News Direct: Media releases
Fonterra should be ashamed of causing coal mine expansion, says Cana
29 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - Bathurst Resource¡¯s planned extension of its Canterbury coal mine, shut down by protesters this morning, is proof that dairy companies like Fonterra are not moving out of coal fast enough, says Coal Action Network Aotearoa.
Coal activists' target misplaced - Straterra
29 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - Activists blocking a Canterbury coal mine over a proposed expansion need a reality check, says Straterra, New Zealand’s minerals sector industry organisation.
Wood fibres report welcomed
2 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - The Wood Fibre Futures report is a welcome addition to our understanding of New Zealand’s clean fuel futures, said Professor Ian Wright, chair of the National Energy Research Institute.
Fuel-cell trucks here next year
1 Sep 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - New Zealand’s Hiringa Energy and United States-based HYZON Motors Inc. have signed a Heads of Agreement that secures access for Hiringa and its fleet partners to the supply of zero -mission heavy-goods vehicles powered by zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell technology.
China will have more than 25% of global offshore wind power capacity by 2030
27 Aug 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - GLOBAL DATA: The global offshore wind segment is likely to grow seven-fold by 2030 mainly driven by capacity additions from three major markets - China, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Big penalty for environmental pollution
27 Aug 2020
An Auckland Council prosecution has seen a golf resort fined $86,000 for pumping untreated sewage into the environment.
Funding welcome for recycling plant upgrades
26 Aug 2020
Local Government New Zealand has today welcomed the stimulus funding to upgrade seven high-tech recycling plants across New Zealand, including recommendations on how New Zealand’s kerbside recycling can be standardised.
Clemenger Group New Zealand awarded for commitment to climate action
24 Aug 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - Clemenger Group New Zealand - the country’s leading group of advertising, marketing communications agencies - has been awarded a Toitû carbonreduce certification.
The end of Tiwai Pt could open huge opportunities for NZ
9 Jul 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - COAL ACTION NETWORK AOTEAROA -The announced closure of Tiwai Point is welcome news for the clean energy future of New Zealand, and presents huge opportunities in areas such as electrifying transport and developing new, high-tech industries, Coal Action Network Aotearoa said today.
Building for Climate Change programme a historic leap towards zero carbon
6 Jul 2020
Sustainable Business Council: A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is welcomed by the Sustainable Business Council.
Feds telling their members they can’t sell land for forestry
6 Jul 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION - The Forest Owners Association is startled that the new Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Chair is asking the government to restrict the right of farmer members to plant trees or sell their land for forestry.
NZ winery commits to reducing its carbon emissions by 80 per cent
23 Jan 2020
MEDIA RELEASE - YEALAND WINE GROUP: Yealands Wine Group has today announced its commitment to lowering its carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2045, and 50 per cent by 2030.
Wind energy crucial to EU's carbon neutrality
23 Jan 2020
MEDIA RELEASE GLOBALDATA: The European Union, whose 28 members collectively account for the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States, has strengthened its long-term commitment by announcing the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan and additional measures towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Mercury Quarterly Operational Update - 3 months to Dec 31, 2019
23 Jan 2020
MEDIA RELEASE MERCURY: Mercury maintained a prudent approach to risk management in Q2-FY2020, decreasing hydro generation by 74GWh compared to the same quarter last year, resulting in a strong hydro -storage position in the approach to the third quarter; historically the lowest inflow quarter for the Waikato catchment.
Vegetarianism in schools is entirely appropriate
21 Jan 2020
MEDIA RELEASE NZ VEGETARIAN SOCIETY: The NZ Vegetarian Society has responded to claims that a new climate change resource which encourages students to eat less meat and dairy should be removed from schools.
Westpac NZ and Contact Energy agree first sustainability-linked loan
16 Jan 2020
MEDIA RELEASE WESTPAC NZ & CONTACT ENERGY: Westpac NZ and Contact Energy have entered into a $50 million, four-year sustainability-linked loan facility, the first such loan issued by Westpac NZ and one of the first of its kind in New Zealand.
European cement industry strives for carbon-neutrality by 2050
16 Jan 2020
MEDIA RELEASE CEMBUREAU: CEMBUREAU, the Association of the European cement industry, has today announced its intention to make a decisive contribution to the Green Deal by striving for carbon neutrality along the cement and concrete value chain by 2050.
Air NZ wins sustainable business award
25 Oct 2019
Air New Zealand has been recognised at the New Zealand Tourism Awards for its contribution to growing a sustainable tourism industry, winning the Tourism Sustainability Business Excellence category for businesses with more than $6m annual turnover.
YHA celebrates carbon footprint reduction
23 Oct 2019
YHA New Zealand has reconfirmed its carboNZero certification by celebrating a 21 per cent reduction in carbon emissions since 2016.
Ports of Auckland buys world-first electric tug
5 Aug 2019
Ports of Auckland has signed a contract with Dutch company Damen Shipyards to buy the world’s first full-size, fully electric port tug.
Gene editing has crucial role in cutting emissions
30 Jul 2019
Gene editing has a crucial role to play in reducing emissions to deal with climate change, BiotechNZ executive director Dr Zahra Champion says.
LGNZ gets clear climate message from school activists
26 Jul 2019
School Strike 4 Climate NZ organisers Sophie Handford and Raven Maeder delivered a clear message to more than 600 local government mayors, chairs, chief executives and councillors at the recent LGNZ conference: make climate change a priority.
New plant makes food packaging from recycled plastic
16 Jul 2019
A new plant to make New Zealand’s first range of food packaging from recycled plastic has won Government backing.
Energy agency welcomes Government moves on e-vehicles
11 Jul 2019
Proposals to get more low-emission vehicles on New Zealand roads could be a major step for the transport sector and for transitioning the country to a low-carbon economy, according to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
Wood industry centre wins more funding
10 Jul 2019
A project to foster the wood industry on East Cape has won another injection of Government funding.
YHA and Sunshine in line for energy excellence award
10 Jul 2019
YHA New Zealand and partners Sunshine Solar have been recognised as finalists in the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
Kangaroo Island shows rock-solid promise for lithium
25 Jun 2019
Mining and energy company Lithium Australia has reported it has found anomalous lithium and tantalum samples that suggest mining potential on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Bottled water giants back new global plan to cut plastic waste
13 Jun 2019
The world’s biggest yoghurt maker Danone and food packaging giant Tetra Pak are among companies leading a global scheme to reduce plastic waste.
CellCube to bring grid battery to South Australia
23 May 2019
Renewables firm Pangea Energy and vanadium battery producer CellCube have signed on to build a 50MW storage system alongside a solar farm in South Australia.
Minesto partners with leading financial adviser
22 May 2019
Swedish marine energy developer Minesto has engaged with leading financial adviser Pareto Securities to intensify relationships with institutional investors.
Finland using circular economy of textiles
21 May 2019
In Finland, end-of-life textiles no longer end up in landfills, but there is still a lot of room for improved efficiency in their recycling and reuse.
Adidas launches 100% recyclable footwear
26 Apr 2019
Adidas has launched a 100 per cent recyclable shoe aimed at unlocking a circular future for the sports industry.
Whangarei likes electric vehicles
16 Aug 2018
Whangarei, winner of the most electric vehicle friendly town in New Zealand award, has a big advantage over other regions.
Mercury mission to convert hearts as well as minds
7 Mar 2018
Mercury has taken a step to inspire New Zealanders to embrace the future of transportation with a hi-tech conversion of a classic car.
Calix gets finance for carbon-captue project
1 Feb 2018
Australian technology company Calix says it has secured 3.4 million euros in working capital from Efic, the Australian Government’s export credit agency, to build a carbon dioxide-capture facility for the Low Emissions Intensity Lime and Cement project in Belgium.
Minesto eyes first ocean current electricity generation
24 Jan 2018
Swedish marine energy developer Minesto is intensifying activities in Taiwan to establish the company's unique Deep Green technology in the Asian market.
Mercury confirms Tesla battery for grid trial
23 Jan 2018
Tesla has been confirmed as the battery provider for Mercury’s scalable national grid-connected battery trial, following a competitive tender process that began in September last year.
Auckland takes zero-waste world crown
6 Dec 2017
Auckland is one of 10 international cities honoured today at the C40 Cities Awards in Chicago which recognises the world’s most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change.
Ravensdown appoints consenting planner
1 Dec 2017
Ravensdown has appointed Victoria Caseley as a principal planner to develop the consenting capability in its environmental consultancy.
Ethical retailer attracts $2m in investments
27 Nov 2017
In one of the biggest capital raises for a social enterprise in New Zealand’s history, the ethical retailer champion Conscious Consumers has attracted $2 million of investment for its upcoming launch into the United Kingdom.
AirNZ first airline to join EV100
13 Nov 2017
Reinforcing its leadership position in the shift to electric vehicles, Air New Zealand has been announced as the first airline to join The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative.
Auckland Council wins waste award
13 Nov 2017
Auckland Council has again been recognised for its commitment to delivering zero-waste, this time by the New Zealand waste management industry’s WasteMINZ Awards for Excellence.
Youth hostels reach sustainable milestone
24 Nov 2016
YHA New Zealand is the first accommodation network in the world be certified by CarboNZero.
Sharp's green efforts pay dividend
24 Nov 2016
Sharp Corporation’s efforts to responsibly manage the environmental effects of its products have been recognised with accreditation to the Product Stewardship Scheme, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.
Business network wins sustainability award
10 Oct 2016
The Sustainable Business Network has won the Sustainability Support category in AUT’s Excellence in Business Support Awards.
Children's sunscreen fails tests
22 Sep 2016
Makers of a children’s sunscreen marketed as “organic” have been warned by the Commerce Commission following a complaint from Consumer NZ.
Child labour not for us, says Karen Walker
12 Aug 2016
Kiwi clothing designer Karen Walker has certified that none of its garments are made using child labour.
Farm trust honours regional winners
8 Jun 2016
Supreme winners from the 11 regions participating in the 2016 Ballance Farm Environment Awards will be honoured at New Zealand Farm Environment Trust’s National Sustainability Showcase this month.
Canon offers prizes to environmentalists
7 Jun 2016
Canon New Zealand’s 2016 Environmental Grants Programme is open.
School gets first Powerwall battery
16 May 2016
New Zealand’s first Tesla Energy Powerwall battery has been switched on at a South Auckland primary school.
Climate Commission called to Waitangi inquiry over alleged breaches
Tue 10 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission is being called to front up to the Waitangi Tribunal and give evidence over alleged legal breaches of its obligations to Māori.
Renewables surge cuts power emissions, but oil dominates fossil fuel use
Fri 13 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s fossil fuel emissions fell in 2025 as strong renewable electricity generation reduced the need for gas-fired power, but oil consumption is rising and now accounts for a record share of fossil emissions.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
Greenpeace slams Govt climate policies amid rising petrol prices
Thu 12 Mar 2026
As petrol prices climb to $3 a litre, Greenpeace is blaming Government decisions for leaving Kiwis harder hit by the oil price spike.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Rule changes could reshape corporate emissions strategies
6 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand organisations may need to rethink how they manage and report electricity-related emissions as proposed global accounting changes take shape, according to a new report.
