News Direct: Media releases
Rising cost of insurance prompts call for action on affordability and climate risks
27 Aug 2025
Media release | Consumer NZ releases a sobering report that highlights how house insurance is becoming increasingly out of reach for New Zealanders.
East Coast schools receive funding as part of pool solar project
26 Aug 2025
Media release: Trust Tairāwhiti | Four schools along the East Coast have been equipped with solar panels, battery storage, and pool heating systems as part of a $3.5m school pool heating and resilience project.
Verra and S&P advance carbon market integration with next-generation registry
26 Aug 2025
Media release - Verra | World’s largest GHG standards body collaborates with the world’s leading commodities information and registry infrastructure provider.
The quest to turn e-waste into metals
26 Aug 2025
Media release – University of Auckland | William Sheard is on a quest to turn electronic waste into metals.
Latest data confirms rail as lower carbon option for moving freight
25 Aug 2025
Media release | KiwiRail customers who chose to move their goods on rail collectively saved 220,254 tonnes of CO2e emissions in the last financial year (ending June 2025).
Nearly half of Kiwi in the dark about risks facing their homes
22 Aug 2025
Media release – Tower | As weather events become more frequent and extreme its important people have information about the risks that could affect their property.
Why helping customers electrify is a growth opportunity for energy retailers
22 Aug 2025
Media release – Cogo | The global shift to a low-carbon economy is transforming the energy market. For energy retailers, this shift brings both pressure and possibility.
Governments in Global South get dedicated support to tap into carbon markets
21 Aug 2025
Media release – VCMI | A new toolkit will help emerging markets and developing economies decide how best to generate and sell carbon credits to access climate finance, accelerate innovation and help close the $1.3 trillion climate finance gap.
Action urgent for Pacific region to ‘stay alive and thrive’
19 Aug 2025
Media release – Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland | Pacific Climate Change Roundtable theme underlies urgency to address impacts of climate change.
Will reflective roofs help beat the heat?
15 Aug 2025
Media release - University of Auckland | About 500 roofs across four continents have been painted with a reflective coating, as part of research into tackling the health impacts of climate change.
Hot water heat pumps next big thing – but need a push
14 Aug 2025
Media release – Ecobulb Limited | Bold action is needed to accelerate New Zealand’s transition to cleaner, more energy-efficient homes and businesses, says energy efficiency expert Dr Chris Mardon.
Innovative partnership delivers measurable climate action for not-for-profit sector
14 Aug 2025
Media release - Rātā Foundation | A groundbreaking programme developed by Terra Nova and Rātā Foundation is delivering measurable climate action results for the not-for-profit sector, with participating organisations reducing their emissions intensity by 28% per dollar spent.
New resource management bill an 'unprecedented power grab' by ministers
13 Aug 2025
Media release – Environmental Defence Society | The changes proposed in the Amendment Paper represent an "egregious aggregation of power" by Minister Bishop, aimed at disempowering councils who protect the environment.
Govt moves to strip protections for water quality
13 Aug 2025
Media release | The Environmental Law Initiative says last-minute Government amendments would gut core protections for New Zealand’s rivers, lakes, and streams.
Carbon offsets market set for revival as high-quality removal solutions gain traction, says GlobalData
12 Aug 2025
Media release - GlobalData | The carbon offsets market has experienced a significant slowdown since 2021, primarily due to scandals surrounding project quality and overstated impacts.
Insurers call for stronger direction on reducing natural hazard risk
8 Aug 2025
Media release | The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihui o Aotearoa (ICNZ) is urging the Government to provide stronger national direction to better manage natural hazards risks like flooding and landslips and avoid developments in high-risk areas.
Fourth warmest July on record
7 Aug 2025
Media release | New Zealand has recorded its 4th-warmest July since records began in 1909, according to the Earth Sciences New Zealand, formerly NIWA, latest Monthly Climate Summary.
Taking NZ biodiversity to the world
6 Aug 2025
Media release | Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Ekos are making history by launching New Zealand biodiversity and conservation into the global marketplace.
Kōwhai Park solar farm reaches ‘golden row’ milestone, marking major step in delivery
6 Aug 2025
Media release – Christchurch Airport | Construction of one of New Zealand’s largest solar projects has reached a major milestone, with the installation of the first row of solar panels – known in the industry as the ‘Golden Row’ – now complete at Kōwhai Park solar farm.
First ‘climate citizens’ approved by Nauru in world-first programme
5 Aug 2025
Media release - Nauru Economic and CRC Program | The Republic of Nauru has welcomed its first new citizens under the government’s Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program, announced at COP29 late last year.
Council adopts climate and biodiversity plan to accelerate local action
4 Aug 2025
Media release - Queenstown Lakes District Council | Queenstown Lakes District Council has adopted its third Climate and Biodiversity Plan, setting a clear and ambitious roadmap to reduce emissions, protect biodiversity, and strengthen community resilience across the district.
Warmer than usual weather ahead, wetter in north and east, as La Niña signals strengthen
1 Aug 2025
Media release – Earth Sciences New Zealand | Seasonal Outlook Climate August to October 2025 suggests warm, damp weather, with La Niña’s possible return.
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
Governments must vote in favour of moratorium on deep sea mining
29 Jul 2025
Media release - Greenpeace | The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
EDS submissions highlight serious concerns over govt's RMA changes
28 Jul 2025
Media release – Environmental Defence Society | The Environmental Defence Society has filed its very extensive submissions on the Government’s review of national direction under the Resource Management Act 1991.
All aboard for passenger rail in the golden triangle
28 Jul 2025
Media release – The Future Is Rail | New Zealand’s national passenger rail advocacy group, The Future is Rail, has announced its strong support for the Green Party’s proposal to establish a new passenger rail service connecting Auckland and Tauranga.
NZ part of hidden global deep-sea network beneath the waves
25 Jul 2025
Media release - Earth Sciences New Zealand | A world-first study of marine life, including sea creatures found in New Zealand's dark, cold, pressurised ocean depths, has revealed that deep-sea life is surprisingly more connected than previously thought.
Another offensive launched in the government’s war on nature
24 Jul 2025
Media release - Environmental Defence Society | Last week the Minister for Resource Management Reform, Chris Bishop, announced that the government would be intervening, yet again, to prevent councils from progressing environmental protections under the Resource Management Act.
Good response to South Dunedin Future engagement
23 Jul 2025
Media release - Otago Regional Council | There is a clear mandate for change in South Dunedin, based on the results of the most recent public engagement on the South Dunedin Future programme.
Australia's big companies face critical net zero investment gap
22 Jul 2025
Media release – Investor Group on Climate Change | New research reveals Australia’s highest emitting companies are failing to back their net zero commitments with adequate investment, highlighting the need for a strong 2035 emissions reduction target and net zero plans to ensure Australia’s transition.
Government agency warns controversial bill could delay disaster response
18 Jul 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | As the cleanup begins in flood-hit Tasman, fresh documents reveal a stark warning from Land Information New Zealand that the Regulatory Standards Bill could hinder the country’s ability to respond to climate-related disasters.
Communities can’t foot the bill for climate crisis
17 Jul 2025
Media release - Te Pāti Māori O Aotearoa | Te Pāti Māori sends aroha to whānau, and communities impacted by the recent severe weather across Nelson Tasman, Banks Peninsula, Northland and beyond.
Antarctica Scholarships 2025: Ocean detectives
17 Jul 2025
Media release – Antarctica New Zealand | Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is full of unanswered questions, and this year’s Antarctica New Zealand scholarship recipients are on a mission to help solve them.
More choices for how we use, buy and sell electricity – and lower our power bills
16 Jul 2025
Media release – Electricity Authority | New Zealanders will have more choices for how they use, buy and sell electricity – so they can lower their power bills – because of new market rules confirmed today by the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko (the Authority).
Feedback sought on national fuel security plan
16 Jul 2025
Media release - Beehive: The Coalition Government is seeking feedback on a draft Fuel Security Plan that provides a long-term strategy to ensure New Zealanders have reliable access to fuel in times of domestic and global disruption, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says.
Extreme global weather events show urgent need for collective effort ahead of world’s premier climate adaptation event
15 Jul 2025
As the Northern Hemisphere experiences another major heatwave, and other parts of the world grapple with extreme weather events, experts are calling for the urgent acceleration of adaptation efforts to help manage the life-threatening impacts of a rapidly changing climate.
Councils need more clarity around climate adaptation
14 Jul 2025
Media release - Local Government NZ | LGNZ says a lack of clarity around who pays for climate adaptation puts ratepayers at risk of footing the bill – which many could not afford.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
Unlocking economic growth on conservation land
9 Jul 2025
Media release - New Zealand Government | A targeted effort to reduce the backlog of applications for use of conservation land is accelerating economic growth without compromising conservation values, says Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.
High Court agrees with Environmental Defence Society - law must be followed as it stands now
7 Jul 2025
Media release – Environmental Defence Society | The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) welcomes the High Court’s finding in Box Property Investments Ltd v The Expert Consenting Panel that decisions must be made based on the law as it currently stands, not on potential future legislative changes.
Change in Southern Ocean structure could have climate implications
7 Jul 2025
Media release – Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC) | Satellite data processing algorithms developed by ICM-CSIC have played a crucial role in detecting this significant shift in the Southern Hemisphere, which could accelerate the effects of climate change.
Biodiversity plan is ‘light on detail and heavy on vague intentions’
1 Jul 2025
Media Release - WWF New Zealand | The government’s plan to tackle Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis lacks ambition and fails to match the scale and urgency of the challenge.
Gas decline increases urgency for new electricity generation
1 Jul 2025
Media release – Transpower | Declining gas availability means New Zealand has to lift the pace at which it is delivering new electricity generation to reliably meet growing demand over the coming years, a new report from Transpower shows.
Hopeful new way to measure human progress
30 Jun 2025
Media release - University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau | In response to the climate crisis, a new way to measure how well people and nature are living together has been announced in the world's leading scientific journal Nature.
Sustainability rising in importance amid increasing strain on professionals
26 Jun 2025
Media release - Sustainable Business Council | Research released today into New Zealand’s sustainability profession reveals a compelling picture of a profession which is gaining strategic traction, while grappling with systemic challenges.
Most staple food crop production will face big losses due to climate change
25 Jun 2025
Media Release – Springer Nature | Most staple food crops are expected to experience substantial production losses due to climate change, even when mitigation measures to limit the impact of climate change are considered.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Global survey finds 8 out of 10 people support taxing oil and gas corporations to pay for climate damages
23 Jun 2025
Media Release – Oxfam Aotearoa | Oxfam's research finds that 585 of the world's largest and most polluting fossil fuel companies made $583 billion in profits in 2024, a 68% increase since 2019.
Kiwi farmers unaware of positive public opinion on their environmental performance
19 Jun 2025
Media Release | Close to 90% of NZ's commercial farmers believe their environmental performance is good, according to a survey of almost 3000 farmers, while less than half that number think the public agrees.
Aviation sector’s climate claims unsupported by credible transition plans
18 Jun 2025
Media Release | New analysis finds over-reliance on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and lack of investment in zero-emission tech, risking long-term decarbonisation failure.
NZ, Singapore, Chile to collaborate on Green Economy Partnership
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The three countries that kicked off what eventually became the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have agreed to start work on a Green Economic Partnership Agreement (GEPA).
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
AgriZero backs Aussie IVF innovator
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The NZ government-led low carbon agriculture consortium AgriZero has invested A$1.5 million (NZ$1.7m) in a Queensland-based start-up looking to bring down the cost of inserting fertilised embryos into livestock.
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
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
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.
