govt announces plan for EV chargers
28 Apr 2025
The government has opted for a model based on the ultra-fast broadband rollout to boost electric vehicle charger numbers.
Peters unveils plans for rail-enabled interisland ferries
1 Apr 2025
Two new rail-enabled ferries will arrive by the end of 2029, but the costs remain under wraps.
Logging train revival to help 'deteriorating' Napier-Taihape road
29 Jan 2025
By Linda Hall, Local Democracy Reporter | Logging trains are back on the tracks running five days a week on the Napier-Palmerston North line to Napier Port, taking trucks off the 'deteriorating' Napier-Taihape Rd.
How to cut your transport emissions - and get there faster
20 Dec 2024
By Emily Mabin Sutton | OPINION: What do two lime trees, a 30kg duffel bag, a full supermarket shop and a deck chair have in common?
Low-carbon campaigners call for rail-enabled ferries
2 Dec 2024
As the country waits for the government to announce its plans for the interislander ferries, rail advocates fear that losing rail-enabled ferries could threaten the country’s ongoing ability to decarbonise transport.
Green’s EV fringe-benefit tax bill voted down
28 Nov 2024
Green MP Julie-Anne Genter had hoped National might consider backing her EV fringe-benefit tax bill because it was once a policy in the party’s 2020 manifesto, but those hopes were dashed.
Company merger to electrify marine technology
20 Nov 2024
Marine technology companies ZeroJet and Tectrax, both specialists in electric systems, are set to merge.
Are Air New Zealand's biofuel hopes just pie in the sky?
1 Nov 2024
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand and LanzaJet say a study shows promising results for turning wood waste into jet fuel. However, experts say that making jet fuel from wood at an industrial scale is challenging and extremely unlikely to result in near-term emissions reductions.
Canterbury locks in more emissions with new diesel ferry
30 Oct 2024
While Wellington and Auckland are cutting carbon with moves to electrify their ferries, Environment Canterbury has locked in at least eight more years of emissions with a brand-new diesel vessel for its only passenger ferry service.
Slight increase in EV sales - but uptake lagging behind other countries
22 Oct 2024
Electric vehicle sales staged a modest revival along with a mild increase in overall vehicle sales, according to an analysis by Forsyth Barr.
$27 million subsidy for low emissions heavy vehicles
24 Sep 2024
Last week the government announced $27.75 million for the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund, to subsidise the purchase price of low and zero-emissions heavy vehicles.
Relief coming for South Auckland train commuters
19 Aug 2024
By Mary Afemata, Local Democracy Reporter | After two years of disruptions, trains will once again be running along a major stretch of south Auckland's rail line by January 2025.
Wealthy Kiwis driving up transport emissions
13 Jun 2024
Cashed-up Kiwis are pumping out more than their fair share of transport emissions, driving more frequently and over longer distances, according to new research.
Transport policy threatens climate targets
2 Apr 2024
By Robert McLachlan | OPINION: The government’s move to drop climate considerations from land transport policy constitutes climate denial - and puts Aotearoa’s first emissions reduction plan at risk.
Govt should have considered climate impacts of EV road user charges
13 Mar 2024
The government should have done a climate impacts assessment on its proposed road user charges for electric vehicles, with the new charges likely to lead to a significant increase in carbon emissions, according to an expert.
New transport policy will increase emissions: Green Party
5 Mar 2024
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced the government will spend $7 billion a year for the next three years to build 15 new Roads of National Significance, while also cutting spending for mode shift to cycling, walking, and bus infrastructure.
Mainfreight releases climate related risks report
12 Oct 2023
Transport company Mainfreight has released its first climate related risks report, saying its position is “net positive” in terms of climate risks and opportunities.
Shifting gears on transport emissions
10 Oct 2023
Business vehicle fleets are still lagging on emission reductions, EROAD’s latest Sustainability Survey shows.
Z’s parent company predicts “robust” fossil fuel demand for next 10 years
31 Jul 2023
Demand for petrol retailers will remain high into the 2030s in New Zealand – years after some countries have banned the sale of fossil fuel vehicles, an energy giant predicts.
How close are we to price parity between EVs and ICE vehicles?
10 Dec 2021
The price of the batteries that power electric vehicles has fallen by about 90 percent since 2010, a continuing trend that will soon make EVs less expensive than gasoline vehicles.
Climate change mitigation reshaping capital’s streets
24 Sep 2021
A commitment to cutting the city’s GHG emissions has seen Wellington City Council greenlight consultation on a plan that will see 147km of cycle paths rolled out over the next 10 years.
Maersk spends £1bn on ‘carbon neutral’ container ships
25 Aug 2021
The world’s biggest shipping company is investing $1.4bn (£1bn) to speed up its switch to carbon neutral operations, ordering eight container vessels that can be fuelled by green methanol as well as traditional bunker fuel .
Fancy checking out an e-bike?
20 Jul 2021
Canberra’s e-bike library has been struggling to keep up with demand since it was launched last September.
Joint venture to build electric passenger-plane
1 Apr 2021
Rolls-Royce, Tecnam and Scandinavia’s largest airline, Widerøe, have entered into a partnership that they say will see the launch of an all-electric aircraft for passengers by 2026.
Shell to link execs' pay to climate performance
30 Mar 2021
Royal Dutch Shell proposes linking its directors' pay more closely to the group's climate performance and severing the link between bonuses and liquefied natural gas production volumes.
Aviation fuel from food waste could cut emissions
22 Mar 2021
Food waste could be instrumental in producing sustainable aviation fuel, according to a recent study.
EV subsidy plan causes division
19 Mar 2021
Toyota New Zealand will continue to push for financial incentives for those buying electric vehicles when it responds to the ClimCom draft report.
Japan's car--making heavyweights could be facing an electric shock
19 Mar 2021
Japan’s traditional car-making giants need to raise their game in the race to develop pure, battery-driven electric vehicles or risk being left behind by Chinese, American and European producers, analysts are warning.
IEA warns petrol demand may never recover
19 Mar 2021
Gasoline demand may never recover to pre-pandemic levels, the International Energy Agency says, with increased use in developing countries offset by rising fuel efficiency and a switch to electric vehicles in wealthy nations.
TRANSPORT 1: High carbon prices and behaviour change
16 Mar 2021
New Zealand is failing to get transport emissions under control, as latest data shows. Energy expert and IPCC lead author Emeritus Professor Ralph Sims says there is lots we can do, including pushing carbon prices higher.
TRANSPORT 2: Go electriciity, not hydrogen
16 Mar 2021
Green hydrogen is being touted as an alternative to fossil fuels in New Zealand. The Government has invested $8.4 million to explore its potential and $19.9 million in a hydrogen energy facility.
Our transport emissions hit new high
12 Mar 2021
New Zealand’s transport emissions are at an all-time high.
How heavy bombers hurt the climate
12 Mar 2021
The United States Airforce B-52 bomber that flew over Wairarapa during last month’s air show emitted as much carbon dioxide as 130 average mid-size cars emit per year in New Zealand.
Shipping industry proposes ‘moonshot’ fossil fuel levy
11 Mar 2021
Shipping industry representatives, backed by several countries, have submitted a proposal to the UN to charge a climate-related levy on fossil fuels used by international shipping for the first time.
World’s first low-carbon ship is low on gas
11 Mar 2021
When shipping giant Maersk announced last month it would operate a “carbon-neutral” vessel by 2023, the Danish company committed to using a fuel that’s made from renewable sources, is free of soot-forming pollutants — and is currently in scarce supply.
Study reveals Airbus' huge emissions legacy
1 Mar 2021
Planes sold by Airbus in 2019 and 2020 will produce well over a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide during their lifetimes, according to landmark first estimates of the aerospace manufacturer’s emissions.
Businesses join hands to find 'right recipe' for zero-carbon industries
26 Feb 2021
Despite the pandemic slamming the brakes on flying, UK-based engineering firm Rolls-Royce - whose main clients include the aviation industry - has not backed away from its work to slash planet-heating emissions, according to its technology director.
Tax aviation to raise funds for poor countries
19 Feb 2021
Taxes on international transport could provide finance to help developing countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, a group of climate finance experts say.
Aviation charts path to carbon neutrality by 2050
16 Feb 2021
The European airline industry has launched a sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation sector by 2050.
Projects to tackle our transport emissions headache
10 Feb 2021
The latest round of Government funding to help cut the country’s traffic emissions has gone to projects including hydrogen trucks, EV charging and car-and-bike-sharing schemes.
Will planes be flying on air?
5 Feb 2021
Scientists are working on recovering atmospheric carbon to conjure aviation jet fuel from thin air.
Study puts Dunedin on most-at-risk airports list
4 Feb 2021
Dunedin airport is on a new international list of airports most vulnerable to climate change.
Scania says no to hydrogen power
3 Feb 2021
Where will hydrogen fit in the clean transport mix? Not in trucking, says one of the world's largest heavy-duty-vehicle manufacturers.
Govt moves on transport ahead of ClimCom report
28 Jan 2021
The Government is pre-empting likely criticism from the Climate Change Commission by today announcing a suite of policies tackling greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
Help us make Marsden a renewables hub, says Z
11 Dec 2020
A major shareholder in New Zealand’s only oil refinery says it should be converted to producing renewable fuels.
Legal experts sue Climate minister over ‘glaring holes’ in climate plan
Wed 11 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Legal experts are taking the government to court over its Emissions Reduction Plan, alleging it fails to fulfil basic requirements of the law – with one of the arguments focussing on an over-reliance on tree-planting.
Electric firebricks: decarbonising high-temperature industrial heat
Fri 13 Jun 2025
By Ian Mason | A new technology could offer a more cost-effective solution than hydrogen to decarbonise one ‘hard-to-abate’ sector of New Zealand’s economy, as well as having ample potential for demand response as the electricity grid becomes more renewable.
Flurry of govt announcements at Fieldays
Thu 12 Jun 2025
The government has come up with a solar energy package for farms, a new grass-fed certification scheme for meat and dairy, and a supplier agreement for carpets in new state homes - all part of the annual flurry of politicians’ Fieldays announcements.
Tech alone won’t save us, warns climate expert
4 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Technology alone won't be enough to reach net zero emissions, environmental psychologist Lorraine Whitmarsh told the Carbon and Energy Professionals conference in Auckland last week.
Forestry consents and relaxed rules in erosion zones sow seeds of future disaster
Fri 13 Jun 2025
OPINION: The government’s move to restrict exotic forestry on our best food-growing soils will push even more forestry investment onto high erosion risk land on the East Coast, with the worst land becoming the only land left for the most intensive and destructive land use, writes Manu Caddie
Kiwi cleantech companies on the world stage
27 May 2025
Six New Zealand 'cleantech' companies were in Singapore earlier this month, along with a venture capital firm and the MacDiarmid Institute, to meet investors and multinational partners.
