New Zealand: Energy
Water-wise Maori now look to the wind
7 Sep 2012
As the Government prepares to negotiate with Maori over ownership of rivers, a Waitangi Tribunal claim is being finalised for Maori to earn a dividend for the use of wind for commercial electricity generation.
Blenheim innovator makes world final
7 Sep 2012
Carbon-refining company Carbonscape is a finalist in the international Postcode Lottery Green Challenge.
Industry slams Govt biofuel backdown
31 Aug 2012
The Government’s decision to stop subsidising biofuel development and to allow Solid Energy to retreat from the alternative fuels is damaging, the industry says.
Mining cuts won't ease gases liability
31 Aug 2012
Solid Energy’s decision to cut coal production in the face of depressed prices might result in fewer climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions, but it will do little for New Zealand’s GHG liability.
NZ to host EU energy conference
31 Aug 2012
An international conference to bring Pacific Islands governments together with potential investors in renewable energy development will be held in New Zealand next April.
Billions back fossil fuels, says study
24 Aug 2012
Subsidies for fossil fuels could top $US1 trillion this year, an American-based independent research agency is warning.
Fracking no answer, warn Greens
24 Aug 2012
Coal-seam gas is not the answer to New Zealand’s economic woes, the Green Party is warning.
Aquaflow makes Asia tech final
24 Aug 2012
A New Zealand renewable fuels company is a finalist in a competition to find Asia’s most prestigious private technology ventures.
Wave power popular, but progress is slow
17 Aug 2012
New Zealanders might support Government incentives to encourage the marine energy industry, but our attempts at it have yet to bear fruit.
Mill Creek wind farm to play key role
17 Aug 2012
Meridian Energy has turned the first sod on Mill Creek, its 26-turbine wind farm north-west of Wellington City.
Petrobras protest skipper walks free
27 Jul 2012
Charges against the skipper of a boat involved in protests against deep-sea oil exploration in the Raukumara Basin by Petrobras have been dismissed.
NZ helps Tonga build solar plant
13 Jul 2012
Auckland Mayor Len Brown and a delegation of New Zealand business leaders this week visited a Tonga solar farm project will become the first utility-scale energy generation facility in the kingdom.
Puketoi wind farm gets go-ahead
29 Jun 2012
Mighty River Power has been given the go-ahead for the 53-turbine Puketoi Range wind farm.
We'd like $25m, too, says wind industry
22 Jun 2012
The wind energy industry wants $25 million and its own unit within the Ministry of Economic Development.
Wind energy pathway to jobs, says report
15 Jun 2012
The wind energy industry will be creating jobs and revenue on a par with the oil and gas industry by 2030, a new report says.
Jobs boom looms in clean energy
8 Jun 2012
More than half the people working in the energy industry in 2030 will be employed in clean energy, a new report says.
Power company backs green projects
8 Jun 2012
A park, a walkway and a wetland are the first projects to benefit from Transpower’s new Greenline community programme.
Help us, pleads wind power innovator
1 Jun 2012
A company whose technology has been described as one of the world’s leading innovations in wind power says that policies in this country are making it almost impossible to turn good ideas into export earnings.
Make it easier, says rivers champion
1 Jun 2012
The planning process for commercial developments on conservation land should be streamlined, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Solid Energy keen on Taranaki gas
1 Jun 2012
Solid Energy says it is refocusing its coal-seam-gas development work to Taranaki after successfully proving the technology in New Zealand conditions at its Huntly coal seam gas demonstration plant in the Waikato.
LanzaTech takes global award ... again
25 May 2012
New Zealand’s LanzaTech has for the second year in a row been named in the TiE50 as a leader in entrepreneurship, innovation, and management excellence.
Low lake levels affect gas emissions
18 May 2012
The low water level of most of New Zealand hydro-generation lakes will affect the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Key must quit coal connection, says campaigner
4 May 2012
Prime Minister John Key is under fire for being a shareholder in the worst of the "filthy five" banks named as the major funders of coal mining.
Britain tempts NZ over marine power
27 Apr 2012
Britain is challenging New Zealand to join it in a $200-million-a-year marine power industry.
Coal survey unfair, says protest group
20 Apr 2012
Solid Energy is being accused of using dubious research to get results showing that New Zealanders support coal mining.
Business takes over energy centre
20 Apr 2012
The New Zealand Clean Energy Centre has been taken over by the Taupo business development organisation Enterprise Great Lake Taupo.
Firm doubles sales of LED lights
13 Apr 2012
Sales of energy-efficient LED lights have doubled in the past year, says a New Zealand supplier.
Bioenergy group looks for scholars
13 Apr 2012
The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand has established a bioenergy scholarship.
City wins praise for fracking stand
13 Apr 2012
A unanimous vote by Christchurch City Council to declare the city a fracking-free zone is significant and shows momentum is building against a dangerous drilling technique, Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes says.
Wind energy lobby predicts big things
5 Apr 2012
The Wind Energy Association is predicting a 600 per cent increase in wind generation in New Zealand by 2030, creating 1500 jobs in rural areas and producing more than $10 million a year in lease payments for farmers.
EPA bombshell means big changes ahead
5 Apr 2012
Coal lobbyists are heading back to school in droves, and there's one phrase they're all learning... Ni hao, writes Keith Kohl
Wind is the word at Hamilton talks
30 Mar 2012
The annual New Zealand Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition kicks off in Hamilton next week.
Marine energy groups to join forces
23 Mar 2012
The New Zealand marine energy industry is to link up with its counterpart in Oregon to promote marine energy in the Pacific region.
Talks look at wood for bio-energy
16 Mar 2012
Using wood to generate bioenergy for the national grid will be on the agenda of next week’s ForestWood 2012 conference in Wellington.
Wind power forecast is for huge growth
9 Mar 2012
Global installed wind capacity is set to increase on the back of expected massive growth in wind power markets.
Lucy joins oil ship boarding party
24 Feb 2012
Lucy Lawless and Greenpeace activists have occupied a Shell-contracted drillship due to depart the port of Taranaki for the Arctic, where its exploratory oil drilling programme threatens to devastate the Alaskan coastline.
Meridian explains jump in emissions
17 Feb 2012
Meridian Energy’s greenhouse gas emissions rose more than 60 per cent in the 2010/2011 financial year.
Solid Energy wants coal from new mine
17 Feb 2012
Solid Energy wants to expand the Stockton coal mine.
Developer goes solar for subdivision
3 Feb 2012
A Christchurch developer making the leap into solar energy says he expects it to be good for business, good for society and good for the environment.
Fancy fridges save country millions
3 Feb 2012
Better-performing, more-efficient fridges and freezers saved New Zealanders $59 million last year, according to the latest sales data compiled by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
Solid Energy buys back Spring Creek
3 Feb 2012
Solid Energy has bought back Cargill’s 49 per cent share of Spring Creek Mining Company, the owner of Spring Creek underground mine near Greymouth.
Interest high in green-living project
27 Jan 2012
Proponents of an off-the-grid housing community say the idea is generating strong interest from here and abroad.
Hydropower on rise worldwide
27 Jan 2012
Global use of hydropower increased more than 5 per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to new research.
Taupo tempts clean-tech Americans
20 Jan 2012
The first step has been taken toward developing an off-the-grid housing community that could lure wealthy American business people to this country.
Meridian drops wind farm project
20 Jan 2012
Meridian Energy has canned the controversial Project Hayes wind farm.
Drop Denniston, says business lobby
9 Dec 2011
Turning the Denniston Plateau into a coal mine threatens New Zealand’s clean green image, says the Pure Advantage green-growth business lobby group.
Hacker slams lignite on miner's website
25 Nov 2011
Solid Energy’s website has been hacked overnight by protesters opposed to the company’s Southland lignite development.
Scrap lignite plan, says energy expert
18 Nov 2011
A New Zealand scientist at the heart of the IPCC says Solid Energy’s lignite development should not go ahead.
LanzaTech lands a first with India
11 Nov 2011
LanzaTech has just signed its first commercial customer, marking a milestone in the Kiwi clean-energy technology company’s global development.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
Greens condemn planned coal mine next to protected wetland
4 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party says a new plan for a coal mine and fertiliser plant next to an internationally significant wetland is “ecological vandalism and climate denial.”
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ at risk of falling behind on EV transition
Fri 22 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An EV lobby group is warning that New Zealand is at a crossroads on transport electrification, with inconsistent policy settings and lagging charging infrastructure slowing uptake, while global adoption accelerates and fuel price shocks renew interest in electric vehicles.
Govt presses ahead with forestry rule changes despite opposition
14 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is pushing ahead with changes to commercial forestry rules despite most submitters opposing the proposals, with critics warning the reforms will weaken councils’ ability to manage erosion and forestry slash risks in vulnerable regions such as Tairāwhiti.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
