New Zealand: Agriculture
Farmers put weight behind water storage
24 Jan 2014
Farmers say climate change means water storage is more important than ever.
Don't burn crop rubble, says scholar
20 Dec 2013
A visiting scholar is questioning the Foundation for Arable Research's recommendation to burn crop residue.
Mix rice straw with wool and you get ... Mibu
6 Dec 2013
A new sustainable wool and rice straw blended upholstery fabric developed by a Wellington company goes into commercial production next year with the potential to create significant demand for New Zealand crossbred wool.
Local bodies need no-till, says scientist
22 Nov 2013
New Zealand local authorities are missing something when they prepare their environmental policies, a no-till advocate says.
Smartrafts ... smart way to treat waterways
15 Nov 2013
A local company turned to nature to develop a water-treatment system that costs nothing to run, uses no energy and works continuously with minimal maintenance.
Palm oil group agrees on new rules
15 Nov 2013
Three palm oil companies have signed a charter with environmental groups on responsible palm oil production.
Winemakers serious about sustainability
1 Nov 2013
Sustainability is the new normal in the wine industry, if entries in this year's Air New Zealand Wine Awards are anything to go by.
How new food forest courses will add to our larder
1 Nov 2013
Many more food forests are likely to spring up around New Zealand as a new tertiary qualification shows how to produce food in ways which mimic forest ecosystems.
NZ turns away Australian carbon units
18 Oct 2013
More than two million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued under that country’s Carbon Farming Initiative will not be eligible for surrender in New Zealand.
Would you like cadmium with that?
18 Oct 2013
Scientists are working on a cadmium-free potato as part of a response to growing alarm over the accumulation of the toxic heavy metal in New Zealand soils.
Pressure grows to act on Maui's dolphin
4 Oct 2013
New Zealand is under increasing international pressure to take action over the near-extinction of Maui's dolphin.
High Court throws out One Plan appeals
27 Sep 2013
The High Court has backed the legality of the ground-breaking Horizons Regional Council One Plan.
Scientist gets $2m for dairy research
20 Sep 2013
University of Waikato Earth Scientist Professor Peter Kamp has been awarded $2.07 million funding to continue research into energy efficiency in the dairy sector.
Interest in eels pleases green watchdog
23 Aug 2013
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says she is pleased with the Government’s response to date on threats to the endangered longfin eel.
Apiarists beg Government to bee serious
2 Aug 2013
Apiarists want the Government to take the $5 billion role of bees seriously.
GE scientists deliver clear message to NZ
19 Jul 2013
Evidence presented by international scientists at a conference in China is a warning for New Zealand to keep GE out of the food system, and to focus on understanding the cultural values driving demand for New Zealand food overseas, campaigners say.
Nation is green-obsessed, says farming chief
5 Jul 2013
New Zealand is obsessed with its clean, green image and our bureaucrats have an “unhealthy obsession” with nitrates, says Federated Farmers dairying boss Willy Leferink.
It's not all about profit, says farm report
5 Jul 2013
Maximising agricultural output from land could cost us money, a study out today shows.
Pollution puzzle: We're using more water than we've got
28 Jun 2013
Water extraction levels from some New Zealand rivers now exceed the amount of water in those rivers, a freshwater biologist is warning.
Farming in ETS is madness, says Groser
14 Jun 2013
Bringing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme would be "environmental and economic madness”, says Climate Change Minister Tim Groser.
Farmers slam fracking opposition
7 Jun 2013
Environmental and health concerns over the practice of spreading fracking fluids on pasture are being described as scare-mongering by Federated Farmers.
Solar power access gets easier for farmers
7 Jun 2013
Farmers are getting easier access to solar energy, potentially helping them to save thousands each year on their power bills.
Farmers elect green president
7 Jun 2013
Federated Farmers says it has elected an environmentally aware farmer as its new Golden Bay president.
Dole agrees to remove controversial stickers
31 May 2013
Dole is to remove “Ethical choice” stickers from its bananas imported into New Zealand in the face of consumer pressure.
Biofuels + Food = farming winner
24 May 2013
Farmers should be thinking about growing feedstocks for biofuels, says Federated Farmers.
Farm couple finds Asia an eye-opener
17 May 2013
An industry-backed trip to Asia has given Norh Otago farmers Blair and Jane Smith a deeper understanding of the challenges facing marketers of New Zealand meat and dairy products.
Eco report points finger at fishing
26 Apr 2013
New Zealand’s fishing industry is the major contributor to this country’s ecological footprint, new research shows.
No word yet on tree-planting plans
26 Apr 2013
Details of new Government plans to encourage forestry planting are unlikely to be unveiled for several weeks.
Women want out of the barn and into the boardroom
19 Apr 2013
The dairy industry is looking to girl-power to combat problems like climate change and the global recession.
Fracking waste danger to food, say Greens
12 Apr 2013
New Zealand risks damaging its international reputation as an exporter of quality food by disposing of oil industry wastes on to farmland, the Green Party says.
Science claims victory in beetle battle
28 Mar 2013
Success in tackling a destructive beetle on the West Coast has underlined the importance of having integrated pest management plans on farms, scientists say.
Critics uneasy with Fonterra-DOC deal
8 Mar 2013
Fonterra has signed the country's biggest corporate conservation deal in what Conservation Minister Nick Smith says is a sign of the success of the Government's blue-green agenda.
Voluntary deals don't work, say Greens
22 Feb 2013
Voluntary accords like the new Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord are no substitute for effective rules and standards, the Green Party says.
Gas research centre gets more funding
8 Feb 2013
The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium has secured funding from the agriculture sector and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to continue research to find tools for mitigating greenhouse gases.
Southern lignite stupid idea, says farmer
25 Jan 2013
The idea of digging up fertile farmland for lignite coal is “100% stupidity,” a visiting Australian farmer says.
Bio crop could put money in the margins
18 Jan 2013
A team of New Zealand researchers say that biofuels can be produced sustainably and economically from crops grown on the margins of paddocks.
Research scientists eye funding for funds
18 Jan 2013
Scientists involved in research to reduce biological carbon emissions are being offered funding to help them to apply for funding.
Early seasons spring plant surprises
18 Jan 2013
Spring is springing earlier in the United States – and climate change is being blamed.
Agriculture: It's not all bad news
7 Dec 2012
Agriculture can be good news for the climate, a new report says.
Environment watchdog questions fracking
30 Nov 2012
Environmental issues associated with fracking can be managed, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Winemaker walks off with world award
23 Nov 2012
New Zealand’s Yealands Estate has been named the leading Sustainable Medium Business in the world in the International Green Awards.
Cheap price to pay, says Labour
26 Oct 2012
Bringing farmers into the Emissions Trading Scheme would cost them less than $100 a year each on current prices, Labour says.
Care of our oceans lacking, say experts
26 Oct 2012
The Environmental Defence Society is calling for an overhaul of New Zealand’s marine protection provisions in the wake of a new report which is says shows serious deficiencies in the present system.
Philippines wins NZ geothermal help
26 Oct 2012
New Zealand’s GNS Science will help the Philippines to develop its geothermal energy generation.
Speak up for our seabirds
26 Oct 2012
The Ministry for Primary Industries and the Department of Conservation are seeking feedback on the draft of a new National Plan of Action to reduce the incidental catch of seabirds in New Zealand fisheries.
Farmers want action on water quality
19 Oct 2012
Farmers are calling for greater action on bacterial contamination of the nation’s rivers.
OPINION: There's no free lunch with water
19 Oct 2012
Federated Farmers chief executive CONOR ENGLISH explains why the decisions being made now about water are so important:
Scientists out to develop better seeds
5 Oct 2012
A new research programme aims to deliver better seeds and plant species for farmers, to help to improve animal productivity and minimise environmental impacts.
Farmers see plan as a step too far
28 Sep 2012
Federated Farmers is appealing against the ground-breaking Environment Court decision allowing the Horizons Regional Council’s OnePlan to go ahead.
Opposition slams environment ministry merger
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Opposition MPs accused the Government of downgrading climate and environmental protections as legislation to abolish the Ministry for the Environment and merge it into a new mega-ministry passed its second reading in Parliament.
GIDI-style help cheaper than LNG: MBIE
Mon 11 May 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Officials advised ministers last July that the lowest-cost way to free up gas for use during dry winters was to assist industrial gas users to switch to electricity.
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’s latest push to roll out more EV chargers is a good thing – but can it go the distance?
14 Apr 2026
A $50 million plan to expand New Zealand’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network marks another step toward a lower-emissions transport system.
Drop in ETS forestry registrations
5 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | ETS forestry registrations have dropped off this year, with the new mandatory emissions return period, new land-use rules, and carbon price volatility all meaning participants aren’t rushing to register forestry in the emissions trading scheme.
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.
