News Direct: Media releases
Whaling’s link to climate change
3 Nov 2022
Media release: Royal Society Te Apārangi | Whales can store vast amounts of carbon throughout their lifetime. When they die, they bring that carbon with them to the bottom of the sea, where they sustain the local food web or get buried, effectively trapping carbon for centuries to millennia.
NZ's leading NGOs call on PM to keep 'No New Mines' promise
2 Nov 2022
Media Release - New Zealand’s leading environmental organisations have joined forces to call on the Prime Minister to honour her government’s 2017 promise to stop new mines on conservation land.
One in 10 Kiwi kids face double threat of high climate risk and poverty
27 Oct 2022
Media Release - Almost 110,000 children - 10% of Aotearoa New Zealand’s child population - are living with the dual impacts of poverty and high climate risk, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Heatwaves to impact almost every child on Earth by 2050: UNICEF Report
26 Oct 2022
Media Release - Heatwaves have become an unavoidable health hazard for many nations, but new data indicates that they are set to affect virtually every child on earth by 2050, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, warned on Tuesday.
Dunedin public transport study into boosting bus use, reducing emissions
25 Oct 2022
Media Release - Dunedin City Council | An eight-month study into the future of Dunedin’s public transport system will be underway shortly - with a long-term emphasis on boosting bus use.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited launches climate innovation hub
21 Oct 2022
Media Release - Tātaki Auckland Unlimited has launched Climate Connect Aotearoa – a hub for collaborative climate innovation – that will help the transition to a climate resilient and low carbon Tāmaki Makaurau while benefiting the nation.
Air quality improves as EV bus numbers increase
20 Oct 2022
Media Release - A new report from Greater Wellington’s Environmental Science team shows the positive impact Metlink’s EV buses are having on Wellington’s air quality along the Golden Mile, leading both to positive health benefits and climate change mitigation.
Christchurch and Hamburg airports join forces on green hydrogen
19 Oct 2022
Media release: Christchurch Airport | Christchurch and Hamburg Airports are on opposite sides of the world, but definitely on the same page for decarbonisation.
Greener future takes root in Taranaki schools
13 Oct 2022
Media Release - Tamariki at Waitara East School are growing a new outdoor classroom where future generations will learn thanks to funding from the New Plymouth District Council.
Import limits reduced for potent greenhouse gases
12 Oct 2022
Media Release: Environmental Protection Authority | The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has lowered import limits for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a group of harmful greenhouse gases used in heat pumps, air conditioning and refrigeration.
City partnership a world leader in climate change planning
7 Oct 2022
Media release - University of Canterbury | A partnership between the University of Canterbury (UC) and Christchurch City Council is leading the world in understanding and adapting to risk from climate change.
Groundbreaking global report says zero waste an essential part of any climate plan
6 Oct 2022
Media Release - The release of a groundbreaking international report, Zero Waste to Zero Emissions: How Waste Reduction is a Climate Gamechanger, says that at the global scale the two main sources of GHGs from the waste sector are methane from organics in landfill and CO2 from burning waste plastic.
New agreement with mana whenua over Tiwai Smelter
5 Oct 2022
Media Release - Murihiku Rūnaka and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu have reached an agreement with New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited (NZAS) and Rio Tinto Aluminum Limited to work together on restoring the whenua (land) at the Tiwai Peninsula and the future of the Tiwai aluminium smelter beyond December 2024.
New research to future-proof New Zealand wine sector
30 Sep 2022
Media Release - A new experimental vineyard in Blenheim will help enhance the supply of quality grapes for New Zealand’s wine sector into the future.
Progress continues on future-proofing Auckland’s transport infrastructure
29 Sep 2022
Media Release - Transport minister Michael Wood has welcomed the latest progress on Auckland’s two most transformational transport projects in a generation – Auckland Light Rail and the Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections.
Partnership supports climate action in Latin America and Caribbean
27 Sep 2022
Media Release - Aotearoa New Zealand is extending the reach of its support for climate action to a new agriculture initiative with partners in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Deel offers 'digital nomad e-van-gelist' scholarship
22 Sep 2022
Media Release - Deel opens applications for ‘digital nomad e-van-gelist’ role paying NZD $5,000 per month to travel Australia and New Zealand in a van, documenting the whole experience.
Research predicts big climate change impacts on marine mammals
19 Sep 2022
Media release - A new Department of Conservation report predicts that climate change could have a major impact on some of New Zealand’s marine mammals.
Sea-level rise increasing at faster rate around Aotearoa New Zealand
16 Sep 2022
Media Release - Sea levels around Aotearoa New Zealand have risen at a faster rate in recent decades compared with the first half of last century, Stats NZ says.
July extreme weather insurance claims hit $43.7m
15 Sep 2022
Media Release - New claims data released by the Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) show that weeks of extreme weather over July resulted in 6,266 general insurance claims with a provisional value of $43.7 million.
Wooden cities key to cutting worldwide carbon emissions
14 Sep 2022
Media Release - The Forest Owners Association president is predicting massive increases in the worldwide demand for engineered timber construction.
Agriculture drives more than 90% of tropical deforestation
9 Sep 2022
Media Release - Halting deforestation will require a step-change in approach, and to be effective measures must address underlying and indirect roles of agriculture, says study.
Māori authorities demonstrate their commitment to kaitiakitanga in response to climate change
8 Sep 2022
Media Release - Over half of Māori authorities, compared with a third of all New Zealand businesses, took actions in response to climate change in the last two years, Stats NZ said today.
NZ school students to kick off international wave of protest
7 Sep 2022
Media Release - On September 23rd, Aotearoa will be the first country in the world to kick off the next Global Climate Strike led by Fridays For Future. Protestors will be rallying in Tāmaki Makaurau from 1pm at Aotea Square. Simultaneous events are also being planned in Wellington and Christchurch.
Greenhouse gases down in most regions in 2021 compared with pre-COVID 2019
6 Sep 2022
Media Release - Greenhouse gas emissions decreased in 10 out of 16 regions between 2019 and 2021, with Taranaki showing the biggest drop in emissions during this period, Stats NZ said today.
Taupō District Council adopts climate change directives
1 Sep 2022
Media Release - Taupō District Council has demonstrated its commitment to helping address climate change, adopting a set of directives and emissions reduction targets at its monthly meeting on Tuesday.
The search for fossil fuels must come to an end: Greens
26 Aug 2022
Media Release - Following a High Court decision yesterday the Green Party is calling on the Government to amend the Crown Minerals Act to end fossil fuel extraction and to require Ministers to consider climate change when making decisions about whether to grant a permit to prospect, explore or mine other Crown minerals.
Commercial build projects to count the ‘cost’ of carbon
25 Aug 2022
Media Release - Construction projects will soon come with both a financial budget and a projected carbon estimate as quantity surveyors increasingly include carbon emissions in their advice to clients.
Put Papatuuaanuku first: Kingitanga
22 Aug 2022
Media Release - Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has urged political leaders to heal the damage of decades past with policies that put people and the environment first.
School strikers are back – demanding action on climate change
17 Aug 2022
Media Release - After nearly an 18 month hiatus, students from all across the country are preparing to strike for their futures once again – this time, on September 23rd. For this strike, a special focus is being placed on the agriculture industry in New Zealand, which accounts for over half of all emissions.
Simon Stiell appointed new UNFCCC executive secretary
16 Aug 2022
Media Release - UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Simon Stiell as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat based in Bonn, Germany. The appointment has been endorsed by the Bureau of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
New law requires overseas investors to show benefit to NZ of farm forestry conversions
12 Aug 2022
Media Release - A law change to ensure that forestry conversions by overseas investors benefit New Zealand has passed its final reading in Parliament.
Seagrass restoration project aims to help tackle climate change
1 Aug 2022
Media Release - Cawthron Institute has partnered with Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund, Port Nelson and forestry company OneFortyOne to launch a seagrass restoration project that aims to fight climate change and improve ecosystem health.
Local Government New Zealand passes free fares remit
29 Jul 2022
Media Release - On Thursday morning, the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Annual General Meeting passed a remit supporting the Free Fares call for central Government to fund free public transport for under-25’s, tertiary students, Community Services Card Holders, and Total Mobility Card holders and their support people.
Three biggest unions ask NZers to vote for climate
29 Jul 2022
Media Release - The country’s three biggest unions, with a combined membership of 186,000, NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa, NZEI Te Riu Roa and the PSA Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi, are supporting Vote Climate, the campaign to get voters to support local government candidates who will invest in reducing transport emissions.
Kiwis most concerned about climate change: Ipsos poll
26 Jul 2022
Media Release - New Zealanders have an increased sense of urgency on the climate crisis and are the most concerned about the impact of climate change seen around the world.
Mercury partners with Hikotron on a nationwide EV charging network
22 Jul 2022
Media Release - Mercury is supporting Hamilton start-up Hikotron in its rollout of a New Zealand-made smart AC charging network for electric vehicles.
Greenhouse gases increasing but still below pre-pandemic levels
20 Jul 2022
Media Release - Seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased 1.1% (205 kilotonnes) in the December 2021 quarter from the September 2021 quarter, Stats NZ said today.
Government subsidies for EV and hydrogen trucks
19 Jul 2022
Media Release - The Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods is celebrating yesterday's launch of two firsts for energy decarbonisation in the transport sector in New Zealand; an electric milk tanker and a hydrogen truck, made possible with the help of Government funding.
Global energy and climate leaders meet in Sydney to strengthen clean energy technology supply chains
13 Jul 2022
Media Release - Global energy and climate leaders are meeting this week at the Sydney Energy Forum, which is co-hosted by the Australian Government and the IEA, to discuss how to scale up and strengthen supply chains for the clean energy technologies needed for a secure and affordable transition to net zero emissions.
Southland oat milk producer gets Govt boost
11 Jul 2022
Media Release - Southland-based oat milk producer New Zealand Functional Foods is getting new Government backing, with a $6 million investment from the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash announced today.
Closing the gaps for public EV charging in South Island
7 Jul 2022
Media Release - Key gaps in the South Island’s public EV charging network will be closed with support from the Government’s Low Emissions Transport Fund (LETF), Minister for Energy and Resources Megan Woods announced today.
Pacific island nations unite against deep sea mining
29 Jun 2022
Media Release - In the first governmental alliance of its kind, the Pacific nations of Palau, Fiji and Samoa have today announced their opposition to deep sea mining, calling for a moratorium on the emerging industry amidst growing fears it will destroy the seafloor and damage biodiversity.
Debbie Ngarewa-Packer aims to build anti deep sea mining coalition at UN Oceans Summit
28 Jun 2022
Media Release - Te Pāti Māori Co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer MP was to travel to Lisbon, Portugal to help build an international coalition against deep sea mining at the United Nations Oceans Conference 2022.
Multi-million dollar fund set to address high failure rate of kiwi social enterprises
27 Jun 2022
Media Release - A new $20 million fund and incubation initiative designed to address the high failure rate of New Zealand startups with a social or environmental purpose has launched
Avis shifts gears to launch NZ's largest electric car rental fleet
23 Jun 2022
Media Release - Avis New Zealand has added close to 100 electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet with more to be on boarded in the next two years - making it New Zealand’s largest electric car rental fleet.
Mysterious climate behaviour during Earth’s most severe mass extinction event explained
22 Jun 2022
Media Release - The end-Permian mass extinction is the most severe mass extinction event ever recorded, during which ~80% of marine species went extinct.
New biodiversity market launched
17 Jun 2022
Media Release - A new biodiversity market has been launched with the first transaction of biodiversity units between Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (the seller) and Profile Group Limited (the buyer). The mainland ecological island is now able to raise funds for conservation management from the sale of biodiversity units through the newly minted Ekos Sustainable Development Units Programme.
Circular economy discussion paper for investors released
10 Jun 2022
Media Release - The Investor Group on Climate Change today released a new discussion paper on The Circular Economy – the systemic approach that has risen to prominence as a key method to address climate change.
Landfill gas capture deal a win for the wallet and environment
9 Jun 2022
Media Release - More than five million cubic metres of potentially harmful methane gas will be captured and turned into energy each year following the installation of an innovative biogas system at Wellington’s Southern Landfill site.
Minister not concerned about potential economic impacts of ruling out offshore mitigation
Thu 11 Dec 2025
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
Thu 11 Dec 2025
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.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
Thu 11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
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
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.
