New Zealand: Agriculture
We won't dump you in it, minister tells farmers
25 Jun 2010
Agriculture Minister David Carter is promising farmers they will not come into the Emissions Trading Scheme if New Zealand’s trading partners have not moved to cut their carbon emissions.
Clover breakthrough could cut farm emissions
18 Jun 2010
A team of kiwi scientists think they can alter white clover so that animals grazing on it receive a more protein and produce less methane.
Organic farmer: We're not all the same
11 Jun 2010
An organic sheep and beef farmer who says she doesn’t mind paying for any environmental damage she causes is calling for the environmental benefits of organic farming to be recognised under the ETS.
You had enough time, MAF tells farmers
11 Jun 2010
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says it gave as much time as it could for submissions on the rules governing agriculture under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
NIWA scientists put better nitrogen management on the farm to the test
11 Jun 2010
New Zealand science is taking a global lead in assessing techniques for the mitigation of pastoral greenhouse gas emissions.
Help us make money from carbon, pleads dairyman
4 Jun 2010
A dairy farmer planning on making money from farming carbon says Federated Farmers is failing to provide leadership on the issue.
...and what Federated Farmers says about sheep farms and the ETS
4 Jun 2010
Federated Farmers says New Zealand will have to sell an extra 4.7 million lambs to offset the cost of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Vital ETS rules for agriculture emissions being prepared
4 Jun 2010
All-important fine detail determining how emissions are measured for agriculture are now being developed.
Fonterra vows to fight on for free credits share
21 May 2010
Fonterra is continuing its battle for a share of the free carbon credits available to trade-exposed heavy emitters.
Government takes ETS hardline with farmers
7 May 2010
The Government is going on the offensive with farmers over the Emissions Trading Scheme, telling them that abandoning the scheme could lead to a trade backlash.
Countries expected to agree on animal-emissions action
9 Apr 2010
Senior government officials and scientists from 30 countries meeting in Wellington are expected to release a draft charter today for the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
Kiwi dollars might fund overseas research
1 Apr 2010
Part of the $45 million the Government has pledged to the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions could be spent on research in other countries.
Scientists aim to unlock ag-gas emissions secrets
26 Feb 2010
Understanding some of the trickiest aspects of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is the first job of the new Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, says its director.
Australian firms eye biochar production
19 Feb 2010
South Australia could become a leader in the generation of renewable energy from organic material following the signing of an agreement between two of the state’s leading environment-focused organisations.
Scientists hot on the trail of burp-maker
29 Jan 2010
New Zealand scientists have mapped a methanogen believed to be responsible for methane emissions from ruminants.
NZ might get its way, says business council head
18 Dec 2009
New Zealand might get what it wants on forestry and land-use – providing an agreement comes out of the Copenhagen international climate change talks.
NZ pours $45m into global research fund
18 Dec 2009
New Zealand will put $45 million towards the Global Research Alliance on agriculture greenhouse gases over the next four years.
Indoor dairying cuts emissions, says expert
11 Dec 2009
Switching to indoor dairy farming would cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, says an American researcher.
Organic farming key to cutting emissions
11 Dec 2009
Converting Britain to organic agriculture would cut that country’s carbon emissions by 3.2 million tonnes – the equivalent of taking nearly a million cars off the road, says the Soil Assocation.
No-go Nicolson: It's best I stay down on the farm
4 Dec 2009
Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson says he’s doing his bit for climate change by not going to international climate change talks in Copenhagen next week.
Soil sequestration seen as cash boost for farmers
27 Nov 2009
Soil sequestration of carbon will be a significant income source for farmers in the future, says the head of the Berl economic analysis group.
Farmers might move offshore, warns Fonterra
6 Nov 2009
Fonterra is being cut out of free carbon credits under the Government's amended emissions trading scheme - and is warning the move could drive farmers offshore.
Methane scare: NZ urged to watch and wait
6 Nov 2009
New Zealand policy makers are being urged not to react too quickly to American research suggesting methane might play a bigger part in climate change than previously thought.
Farming opportunites huge, says recruiter
23 Oct 2009
Carbon reduction and carbon trading hold huge potential for farmers – if they can get beyond the rhetoric and see the opportunities, says an Australian consulting firm looking for staff in New Zealand.
Switch to trees pays off for carbon-conscious farmer
23 Sep 2009
Politicians might be bogged down in arguments over the emissions trading scheme, but in Marlborough, they’re quietly getting on with cutting emissions and making money.
Let farmers opt in to ETS, says expert
23 Sep 2009
New Zealand farmers should be able to opt-in to the emissions trading scheme to benefit from cuts to their emissions levels, says AbacusBio.
World is listening to us, says Groser
18 Sep 2009
Other countries are coming around to New Zealand’s position on forestry and agriculture in climate-change mitigation, says the Associate Minister for Climate Change, Tim Groser.
New tech means farmers can turn dung into dollars
21 Aug 2009
New technology could see farmers turning effluent into carbon credits
Fruit producers lead way in carbon footprinting
31 Jul 2009
Fruit producers are world leaders in their sector when it comes to carbon footprint measuring, says Pipfruit New Zealand’s chief executive officer Peter Beaven.
Our ag emissions in the spotlight, says minister
24 Jul 2009
Europe and Britain are watching New Zealand’s efforts to mitigate agricultural emissions, says Agriculture Minister David Carter.
Agriculture (at last) on world emissions agenda
17 Jul 2009
Agricultural emissions are finally on the agenda for international climate change negotiators.
Govt sees NZ as leader in ag emissions research
17 Jul 2009
The Government is about to announce a formal proposal to promote New Zealand as a virtual centre for research on international agricultural emissions mitigation.
Need for balance in climate change targets, says Meat & Wool New Zealand
14 Jul 2009
New Zealand’s post-2012 climate change policies, including any 2020 emissions target, must balance environmental and financial implications, says Meat & Wool New Zealand chairman Mike Petersen.
Soil carbon question difficult, says minister
10 Jul 2009
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith says that soil carbon sequestration is a double-edged sword.
We're no climate deniers, says farm leader
10 Jul 2009
Farmers are not climate change deniers, says Federated Farmers’ president and new climate change spokesman Don Nicolson.
Voluntary soil carbon market on the way
7 Jul 2009
New Zealand is on the road to establishing a voluntary soil carbon market.
Kiwifruit wins share of $8m carbon fund
7 Jul 2009
A project designed to quantify the carbon sequestered above and below ground in kiwifruit orchards is one of 35 projects that have been granted a combined total of $8.26 million by the Sustainable Farming Fund.
Avocado growers look for carbon answers
7 Jul 2009
The avocado industry is to use $20,000 awarded by the Sustainable Farming Fund this month to help to prove the carbon sequestration potential of its trees.
Climate change: Where there's a Wills there's a way
5 Jun 2009
The best form of defence against climate changes is attack, Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer Bruce Wills believes.
New centre to study agriculture gas emissions
2 Jun 2009
New Zealand is to get a government-funded specialist agricultural and horticultural greenhouse gas research centre.
MAF's message: Our way of farming must change
2 Jun 2009
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is pushing farmers to adapt to changes caused by climate change.
Organics campaigner sends key message to farmers
2 Jun 2009
Organics will play a key role in dealing with climate change, says Organics Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive officer Dr Jon Tanner.
Budget investment brings hope for sustainability science, says OANZ
29 May 2009
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased by the Budget announcement of new priorities for the Ministry for the Environment, and hopes that the Primary Growth Partnership will lead to a greater investment in organic innovation.
Organic fruit growing gets carbon clearance
15 May 2009
Organic fruit growing operations are environmentally sustainable and could trade carbon credits in the future, a Massey University researcher has found.
Zespri aims high as carbon-clean producer
1 May 2009
Zespri is out to become the world’s leading environmentally friendly producer of kiwifruit in the wake of a groundbreaking research into the carbon footprint of New Zealand kiwifruit.
You must adapt, minister tells farmers
28 Apr 2009
Agriculture Minister David Carter says that New Zealand farmers should be starting to adapt their farm management to deal with the impacts of climate change – and be looking for possible benefits to exploit.
Kiwi researchers in major cow methane breakthrough
24 Apr 2009
Breakthrough research into the cattle genetics could lead to the breeding of cattle that produces less methane.
Coastal Farmers take environment award
24 Apr 2009
Omamari beef farmers Peter and Pam Kelly have taken out the supreme award in the 2009 Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Inhibitors no silver bullet, warn farmers
21 Apr 2009
Nitrification inhibitors should not be seen as a one-size-fits-all solution for reducing agricultural emissions, says Federated Farmers in the wake New Zealand’s latest emissions data.
Local govt bill 'completely misses the point,' passes first reading
Fri 18 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s bill making changes to the Local Government Act to "refocus" councils on their core functions passed its first reading in Parliament last night, with critics saying it will set back climate resilience.
Importing LNG is feasible, but is it plausible?
Fri 18 Jul 2025
Importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a form of energy supply insurance is technically feasible, but an industry-commissioned report raises questions about whether it is financially plausible.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Foresters seek time; end to using ETS as a land use tool
Wed 16 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Production and carbon forestry owners have begged the environment select committee to at least give the sector more time to come up with workable rules for legislation intended to cap forest planting on farmland.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
