News Direct: Media releases
International trade law needs overhaul to address climate change: expert
23 Jan 2025
Media release | As wildfires ravage Los Angeles, oceans warm and carbon dioxide levels hit record highs, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is working through swathes of submissions regarding the legal obligations of states to address climate change and protect vulnerable communities and future generations.  
'A death sentence for our islands' - Pacific leaders respond to Australia approving new coal mines
20 Dec 2024
Media release | Despite making multiple international commitments to “transition away from fossil fuels” under both the UN General Assembly and the UN Climate Talks, the Australian government approved three new coal mines earlier today at Boggabri, Caval Ridge and Lake Vermont Meadowbrook.
Govt seeks partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned-land
19 Dec 2024
Media release | The Government has released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced.
Warmer seas chief suspect for seabird ‘wreck’
18 Dec 2024
Media release | Hundreds of seabirds found washed up along the west coast of the North Island are likely to have died from starvation due to climate change impacts.
Loss of local news means weaker communities as climate crisis bites
17 Dec 2024
Media release | Solutions must be found for communities that have lost their local news service and whose local democracy is at real risk, according to the incoming president of the New Zealand Journalism Education Association (JEANZ).
Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan officially launched
17 Dec 2024
Media release | The Canterbury Mayoral Forum has launched the Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan, a comprehensive strategy developed by all 11 councils in Canterbury that aims to address climate change and build a sustainable, resilient, and low-emissions future.
Methanexit? New report reveals risk of subsidising gas price hikes
16 Dec 2024
Media release | A dry winter in 2025 or beyond could enable our largest gas user – Canadian company Methanex – to push up gas and electricity prices, according to a new report, titled “Methanexit: should NZ be subsidising our largest gas user?”
Govt delivers standardised emissions measurement tool
16 Dec 2024
Media release| The Government is delivering on its Q4 commitment, restoring certainty and credibility to the agriculture sector by introducing a standardised, science-based method for measuring farm-level greenhouse gas emissions, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, has announced.
Low hydro lake levels require continued reliance on coal and gas for electricity
13 Dec 2024
Media release | The latest Energy Quarterly release from the Ministry of Business Innovation & Employment (MBIE) shows the difference weather conditions can make to energy generation in New Zealand.
Wood products pivotal to NZ meeting climate targets
12 Dec 2024
Media release | Government support for boosting wood processing as outlined in NZ’s second emissions reduction (ERP2) plan is a step in the right direction says the Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association.
New Zealand left behind as Australia invests a further $A500 million in energy efficiency
11 Dec 2024
Media release | New Zealand investment in energy efficiency has fallen further behind Australia after the Albanese government doubled funding for energy efficiency retrofits of social housing.
$35,000 of Environmental Leaders Fund grants allocated
11 Dec 2024
Media release | Twenty-three Northland schools and early childhood centres are to share in $35,000 of Northland Regional Council Environmental Leaders Funding for projects ranging from ecosourcing and propagating native plants to a solar panel project.
Not too late to fix controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill
10 Dec 2024
Media release | Parliament is expected to pass the Fast-track Approvals Bill into law in the next few days.
Kāinga Ora’s ‘KO’ to the wool industry
9 Dec 2024
Media release | Federated Farmers says Kāinga Ora’s decision to categorically rule out use of woollen carpets in social housing is a total slap in the face for struggling Kiwi sheep farmers.
New Zealand Green Investment Finance shares Ministers' concerns with SolarZero liquidation
6 Dec 2024
Yesterday representatives of New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) met with its Shareholding Ministers to discuss matters relating to the voluntary liquidation of SolarZero.
Auckland Council awards grants to advance community climate action
4 Dec 2024
Media release | Auckland Council has approved $260,000 from a total funding pool of $372,451 to support 11 community-led initiatives addressing climate change projects from sustainable water infrastructure to increasing access to bikes.
Scientists find link between temperature and carbon storage rates
4 Dec 2024
Media release | A huge global study has used teabags to measure carbon storage in wetlands.
Pacific Youth hope historic hearing in the Hague delivers climate justice where COP did not
3 Dec 2024
Media release | Save the Children is urging world leaders to heed the call of Pacific children and young people as a landmark action to clarify states’ obligations to tackle the climate crisis gets underway before the International Court of Justice.
New Zealand must step up and pay our fair share post-COP29
29 Nov 2024
Media release | World Vision New Zealand and Oxfam Aotearoa are urging the New Zealand Government to seize the momentum off the back of the global climate conference, Cop29, and pay our fair share toward global climate action.
Princess Cruises confronted by climate protestors
28 Nov 2024
Media release | Climate Liberation Aotearoa gave Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers an informative spirited welcome to Ōtepoti Dunedin on Tuesday.
Science minister 'asleep at the wheel' says science community, as reforms continually delayed
27 Nov 2024
Media release | Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins is further delaying reforms of the science sector, and ignoring pleas from the science community for resolutions, says science advocacy group Save Science Coalition.
Microbes behind unprecedented surge in methane emissions
26 Nov 2024
Media release | Microbes - such as those living in wetlands, landfills or the digestive tracts of livestock - are behind unprecedented spikes in methane emissions, according to new research from the University of Colorado and NIWA.
Single agency needed to coordinate climate adaptation and recovery
25 Nov 2024
Media release: Infrastructure New Zealand is calling for the establishment of a single, central authority to coordinate climate adaptation and recovery efforts in New Zealand.
Complex Article 6 rules pave way to unruly carbon markets
25 Nov 2024
Media release | Despite the best efforts of activists and some climate negotiators, the agreement reached on Article 6 carbon markets at COP29 in Baku risks facilitating cowboy carbon markets at a time when the world needs a sheriff.
New Zealand drops in global ranking on climate action
21 Nov 2024
Media release | Greenpeace is accusing the New Zealand government of ‘quiet quitting’ on climate change as the country drops seven points in the global rankings on climate action.
Scientists develop tool to monitor coastal erosion in fine detail
21 Nov 2024
Media release | An online tool developed by scientists at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland allows for detailed monitoring of the nation’s coastal erosion from satellite imagery.
Youth call for NZ parliament to take urgent climate action
20 Nov 2024
Media release | World Vision youth advocacy ambassadors will this week deliver more than 2,000 postcards from Kiwi children and young people calling on the Government to take urgent climate action.
Climate science inspires Wellington kids to drive down school-run emissions
20 Nov 2024
Media release | Primary school students at Silverstream and Seatoun schools are busting out their bikes, scooters, and walking shoes in attempt to curb carbon dioxide concentrations outside their school – with a little help from GNS Science atmospheric greenhouse gas sensors.
Auckland diverts over 30,000 tonnes of food scraps from landfill
19 Nov 2024
Media release | More than 30,000 tonnes of food scraps contributed by Aucklanders since the food scraps collections began in April last year have been used to produce renewable energy and fertiliser.
Kiwi trailblazers in sustainability recognised in new 'Next 95' list
19 Nov 2024
Media release | Kiwi visionaries and innovators have been rewarded for pushing the boundaries by featuring on a newly-established list as part of the Sustainable Business Awards 2024.
Pacific debt surging as climate impacts hit
18 Nov 2024
Media release | With Pacific countries swamped by surging climate debt, New Zealand has the moral authority to head off a regional debt crisis, says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.
COP29: Countries’ early delivery of national climate plans welcome, but more ambition required, say health orgs
14 Nov 2024
Media release | Welcoming the announcement of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets by several countries during the COP29 climate summit, the Global Climate and Health Alliance said today that some of the commitments require greater ambition and clarity to lead the way on climate action that will protect people and planet.
International eyes on Cook Strait ferries
13 Nov 2024
Media release: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Ferry Taskforce is backing the call for the new Interislander ferries to be publicly-owned and rail-enabled.
Climate researchers drill deep for Antarctic climate clues
13 Nov 2024
Media release | Kiwi climate researchers are part of an ambitious mission to recover critical geological records to help forecast future sea-level rise.
NZ and Irish govts partner to support farming through research
12 Nov 2024
Media release | New Zealand and Ireland are investing $9.6 million in targeted research to deliver practical solutions that reduce emissions for New Zealand’s primary producers, announced Agriculture Minister Todd McClay.
New report spotlights how energy efficiency can reduce electricity demand
8 Nov 2024
Media release | A new report says energy efficiency has been a significant factor in subduing power demand and therefore household bills over the past 20 years.
Review identifies risk to retail electricity competition
7 Nov 2024
Media release | A review of risk management options for electricity retailers by the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko has found that while there are a range and combination of solutions available to retailers, there is a potential risk to retail competition that the authority cannot ignore.
Carbon markets could boost climate action in least developed countries
6 Nov 2024
Media release | UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2024 highlighted on Monday that the group of 45 least developed countries (LDCs) could use carbon market projects to enhance climate action by offsetting the buyers’ emissions at improved rates which will allow more investment.
Multiple drainage and environmental outcomes from new floodgate project
5 Nov 2024
Media release | Waikato Regional Council’s three-year asset rationalisation project near the Piako River mouth has been completed, with positive outcomes for flood protection, land drainage and the environment.
Greens call for bottom trawling ban
4 Nov 2024
Media release | The Green Party is urgently calling on the Government to ban bottom trawling, following news a New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area until 2026.
Iwi works with scientists to protect community from natural hazards
1 Nov 2024
Media release | Porirua’s Takapūwāhia community has partnered with It’s Our Fault scientists to map its exposure to natural hazards and is using the information to protect people and property from future events.
Gisborne community team up with experts to combat climate challenges
31 Oct 2024
Media release | University of Auckland researchers are working with a Gisborne iwi to tackle the pressing issues facing their remote community.
Germany and New Zealand partner to support agriculture and tackle global emissions
25 Oct 2024
Media release | New Zealand and Germany have announced the official start of a partnership aimed at supporting the agriculture sector and tackling global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture minister Todd McClay announced today.
Use KiwiSaver for climate action, urges charity
25 Oct 2024
Media release | New Zealand charity Mindful Money is calling on Kiwis to drive climate action with their investments.
Connecting Kiwi cleantech ventures with global opportunities
24 Oct 2024
Media release | Fourteen ambitious Kiwi cleantech startups will soon chase global investment and partnership opportunities as part of the 2024 Cleantech Trek to the USA and Europe.
The money is there to meet global biodiversity targets: COP16 expectations
24 Oct 2024
Media release | Finance is the big focus at the next round of crucial UN biodiversity talks taking place in Cali, Colombia over the next two weeks.
Research sheds light on climate change education gaps
21 Oct 2024
Media release | Dr Thomas Everth is on a mission to reshape how climate change is taught in New Zealand schools, to shift society toward a more sustainable future.
Tackling nature-loss could bring major economic boost for NZ
18 Oct 2024
Media release | Protecting nature could save Aotearoa New Zealand more than $270 billion over the next 50 years, according to a major new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand and EY New Zealand.
Vanuatu’s landmark climate change case advances
18 Oct 2024
Media release | A record-breaking number of states and inter-governmental organizations will make their case following a year of droughts, floods, heatwaves and storms worldwide.
Greater investment critical for the Pacific’s economic future as growth slows: World Bank
16 Oct 2024
Media release | The World Bank today launched its latest Pacific Economic Update, calling for a major boost in investment to address the region's slowing economic growth.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
Today 12:15pm
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
Meridian reports worst earnings in a decade
Today 12:15pm
Meridian Energy has posted its weakest result in 10 years, with earnings hit by a combination of droughts, low wind and declining gas supply.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
Today 12:15pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Climate-friendly investment still lagging in NZ
Tue 2 Sep 2025
While local financial firms have made recent strides in climate governance and emissions reporting, New Zealand’s institutional investors are still missing in action when it comes to backing clean technologies and climate solutions, according to a new report.
