News Direct: Media releases

Signature Homes tackles carbon emissions from home construction

18 Nov 2021

Media Release - Signature Homes has signalled its intention to mitigate its house construction carbon dioxide emissions by planting around 45,000 native trees annually

It’s up to citizens and markets to kiss fossil fuels goodbye: Barry Coates

18 Nov 2021

Media Release - Governments made some progress during COP26, but not enough. Now the mantle passes to citizens and markets to decarbonise our economy, says Mindful Money's CEO Barry Coates.

Activists condemn Covid fast tracking of motorways

17 Nov 2021

Media Release - The Covid fast track consenting panel, set up by the Ardern Government under the Covid 19 Fast-Track Consenting Act, has approved the expansion of State Highway 1, which will see a third lane added in each direction between Papakura and Drury.

COP26 ends with a strong result on carbon markets: EDF

15 Nov 2021

After six years of difficult and technical negotiations, the UN climate talks at COP26 in Glasgow finally gave us a strong Paris Agreement rulebook for international cooperation through carbon markets and called on countries to take specific and urgent measures to address dangerous climate change.

Half-baked carbon market rules fail to take heat off the climate: Carbon Market Watch

15 Nov 2021

After over five years of dithering and two weeks of intensive negotiations, the world’s governments settled on slimmed-down ground rules for carbon markets under the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.

New Zealand’s first zero emissions truck trial

12 Nov 2021

Media Release - Auckland Transport (AT) welcomes New Zealand’s first trial of 100 per cent electric trucks.

Lincoln University scientists launch eco-pond

12 Nov 2021

Media Release - Renowned Lincoln University scientists, Emeritus Professor Keith Cameron and Professor Hong Di, have delivered another breakthrough technology with an immediate benefit for the dairy farming sector to combat global climate change.

Declaration reacts to biomass industry "greenwashing drive"

11 Nov 2021

Media Release - Environmental organisations are pledging their opposition to burning forest biomass for renewable energy in a declaration issued at the Glasgow climate conference (COP26).

Urgent Couriers replaces Auckland car fleet with electric cargo bikes

11 Nov 2021

Media Release - Certified carbon zero courier company Urgent Couriers will take 40 to 50 tonnes of carbon emissions a year out of inner-city Auckland by replacing its city fleet of cars with electric cargo bikes.

Drilling into Antarctica’s past to see our future

10 Nov 2021

Media Release - While COP26 today focuses on science and innovation’s role in combating climate change, Antarctic researchers are preparing to drill into the ocean floor below the Ross Ice Shelf to discover if cutting greenhouse gas emissions avoids catastrophic melt of the icy continent.

New FAO analysis reveals carbon footprint of agri-food supply chain

10 Nov 2021

Food processing, packaging, transport, household consumption and waste disposal are pushing the food supply chain to the top of the greenhouse gas emitters list, according to a new study led by the UN agriculture agency.

Australasia’s biggest ever electric bus order

9 Nov 2021

Media Release - AUSTRALAISA'S biggest electric bus order has been announced, in a partnership between Auckland Transport (AT) and NZ Bus.

Electric revolution for Christchurch’s Orbiter fleet

9 Nov 2021

Media Release - The popular Orbiter bus route has, from this week, seven new electric vehicles joining its ranks, as Christchurch’s fleet of electric and ultra-low emission vehicles grows.

The Warehouse and Westpac NZ Sign $70m sustainability-linked loan

9 Nov 2021

Media Release - The Warehouse Group will have to meet five sustainability performance goals including sustainable packaging, carbon emissions and gender targets to receive discounted rates, under a trailblazing Sustainability-Linked Loan agreed with Westpac NZ.

Advocating household climate actions reduces support for more effective policy

8 Nov 2021

Media Release - Telling people how to save energy lowers their support for government policy on climate change, new research has found.

Over 560 groups worldwide endorse ‘People’s Declaration’ for radical food systems

8 Nov 2021

Media Release - Amid the ongoing COP 26 in Glasgow, the Global People’s Summit (GPS) on Food Systems announced that 566 groups from 78 countries have endorsed its resulting Declaration that calls for people’s rights to just, equitable, healthy, and sustainable food systems and the end of corporate monopoly control.

Australia’s climate obstruction in the Pacific revealed: Greenpeace

5 Nov 2021

The Australian government uses bullying tactics in regional negotiations on climate change, according to former Pacific Island leaders interviewed by Greenpeace Australia Pacific, including former Kiribati President Anote Tong and Bikenibeu Paeniu, Former Prime Minister of Tuvalu.

UN secretary-general issues new global roadmap

4 Nov 2021

Media Release - As pressure mounts for urgent climate action, UN Secretary-General António Guterres today issued a global roadmap to achieve a radical transformation of energy access and transition by 2030, while also contributing to net zero emissions by 2050.

University of Canterbury researches decarbonising Antarctic science

3 Nov 2021

Media Release - A UC research project evaluating the feasibility of hydrogen production in Antarctica could help to reduce carbon emissions in the future by replacing fossil fuels with a zero-carbon alternative.

Climate-friendly Let's Get Wellington Moving options revealed

2 Nov 2021

Media Release - Let’s Get Wellington Moving has officially unveiled four options to help transform the Capital, focused on mass rapid transit, improvements at the Basin Reserve and an extra Mt Victoria Tunnel as part of a multi-billion dollar plan to move more people with fewer vehicles, enable more housing, and help reduce carbon emissions.

Aotearoa joins International Climate Council Network

2 Nov 2021

He Pou a Rangi, New Zealand’s Climate Change Commission has joined forces with a group of international evidence-based climate advisors in an effort to deliver on global climate action.

New Zealand public housing pilot to feature at COP26

29 Oct 2021

Media Release - An innovative new Kâinga Ora public housing pilot tackling climate change in the built environment will feature on the world stage at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26).

733 investors with more than US$52 trillion call for end of fossil fuel subsidies

28 Oct 2021

Wellington joins global race for climate action

28 Oct 2021

Media Release - Wellington has been welcomed into the global Cities Race to Zero initiative, joining cities around the world in a collective pledge to halve carbon emissions by 2030 – and become a net zero carbon capital by 2050.

UN praises updated NDCs but still"nowhere near goal"

27 Oct 2021

Media release - New or updated climate action plans by governments can be effective in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but greater efforts are needed to keep global warming at bay, the UN climate change office says.

'Landmark Decision’ gives legal teeth to protect environmental defenders

26 Oct 2021

Media Release - A 46-strong group of countries across the wider European region has agreed to establish a new legally binding mechanism that would protect environmental defenders, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) says.

NZ dairy industry linked to illegal Indonesian palm oil plantations: Greenpeace

22 Oct 2021

Media Release - A new report released today by Greenpeace Indonesia, " Deceased Estate: Illegal palm oil wiping out Indonesia’s national forest", reveals that illegal palm oil plantations are destroying protected Indonesian rainforests and other habitats, and New Zealand’s industrial dairy sector is a major beneficiary.

Victoria University Prof joins Bill Gate's Breakthrough Energy Fellows

20 Oct 2021

Media Release - Dr Franck Natali, Associate Professor at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and Wellington UniVentures’ Innovator-in-Residence, has been accepted on to the inaugural Breakthrough Energy Fellows Program to develop his work into revolutionising the way ammonia is produced.

Climate aid boost the wrong move at the wrong time: National

19 Oct 2021

Media Release - The Government’s decision to commit $1.3 billion over four years to support poorer countries to deal with climate change is the wrong one, given New Zealand is still struggling with lockdowns which have no end in sight, National’s Climate Change Spokesperson Stuart Smith says.

Climate aid boost a fantastic outcome: Oxfam

19 Oct 2021

Media Release - Today's announcement is a fantastic outcome for communities on the frontlines of climate change, Oxfam Aotearoa Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier said in response to the $1.3 billion the Government has promised in climate finance over the next four years.

Sustainable transport key to combating climate change: UN

15 Oct 2021

Media Release - From electric cars and buses to zero-carbon producing energy sources, new and emerging technologies along with innovative policy changes, are critical for combating climate change. But to be effective, they must ensure that transport strategies benefit everyone, including the poorest, a multi-agency UN report says.

Contract awarded to power NZ Battery investigation

14 Oct 2021

A consortium of specialist firms has been awarded a major contract to advance the New Zealand Battery Project’s feasibility investigation into a pumped hydro storage scheme at Lake Onslow, the Minister of Energy and Resources Megan Woods has announced.

Cash injection For ‘pine to natives’ forest conversion project

14 Oct 2021

The country’s largest ‘pine to natives’ forest conversion project has been given a $15,000 cash injection by a leading producer of radiata pine products.

Trade can play pivotal role in tackling climate change: UN

13 Oct 2021

A new United Nations report has underscored an urgent need for economies in the Asia-Pacific region to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including to maintain their trade competitiveness as carbon taxes at borders become more likely.

States can be held accountable for climate change effects on the young: UN Child Rights Committee

12 Oct 2021

Media Release - In a historic ruling on the harmful effects of climate change on children’s rights, the Child Rights Committee has found that a State party can be held responsible for the negative impact of its carbon emissions on the rights of children both within and outside its territory.

45,000,000 doctors call for urgent action on climate change

12 Oct 2021

Media Release - Ambitious national climate commitments are crucial for States to sustain a healthy, green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new UN health agency report launched on Monday in the lead-up to the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Hack the planet competition 2021 finalists announced

8 Oct 2021

Media Release - After an unprecedented pan-Commonwealth search for innovative satellite-driven solutions to tackle the challenges of the climate emergency and ocean sustainability, the Satellite Applications Catapult and the Commonwealth Secretariat are delighted to announce the inaugural finalists of the Hack the Planet competition 2021.

New million dollar waste sorting facility to open in Taranaki

8 Oct 2021

Media Release - A game-changing $1.2 million rubbish facility for building and business waste is coming to New Plymouth District. The New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) will open a waste sorting facility on Colson Road for business waste in the first half of next year. The Ministry for the Environment is paying $420,550 with the rest coming from NPDC’s Solid Waste fund and user charges.

Peacocke to be climate-ready neighbourhood

6 Oct 2021

Media Release - Plans for the new Peacocke community will help create the first climate-ready neighbourhood in Hamilton.

Hawke's Bay partners with the Nature Conservancy

6 Oct 2021

Media Release - Hawke's Bay Regional Council partnering with global environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy.

Environmental outlook for Oceania rated severe: Caritas

5 Oct 2021

Media Release - Caritas has shifted the dial to 'severe' for four of its five environmental indicators, while climate finance for the poor has remained stubbornly at 'woefully inadequate' for seven years.

Government commits $28.7 million to decarbonising industry

30 Sep 2021

Media Release - The Government is continuing to back businesses in their switch from fossil fuels to cleaner power to fuel their industry, with the announcement of 23 new projects that will receive government co-investment from Round Two of the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund. The recipients will receive $28.7 million and will match this with $54.5m of their own funding.

Commonwealth youth demand climate action

30 Sep 2021

Media Release - More than 2,000 young leaders and youth-led organisations from across the Commonwealth are urging governments to respect the needs and contributions of the world’s most vulnerable groups, in the lead up to global climate talks in Glasgow in November.

Stronger NSW 2030 emissions reduction goal signals increased investment opportunity

29 Sep 2021

Media Release - The NSW Government has announced it will halve emissions from 2005 levels by 2030.

Food waste feeds climate change

29 Sep 2021

Media Release - NZ Food Waste Champions 12.3 are calling on the Government to reduce food waste as a climate change solution. On 29 September, it is International Food Waste Awareness Day.

Government welcomes collaboration between Vector and X

28 Sep 2021

Media Release - A move by Vector to form a strategic collaboration with X, (formerly Google X) to work together on the virtualisation of the Auckland electricity grid highlights the type of innovation that can help decarbonise and decentralise the electricity system, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods.

Air New Zealand and MBIE join forces to scope out sustainable aviation fuel industry

28 Sep 2021

Media Release - Air New Zealand’s journey to net-zero has reached another significant milestone today with the Airline and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) joining forces to bring Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) one step closer to becoming a reality in New Zealand.

UN Food Summit commits to tackling world hunger and climate change

27 Sep 2021

Media Release - More than 150 countries made commitments to transform their food systems, while championing greater participation and equity, especially amongst farmers, women, youth and indigenous groups.

Civil society groups declare UN Food Summit 'anti-people'

27 Sep 2021

Media Release - The Global People’s Summit (GPS) on Food Systems slammed the recently concluded UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS) for paving the way for greater control of big corporations over global food systems and misleading the people through corporate-led false solutions to hunger and climate change.

Have your say on the Clean Vehicles Bill

24 Sep 2021

Media Release - The purpose of the Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Bill is to reduce the overall amount of carbon dioxide produced by cars in New Zealand. It would aim to increase the supply and variety of zero- and low-emission vehicles available to buyers by applying a clean vehicle standard to importers of new and used light vehicles.