New Zealand: Agriculture
Smart software solution to help farmers meet Kyoto obligations
12 Jun 2008
A software solution developed by MAF, AgResearch and FertResearch will enable farmers across the country to accurately estimate their greenhouse gas emissions.
Major breakthrough in NZ animal methane research
11 Jun 2008
New Zealand scientists celebrated a major break through last week on mapping the genetic sequence of a microbe, which produces methane from the rumen of cattle and sheep.
Food prices will remain high over next decade, UN report says
6 Jun 2008
In the next 10 years food prices will remain well above the levels of the last decade, according to a report issued by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Ferrier meets Taylor on the question on taxpayers subsidising high earning farmers
5 Jun 2008
Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier and Environmental Defence Society chair Gary Taylor came togather yesterday for a blunt question and answer on taxpayers subsidising dairy farmer emissions.
Maize silage makes the most of dairy effluent
5 Jun 2008
A project in the Waikato is developing options for dairy farmers concerned about nutrient management.
Farmers calculate carbon emissions online
4 Jun 2008
The Carbon Farming Group has launched an easy to use, online calculator which enables farmers to identify how the Emissions Trading Scheme may affect them and their business.
US farmers told they're in a sustainability race
4 Jun 2008
The sustainability message is being delivered through to US farmers.
Go carefully on soil carbon sequestration - officials
30 May 2008
Soil-storage of carbon mightn’t be the answer to farmers’ prayers for a solution to agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions, and New Zealand must use caution in any decision to move into soil credits, officials say.
New Zealand food imports still the greenest option for UK
30 May 2008
By Angela van de Weerdhof. - New Zealand food producers should fare well when the European Union rings in carbon labeling on all imports.
Brtish Gas wants NZ as green test bench
29 May 2008
Further evidence is emerging that Contact Energy is a prime target in the acquisition by British Gas of Australia’s Origin Energy, parent of Contact.
Farmers: It's not just us who need to adapt to predicted water shortages
29 May 2008
Federated Farmers spokesperson Frank Brenmuhl says the Ecoclimate report is an interesting and useful document but "the population needs to adapt, not just farmers."
New climate change report: Worse-ever droughts main NZ worry
28 May 2008
Fighting possible extreme droughts will be the main obstacle for farmers as a result of climate change in New Zealand but overall production is predicted to go up.
Canterbury prepares water plan to cope with temperatures up to 3.3deg higher
28 May 2008
Canterbury will have a regional water strategy in place within 18 months as part of its strategy for dealing with the expected impact of climate change.
Red tape consent process may still sink solar hot water incentive system
26 May 2008
By Angela van de Weerdhof .- A bureaucratic resource consent process may still stifle a new bid to have home owners take up grants for solar water heating.
Get soil recognised as carbon storer, say scientists
21 May 2008
Scientists working on quantifying the carbon-storage potential of New Zealand soils are urging officials to start work now on getting soil recognised in the next round of climate-change protocols.
Fed Farmers pushes to have soil carbon sequestration included in ETS
20 May 2008
Federated Farmers is calling for a greater push toward getting soil recognised as a legitimate method of storing greenhouse gases, saying that it would be a boon to farmers struggling to deal with emission from animals.
Worried farmers: We want to be part of the ETS
19 May 2008
Farmers want to do their bit and be part of the emissions trading scheme, says Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen.
Dairy operator eyes $75m loss without forestry offset scheme
12 May 2008
The emissions trading scheme could cost the owners of one of New Zealand’s biggest dairy conversions $75 million and see prime pastoral farmland remain locked-up in plantation forest unless a forestry offset scheme is introduced.
Celebrity chef could cook up a storm for our food exporters
12 May 2008
Suggestions by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay that British restaurants should be fined for having imported food on their menus are a sign of the misguided Northern Hemisphere perception of the environmental impact of the international food trade, and are potentially damaging to New Zealand, says Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Peter Silcock.
Exporter: Food miles ploy major threat to UK halal meat trade
2 May 2008
Meat exporter Dr Haj Mohamed Samy Abdel-Al believes that the food miles syndrome underpins criticism in Britain of halal foods from New Zealand.
Are our cattle killing the orangutan?
1 May 2008
Greenpeace is accusing the dairy sector of environmental irresponsibility after the Green Party revealed the sector is contributing to tropical rainforest destruction by importing huge quantities of palm kernel for cattle feed.
Champion farmers: We have to think differently
28 Apr 2008
Award-winning Far North farmers Lindsay and Erica Whyte say that there are many things that New Zealand farmers can do to improve their farms’ environmental impact – it’s just a case of starting to think differently.
City waste handy down on the farm
28 Apr 2008
A plan is being hatched to turn Auckland’s green-waste into valuable farm mulch.
NZ expert questions US praise of feedlot cattle
24 Apr 2008
An American claim that feedlot cattle are one answer for a world struggling with climate change has been challenged by a leading New Zealand environmentalist.
Carbon storage in soil being researched: Major benefits possible for landowners
23 Apr 2008
A new move to store carbon in New Zealand soil is being formally researched and could be worth hundreds of millions to New Zealand farmers and other landowners.
Farming leadership criticised: industry at enormous risk
22 Apr 2008
New Zealand’s former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling for a radical rethink of our farming sector in the face of potential famine from climate change and world shortages of food, water and good-quality soils.
Climate change 'a problem for now'
22 Apr 2008
New Zealanders in the primary production sector believe that climate change is an urgent problem which needs addressing now.
Kiwis dither while Aussie farmers pounce on carbon-trading scheme
22 Apr 2008
While New Zealand farming leaders openly question the existence of climate change, Australian landowners are queueing to join a national carbon-trading programme.
Farm leaders, Agriculture Minister trade words on impact of ETS
21 Apr 2008
A row is brewing over the extent of the impact on farming of the proposed emissions trading scheme.
Farmer leadership slips back into attack on climate change science
21 Apr 2008
Federated Farmers wants the “religion” of climate changed reassessed before an emissions trading scheme is brought in, a stance which has failed to impress the Minister of Agriculture.
MAF report prompts call to include agriculture in ETS "now"
16 Apr 2008
The Sustainability Council says MAF’s report on the effects of the ETS on farm profits shows there’s no justification for delaying agriculture’s inclusion in the scheme.
EXCLUSIVE: 'Surprise' MAF report shows some farms will profit from ETS
14 Apr 2008
Already well-off dairy farmers could get a 30 per cent profit boost from the ETS, according to an apparently prematurely released Government report.
FEATURE: NZ's biggest coprorate dairy venture putting water quality first
9 Apr 2008
A corporate farmer and regional planning authorities take a practical approach to large-scale forestry replacement.
Greens won't back off ban on new thermal baseload power
2 Apr 2008
Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has told Carbon News she will not back off a proposed 10 year ban on new baseload thermal power generation.
Nitrification inhibitors critical to clean dairying
19 Mar 2008
If every one of the country’s 5000-odd dairy farmers were to spray their pastures with Ravensdown’s Eco-N, nitrous oxide emissions from all of New Zealand’s pastoral farming would be cut to below 1990 levels, the company says.
Agricultural emission rumours discounted
16 Mar 2008
Rumours of a massive under-estimation of the level of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by agriculture in New Zealand appear to be unfounded, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) suggesting 50ha of exotic plantation will be enough to offset the emissions of a 500ha hill-country farm.
Rabobank's annual Ag report: fine balance needed on climate change
12 Mar 2008
Given New Zealand’s exposure to global agricultural commodity markets, any loss of international competitiveness as a result of the new scheme would be damaging, according to report co-author and Rabobank head of Food and Agribusiness Research and Advisory, Bill Cordingley.
Gene tech reforms face political split
23 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams |The Government’s Gene Technology Bill continues to divide Parliament, after the Health Select Committee released its long-awaited report last week outlining key recommendations and lingering concerns.
Foresta welcomes Government support for Kawerau plant
Thu 30 Oct 2025
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | A $9 million Government boost to wood energy production has been welcomed by a company with its sights set on building a torrefied wood pellet plant in Kawerau.
Emissions down slightly - Stats NZ
24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.5% in the June 2025 quarter, although the decline seems to reflect the economy continuing to contract rather than Aoteoroa inching towards decarbonisation goals.
Christchurch Airport boasts world-first liquid-hydrogen refuelling for test aircraft
Thu 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.
From pines to natives: Nelson's forestry reset begins
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson City Council’s transition away from clear-fell pine forestry is well underway with around 74,000 trees planted in the Maitai and Marsden Valleys this winter.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
