New Zealand: Agriculture
Fund backs war on wilding pines
21 Sep 2012
Projects to control wilding pines in Southland and Canterbury are among the recipients of the latest Community Environment Fund round.
Ross Sea plan embarrassing, say Greens
14 Sep 2012
The Government's proposal for a protected area in the Ross Sea focuses on protecting the fishing industry, not the environment, the Green Party says.
Bold farm plan: Let's trade in effluent
7 Sep 2012
Fancy trading in nitrogen discharges? The Environment Court says it’s a good idea.
Discharge rules inevitable, says farmer
7 Sep 2012
Limits on nutrient discharge from farms are inevitable – and the sooner farmers accept it the better, says outspoken Tararua farmer Andrew Day.
Coconut compound does the trick
31 Aug 2012
A New Zealand scientist has come up with a product that he hopes will allow farmers to earn carbon credits while cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting production.
Transpower wins energy award
24 Aug 2012
A Transpower-led alliance to upgrade the North Island electricity grid has taken the environmental excellence title at this year’s Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
NZ farmers impress soil scientist
17 Aug 2012
The soil management and measuring practices of New Zealand’s pastoral carbon farmers have impressed an eminent soil scientist.
We must value water, say irrigators
17 Aug 2012
Instead of knocking the productive use of water for activities such as irrigation, it’s time all New Zealanders accepted and celebrated how water adds value, the irrigation industry says.
Don't stand back, environment adviser tells NZ
3 Aug 2012
Feeding the world and saving it at the same time is possible – but New Zealand might leave it too late.
Ministry offers $8m sustainability boost
3 Aug 2012
Farmers, foresters and fishers are being offered millions of dollars for projects that will improve the environment, society and the economy.
Sustainability must on menu, says report
27 Jul 2012
Sustainability should be at the heart of New Zealand’s food industry, says a new report.
Sheep emissions loophole to close
27 Jul 2012
A loophole that allocates all greenhouse gas emissions from sheep to the meat sector and none to wool is about to be closed.
Fisheries report gives NZ a nod
13 Jul 2012
The latest United Nations report on the state of the world’s fisheries released this week acknowledges New Zealand’s sustainable approach to fisheries management, the Seafood Industry Council says.
Bio-farming pays the bills, says study
6 Jul 2012
Biological farming systems use significantly fewer agrichemicals, are more energy-efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil qualities without reducing output and financial benefits than conventional farming, new research shows.
Court fines sharemilker $25,000
15 Jun 2012
A sharemilker in Flemington, near Ashburton, has pleaded guilty to two charges of discharging effluent into waterways during April and May last year.
Science out to solve carbon mystery
25 May 2012
On a Waharoa dairy farm two special machines aren’t missing a trick.
Tool measures hort gas emissions
25 May 2012
Horticulturalists have a new tool for measuring their greenhouse gas emissions.
View of oceans must change, says expert
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand needs to change the way in which it manages competing economic, environmental and conservation demands on the oceans, an American marine policy expert says.
It's good to be GE-free, says council
13 Apr 2012
New Zealand’s GE-free status is worth money, the Sustainability Council says.
Agriculture might get 2018 reprieve
11 Apr 2012
Agriculture might be out of the Emissions Trading Scheme until 2018.
Don't be a chimp this Easter, says zoo
5 Apr 2012
Auckland Zoo has entered the palm oil debate, urging New Zealanders not to buy Easter eggs made with chocolate.
Agriculture key to ETS credibility
30 Mar 2012
New Zealand could play a strong role in developing an international carbon market – but it needs to bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme, says an American geographer.
Protect fresh water sources, says report
23 Mar 2012
Freshwater quality is one of the biggest environmental problems facing New Zealand, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Gas technology lines Aussie pockets
2 Mar 2012
Australian farmers are about to earn carbon credits on the back of New Zealand research.
Converting farmers like low carbon
24 Feb 2012
Low carbon prices are proving a boon for farmers wanting to convert forest land to farmland.
Why sludge is starting to look sexy
17 Feb 2012
Power generation from wastewater treatment sludge is to reach 3845 gigawatt hours by 2020 due to increasing industrialisation and the overexploitation of natural resources.
Lignite could fight cadmium, says study
10 Feb 2012
Low-grade lignite could be used to deal with dangerous cadmium contamination of New Zealand’s soils, scientists say.
Stand by ... the weather will get worse
10 Feb 2012
El Niño and La Niña weather patterns will become even more dominant in New Zealand with climate change, according to research from the University of Auckland published in Nature Climate Change.
$500m boost if farm emissions cut
27 Jan 2012
Halving agricultural greenhouse gas emissions could give a $500 million-a-year boost to the economy.
Clean streams progress just a trickle
16 Dec 2011
The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord Snapshot of Progress Report for the 2010/11 dairy season, shows a mixed bag of progress towards improving fresh water quality, MAF says.
Cadmium, compaction, carbon ... our soil is under attack
2 Dec 2011
Toxic cadmium levels, soil compaction and carbon loss are looming as major problems which could affect New Zealand’s agricultural economy, a soil scientist is warning.
Fonterra forces farmers to fence
2 Dec 2011
The fencing of water ways is to become a condition of supply for Fonterra dairy farmers as the industry moves to clean up its environmental image.
Smart meters need study, says expert
2 Dec 2011
New Zealand's electricity industry and regulators could usefully collaborate with academic researchers on randomised testing to gain insights into household impacts of smart meters, says a visiting American researcher.
Biological farming gets cash boost
25 Nov 2011
New Zealand Biological Farming Systems Research Centre as been awarded funding by DairyNZ for a scoping study into biological farming systems.
Farmers growing keen on sustainability
18 Nov 2011
Dairy farmers are rapidly buying into the sustainability debate, says the fertiliser industry.
Pig gas turns into nice little earner
11 Nov 2011
Australian pig farmers are to earn carbon credits for cutting methane emissions from their animals.
Greens air milk disposal worries
28 Oct 2011
As the Maui gas leak continues to limit milk processing capabilities, the Green Party is calling on Fonterra to assess which farmers have the ability to dispose of unprocessed milk safely, and to intervene to support farmers who do not.
Scientist: PM didn't tell the whole story
30 Sep 2011
A prominent environmental scientist says the Prime Minister selectively quoted him during a debate in Parliament over water quality.
Reward inhibitor farmers, says study group
30 Sep 2011
Farmers should be given carbon credits to encourage them to use nitrogen inhibitors, a government committee says.
Eggs deserve a break, says committee
30 Sep 2011
The egg industry could be left out of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Taupo diffuses water time-bomb
23 Sep 2011
New Zealand’s Lake Taupo Water Quality Trading Scheme is being cited by the OECD as an example of how markets can be used to improve the environment.
Farmers could make money from new-deal ETS
16 Sep 2011
Recommended changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme could see farmers meet their obligations through offsetting.
Ag emissions move difficult, says minister
12 Aug 2011
Measuring agricultural greenhouse gas emissions on an intensity basis is attractive but difficult, our international climate change negotiations minister says.
ETS review looks at rewards for farmers
24 Jun 2011
The panel reviewing the Emissions Trading Scheme says that it has considered measures that reward farmers with carbon credits for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ spearheads agri-emissions research
24 Jun 2011
The Government has just revealed details of a $25 million fund for international research on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from pastoral farming.
Science eyes new way to measure farm gases
17 Jun 2011
A new way of measuring agricultural greenhouse gases being proposed by an international scientist could be the answer to New Zealand farmers’ prayers.
Try incentives for farmers, says broker
17 Jun 2011
A scheme similar to the United Nations Joint Implementation programme should be used to encourage farmers to cut greenhouse gas emissions, says a New Zealand carbon consultant.
Labour might sweeten ETS deal for farmers
27 May 2011
Labour might sweeten the carbon deal for farmers by letting them become the point of obligation under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Green science centre could be a loser
27 May 2011
The Agricultural Greenhouse Research Centre could lose funding to the private sector under a change of government.
Estimates pinpoint cost of ETS to farmers
27 May 2011
Bringing biological greenhouse gas emissions from farms into the Emissions Trading Scheme will cost dairy farmers about 2.8 cents per litre of milk solids, government estimates show.
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.
