News Direct: Media releases
Tauranga gets its glass sorted
7 Sep 2012
A new glass-sorting facility opened in Tauranga is expected to divert about 3000 tonnes of glass a year going into landfills.
Lakes eco home wins galaxy of stars
31 Aug 2012
Queenstown company Rilean Construction has achieved Queenstown Lakes’ first six-star Homestar rating for an eco-friendly evolution series home.
Canon offers cash for good ideas
27 Jul 2012
Canon New Zealand is offering $15,000 worth of product grants to support worthwhile environmental initiatives undertaken by a range of organisations around the country.
Plastics recovery sets record high
20 Jul 2012
The Agrecovery Rural Recycling programme has experienced unprecedented growth over the past two years, with collection of waste plastics reaching record levels, organisers say.
Rio reception pleases NZ tech company
29 Jun 2012
New Zealand information technology company Ecoportal says it made an impression at Rio.
Businesses plant trees to mark E-Day
15 Jun 2012
The Sustainable Business Network says its Carbon4Good 100-Tonne Challenge this month was a success.
Save Energy saves the most
8 Jun 2012
Take 30 businesses, add an award-winning, fuel efficient car, mix with a selection of enthusiastic drivers and shake up with an eco-drive challenge, to reveal New Zealand’s most fuel efficient company behind the wheel.
Warmer homes pay off, say Greens
1 Jun 2012
The Green Party says the insulation scheme it negotiated with National has produced more than a billion dollars in benefits for New Zealanders, according to new reports from the Ministry of Economic Development.
Wine maker chases green award
25 May 2012
Villa Maria Estate has been selected by the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment as a finalist in the 2012 Green Ribbon Awards, recognising its outstanding contributions to protecting New Zealand's environment.
Drug makers given green option
18 May 2012
Discoveries made during PhD studies by Victoria University graduate Dr Emma Dangerfield could revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry by allowing drugs to be made in a more environmentally friendly way.
Warm homes green economics at work
18 May 2012
The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation scheme is a good example of smart, green economics at work, the Green Party says.
Miner to make hydo-electricity
4 May 2012
Solid Energy has received resource consents for a hydro-electricity generation scheme using water from its Stockton Mine in Buller.
Crusher rescues glass from landfill
4 May 2012
Kapiti Coast company Silaca is using waste glass previously bound for the landfill to make a variety of useful products.
Ministry welcomes fisheries decision
4 May 2012
The Ministry for Primary Industries is welcoming certification by the Marine Stewardship Council of southern blue whiting fisheries managed under the Quota Management System.
Science looks at new jobs for eggshells
27 Apr 2012
A university research project in Britain is looking at useful ways to recycle egg shells, with the potential of saving millions of dollars a year from an item that is usually disposed of in landfills.
E.R.I.C. is a cool e-waste guy
13 Apr 2012
RCN e-Cycle’s new e-waste robot now has a name, E.R.I.C. (e-waste recycling is cool).
Southern project on track with award
5 Apr 2012
The Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track has been awarded the Enviro Gold Award by Qualmark, recognising its high standards in environmental practices.
Businesses learn how to be eco smart
30 Mar 2012
Organisations wanting to improve their environmental credentials and their bottom line are lining up for the Eco Smart Business programme.
Honda drives planting programme
30 Mar 2012
Honda’s support of New Zealand's biodiversity takes another step forward this week with the achievement of a significant tree-planting milestone.
Sinbad sanctuary shows signs of success
23 Mar 2012
An award-winning environmental conservation project in a World Heritage Area is continuing to demonstrate "uplifting and positive" results half-way through the first stage of work.
Phone companies hit the highway
23 Mar 2012
Representatives of five telecommunications companies go into battle today to find out which is the most fuel-efficient.
Flood-hit town wins rebuild praise
23 Mar 2012
The team behind the rebuilding of the flood-damaged Grantham community in Queensland has received formal recognition for outstanding community design.
Luxury lodge wins environment award
9 Mar 2012
A luxury guest lodge housed in an historic homestead has won an Enviro silver award from Qualmark.
Government's mining plans worry Greens
9 Mar 2012
The Government's proposed changes to the Crown Minerals Act are concerning, the Green Party says.
Farming group welcomes water action
9 Mar 2012
Federated Farmers has joined other groups in welcoming the Government’s $8 million commitment on behalf of taxpayers to help to clean up fresh water bodies.
Resort restores environment
2 Mar 2012
An environmental protection and enhancement programme at one of New Zealand’s leading hotel, golf and spa resorts has seen the landscape restored as a haven for native bird and fish life.
Nats break mining promise, says Labour
2 Dec 2011
National's first post-election broken promise is an ominous sign for the future of our conservation estate, Labour's Environment spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.
Sustainability study hailed as success
2 Dec 2011
The director of a ground-breaking graduate programme in sustainable practice says the first year of the course has been a success.
Study shows inhibitor boosts pasture
25 Nov 2011
Farmers using urea treated with a urease inhibitor can expect a better nitrogen boost to pasture and crops, according to independent research conducted by AgResearch, Ballance Agri-Nutrients says.
Emails worry NZ climate deniers
25 Nov 2011
The release of more than 5000 emails sent by IPCC scientists provides irrefutable evidence that their goals were political, rather than scientific” says Barry Brill, chairman of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition.
Smart boxes come to the Waikato
18 Nov 2011
Regional lines company WEL Networks is taking the next step in the continuing modernisation of its network to provide customers a more efficient and reliable electricity supply.
Caravan carries green message to kids
11 Nov 2011
3M is sponsoring Auckland's first mobile classroom containing interactive exhibits designed to teach children important environmental lessons.
Philips wins lighting award
14 Oct 2011
Philips Lighting’s work in developing LED technology has been recognised by an international award.
Business lobby puts student on ice
23 Sep 2011
Pure Advantage, the business lobby championing a shift to green growth in New Zealand, is sending a New Zealand student to Antarctica.
Green Honda wins praise
23 Sep 2011
Honda Motor Company’s environmental commitment has been internationally recognised by the UK-based Carbon Disclosure Project for achieving the highest disclosure scores among Japanese companies.
NZ Wood adopts new CEO
2 Sep 2011
The Wood Council of New Zealand has appointed Jane Arnott to the role of chief executive officer of NZ Wood, the operation that runs the over-arching marketing programme for the forest and wood sector.
Dump deepwater drilling, say Greens
19 Aug 2011
New Zealand needs clean, green jobs, not risky deepwater drilling, the Green Party says.
Travel costs show need for planning, say Greens
22 Jul 2011
The ever-increasing rise in travel costs, detailed in this week's Consumer Price Index release, highlights the need for better public transport strategies, the Green Party says.
BNZ wins praise for office fit-out
22 Jul 2011
BNZ has received New Zealand’s first 6 Green Star Office Interiors 2009 rating from the New Zealand Green Building Council for the fit-out of BNZ Harbour Quays in Wellington.
Emperor penguins face grim future
1 Jul 2011
While the prognosis improves for Happy Feet (the emperor penguin found in New Zealand) his species is at grave risk of extinction from climate change by the end of the century, the Environment and Conservation Organisations says.
Jet Park hotel wins top enviro award
1 Jul 2011
The family-owned and operated Jet Park Hotel & Conference Centre at Auckland airport has been awarded an Enviro Gold Award.
'Closed' mine to produce coal for local sale
24 Jun 2011
Solid Energy is starting a small-scale mining operation at its Ohai opencast mine following the discovery of saleable coal during rehabilitation of the site.
Groups act to clean up Manawatu River
24 Jun 2011
An action plan to clean up the Manawatu River was unveiled this week.
Winemaker wins praise for carbon stand
17 Jun 2011
Hunter's Wines has achieved the international Cemars certification for its reduced carbon footprint.
Cuevas scrubs up Clean Planet
17 Jun 2011
A small company in Mangere Bridge has caught the eye of ex-Ecostore CEO and internationally qualified business leader Mitch Cuevas.
Unitec launches sustainability strategy
3 Jun 2011
Unitec will launch its environmental sustainability strategy and a $100,000 sustainability fund for staff and students.
Greens hail success of Warm Up NZ
13 May 2011
The success of the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation scheme is an example of smart, green economics at work, the Green Party says.
NZ fails to deal with lethal insecticide
13 May 2011
The lethal insecticide implicated in the recent Thailand tourist deaths was scheduled for “priority reassessment” in New Zealand before 2008, but is still in widespread use, the Greens say.
Honda puts its money where its trees are
6 May 2011
Honda staff and customers get together again on May 19 at Whakanewha Regional Park on Waiheke Island with another tree-planting to enhance the vegetation already established at the park through Honda TreeFund native tree plantings over the past seven years.
Ag bags join move to recycling
29 Apr 2011
Agricultural feed manufacturer Fiber Fresh Feeds Ltd has taken a further step towards being 100 per cent clean-and-green by becoming the first stock feed company able to recycle its bags using the Agrecovery Wrap recycling programme.
Gene tech reforms face political split
Today 11:00am
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.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
Today 11:00am
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
13 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment has released updated emissions projections to 2050, which show significant differences to the Climate Change Commission's recent projections for the same period.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Govt to ease climate reporting thresholds, water down liability
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The rollback of climate change reporting requirements has produced a wave of relief in corporate New Zealand as managed investment funds and listed companies with annual revenue under $1 billion are exempted.
