New Zealand: Agriculture
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.
ETS reviewers eye Australian farm plan
13 May 2011
The panel reviewing the Emissions Trading Scheme is looking at Australia’s plan to give tradable credits to farmers for storing carbon in soil.
Figures show we're not so bad, say farmers
13 May 2011
Latest statistics show that New Zealand agriculture is not the intensive, greenhouse-gas emitting industry that it is portrayed as, says Federated Farmers.
New centre gets up close to nitrous oxide
8 Apr 2011
New Zealand’s ability to measure emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide just got better.
Study suggests bio-farming does the job
8 Apr 2011
The preliminary results from a project to study the impact of biological farming systems suggest it reduces nitrogen leaching.
Greens question Fonterra over water action
8 Apr 2011
The Green Party is congratulating Fonterra for investing in clean-water technology in its Australian factory - but want to know why it won’t do the same at its Wairarapa factory.
Scientists show biochar slashes animal gas
25 Mar 2011
New Zealand scientists have proved that emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide from animal urine can be cut drastically by adding biochar to the soil.
New centre will test gas samples
25 Mar 2011
The National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement will be opened at Lincoln University next week.
Jilted Fonterra to plead case at ETS review
18 Mar 2011
Access to free credits for trade-exposed businesses and the entry of agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme are two of the issues Fonterra will be raising with the ETS review panel.
Fertiliser firm wins battle over inhibitor
11 Mar 2011
A Christchurch company has won a court battle to patent its nitrogen emissions-reducing fertiliser.
NZ farmers happy with omission of agriculture
25 Feb 2011
Federated Farmers will use Australia's decision not to put a price on agricultural emissions to back its argument to keep farmers out of the New Zealand scheme.
Science key to the future, says Gluckman
25 Feb 2011
New Zealand must globalise its science to strengthen its economy and protect its social and environmental development, says the Prime Minister's Chief Science Adviser, Sir Peter Gluckman.
Minister not concerned about potential economic impacts of ruling out offshore mitigation
Today 12:15pm
By Liz Kivi | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts isn’t worried that ruling out using offshore mitigation is effectively reneging from the Paris Agreement with potential to damage New Zealand’s economy and access to export markets.
Neighbours fume over plans to axe trees for solar farm
Today 12:15pm
Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Whakatāne District Council has thrown its support behind residents of a country lane distressed about Genesis Energy’s plans to axe their trees.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
Wed 10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Christchurch Airport boasts world-first liquid-hydrogen refuelling for test aircraft
30 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Local companies working on hydrogen-electric flight have made ‘a significant step forward’ in successfully filling aviation tanks with liquid hydrogen produced and stored on-site at an international airport for the first time.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
