News Direct: Media releases
New analysis shows massive shortage of fossil gas, higher energy bills - govt must act to reduce demand
19 Aug 2024
Media release | New analysis of the MfE’s latest fossil gas demand modelling and MBIE’s latest fossil gas production forecasts show the current shortage will become cavernous in coming years.
Pragmatism and partnership hallmarks of Nelson’s recovery at second anniversary
19 Aug 2024
Media release | Nelson City Council is well advanced in its recovery work from the 2022 weather event due to innovative engineering and a successful partnership with govt in sharing the costs of repairs.
Lodestone Energy acquires key sites from Kiwi Solar
16 Aug 2024
Media release | Lodestone Energy, New Zealand’s leading solar generation company, has today announced the acquisition of two prime grid-scale solar sites in the Manawatu region from Kiwi Solar.
New report shows offshore wind industry in NZ can flourish through UK collaboration
15 Aug 2024
Media release | A new report published today illustrates the unique opportunity that the UK and New Zealand have to unlock the full potential of New Zealand’s offshore wind industry.
NZGIF raises more international finance for solar energy, totalling $365m
14 Aug 2024
Media release | New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) has led a second debt issuance, making a total of $365m (NZD) available for medium to long term debt to solar providers.
NZ, Marshall Islands boost cooperation on disaster and climate resilience
13 Aug 2024
Media release | New Zealand and the Republic of Marshall Islands will cooperate more closely, including on making island communities more resilient in the face of disasters and the impacts of climate change, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.
Study finds young children worry about water, climate
13 Aug 2024
Media release | Education experts from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), with a wider team of researchers, wanted to understand children’s perspectives on what was happening to these waterscapes.
One in five Environment Protection Authority roles could be axed
9 Aug 2024
Media release | Government spending cuts are forcing a key agency at the frontline of protecting our environment to propose axing one in five roles.
Study shows renewables raise food prices
9 Aug 2024
Media release | As countries including Aotearoa New Zealand embrace renewable energy production, a recent study sheds light on some overlooked impacts of this transition.
OJI Fibre to close Penrose recycle pulp mill due to high cost of energy
8 Aug 2024
Media release | 75 workers at OJI Fibre Solution’s Penrose Pulp Mill in Auckland learnt yesterday that the mill is likely to close by mid-December.
University of the South Pacific launches Centre for Sustainable Futures
8 Aug 2024
Media release | The University of the South Pacific (USP) is proud to announce the launch of the new USP Centre for Sustainable Futures, a central hub for climate change research and collaboration.
Mass bleaching of marine sponges largest event recorded worldwide
7 Aug 2024
Media release | A mass bleaching of more than 50 million sponges in Fiordland was the largest event of its kind ever recorded and is estimated to have cut the population by close to half, a new study reports.
Conservation Volunteers NZ gears up to plant their two millionth native plant
7 Aug 2024
Media release | Conservation Volunteers New Zealand (CVNZ) will celebrate planting their two millionth native plant this weekend in Ōtautahi's Red Zone.
Kiwis want greater focus on risk reduction, according to climate poll
6 Aug 2024
Media release | New Zealanders want a greater focus on reducing the impacts of climate change, according to the latest climate change poll by AMI, State and NZI Insurance.
A radically different world: preparing for climate change
6 Aug 2024
Media release | In his new book, A Radically Different World: Preparing for Climate Change, Jonathan Boston underscores a critical need for societies to supplement urgent measures to mitigate climate change with robust adaptation strategies.
It's time for Z Energy to really start 'moving with the times'
2 Aug 2024
Media release | Consumer NZ and its partner environmental and climate advocates welcome the High Court direction for Z Energy to get on with progressing the case about whether it has misled New Zealanders with its advertising.
Singapore Carbon Market Alliance launches
1 Aug 2024
Media release | The Singapore Economic Development Board and IETA have launched the Singapore Carbon Market Alliance, the first platform in Singapore aimed at helping companies obtain access to high-quality Article 6 carbon credits.
Interim report on Climate-Related Disclosure regime
31 Jul 2024
Media release | As part of its research into assessing the effectiveness of the Aotearoa New Zealand Climate-Related Disclosure Framework, the External Reporting Board has published an interim report by the University of Otago.
Methane-blocking extract from daffodils to be trialled in NZ
31 Jul 2024
Media release | An extract from the humble daffodil will be put to the test in New Zealand after UK research discovered its potential to cut methane emissions from livestock.
Trans-Tasman finance and climate ministers to meet
30 Jul 2024
Media release | Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will take part in the second annual Australia-New Zealand 2+2 Climate and Finance Ministers’ meeting in Brisbane this week.
More Kiwi firefighters to deploy to help battle Canadian wildfires
30 Jul 2024
Media release | A second group of 21 firefighting personnel from Aotearoa New Zealand will leave today for Alberta, Canada to help fight wildfires burning across the province.
Researchers test new way to remove carbon dioxide from air
29 Jul 2024
Media release | A new method to pump carbon dioxide out of the air has been developed by scientists from the UK and New Zealand.
Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail
25 Jul 2024
Media release | The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines.
New electric buses for Canterbury
24 Jul 2024
Media release | Canterbury Regional Council is celebrating its 21 newest electric buses, as it looks towards an all-electric future.
Tiwai increases demand response
23 Jul 2024
Media release | New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) will reduce its electricity usage by a total of 185 megawatts (MW) from early August, in response to an additional demand response call from Meridian Energy.
Climate change minister to attend climate action meeting in China
22 Jul 2024
Media release | Climate change minister Simon Watts travelled to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.
Green climate fund approves US$22.6 million for Tonga coastal resilience project
19 Jul 2024
Media release | The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board has approved a US$22.66 million grant for Tonga’s Coastal Resilience Project.
ICNZ urges bold action on climate adaptation
17 Jul 2024
Media release | The Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) is urging the Government to take a leadership role on climate adaptation and build New Zealand’s resilience against the impact of climate change on lives and property.
EDS launches recommendations for Climate Adaptation Act
12 Jul 2024
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society has launched the final report of Phase 1 of its Climate Adaptation Project.
Oceanic and coastal water temperatures highest recorded
10 Jul 2024
Media release | Between 2022 and 2023, oceanic and coastal waters around Aotearoa New Zealand reached their warmest annual temperatures since the series began in 1982, according to data released by Stats NZ today.
Climate change is making scientists reassess what is "normal"
4 Jul 2024
Media release | NIWA has completed a major project to analyse how New Zealand’s "climate normals" are shifting.
Contact to develop a grid-scale 100 MW battery in Auckland
3 Jul 2024
Media release | Contact Energy has answered calls for more energy storage by contracting with Tesla to build a 100-megawatt battery.
EQC becomes Natural Hazards Commission under new legislation
2 Jul 2024
Media release | The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has today become the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake.
Report urges broader focus beyond household food waste
1 Jul 2024
Media release | The Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor (PMCSA), Dame Juliet Gerrard, has issued 27 recommendations to the government to reduce the billions of dollars of food wasted each year in New Zealand.
Cookstove projects on hold as Verra investigates allegations
27 Jun 2024
Media release | Verra has been informed of allegations concerning actions by Ken Newcombe, the former CEO of C-Quest Capital (C-Quest), reportedly resulting in the overissuance of carbon credits across 27 clean cookstove projects.
Wellington region's new low carbon transport strategy
26 Jun 2024
Media release | A new strategy released by Greater Wellington sets out a pathway to a low-carbon, resilient future, and the urgent action required to get there.
Kiwi drivers ready to embrace wireless EV technology
25 Jun 2024
Media release | Dynamic wireless charging technology allows electric vehicles to charge while in motion, offering a promising solution to the limitations of fixed charging stations.
Mayors come together to celebrate climate resource
24 Jun 2024
Media release | Two district mayors have come together to celebrate the partnership between their councils on a resource to help people wanting to think more about how they live.
Global survey reveals consensus for stronger climate action
24 Jun 2024
Media release | The overwhelming majority of people around the world want an end to geopolitical differences when it comes to fighting climate change, the results of a landmark public opinion poll conducted by the UN Development Programme.
Lodestone Energy partners with Haldon Station for continued expansion in the South Island
21 Jun 2024
Media release | Lodestone Energy, New Zealand’s leading solar generation company, has today announced a partnership with Haldon Station, located in the heart of the Mackenzie District, to build and operate a 220 MW utility-scale solar farm.
Energy transition momentum slowing amid rising global volatility, new report finds
21 Jun 2024
Media release | European countries lead the World Economic Forum Energy Transition Index 2024 rankings; Sweden comes top, followed by Denmark, Finland, Switzerland and France.
Exposing ‘risks hiding in plain sight’ – accounting for offshore carbon credits
20 Jun 2024
Media release | The McGuinness Institute has published a discussion paper on how New Zealand’s commitment to purchase offshore carbon credits under the Paris Agreement should appear in financial statements.
FMA and XRB issue user guides to help users of climate statements
20 Jun 2024
Media release | A jointly produced a set of guides have been designed to help people understand the Climate-related Disclosures regime, which are now starting to be published by climate reporting entities.
Conservation minister slammed for branding marine protection commitments “an aspiration, not an obligation”
19 Jun 2024
Media release | The World Wide Fund for Nature NZ has hit back at Conservation Minister Tama Potaka’s outrageous claim that protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 is purely “an aspiration”.
NZGIF’s investment in rural energy boosting uptake of solar on dairy farms
17 Jun 2024
Media release | New Zealand Green Investment Finance’s (NZGIF) investment in Rural Energy is already helping accelerate the uptake of solar electricity generation on farms.
University of Canterbury research 'curbing our carbon conundrum'
14 Jun 2024
Media release | Crushing rocks, injecting CO underground, and burning trees; UC researchers are finding solutions to Aotearoa New Zealand’s 100 million tonne carbon problem.
Rangatahi gear up to tackle climate change in World Vision challenge
12 Jun 2024
Media release | A rugby star, prominent TikTok content creators, singer, actor, teacher and climate activist are just some of the well-known New Zealanders putting their names behind this year’s World Vision 40 Hour Challenge.
Basic income can double global GDP while reducing carbon emissions
11 Jun 2024
Media release | Giving a regular cash payment to the entire world population has the potential to increase global gross domestic product (GDP) by 130%.
Government signs Indo-Pacific economic agreements to boost trade
7 Jun 2024
Media release | Trade Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, today signed three Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) agreements that will boost investment, grow New Zealand’s digital and green economies and increase trade between New Zealand and the 14 IPEF partners.
Octopus Energy to pay households to use less power during winter
7 Jun 2024
Media release | Octopus Energy will pay its customers who reduce their electricity usage at peak times this winter under a newly launched scheme to help take pressure off the national grid and ensure security of supply when demand is highest.
NZ quits Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance
Wed 25 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The New Zealand government has quietly withdrawn from an ambitious coalition to phase out fossil fuels, with a $200 million publicly-funded subsidy for new gas fields the latest policy in conflict with that goal.
Huntly deal closer
24 Jun 2025
The major electricity companies’ latest steps to secure the future of the Rankine units at Huntly power station are a major step forward in cooperation to ensure energy security.
Flurry of govt announcements at Fieldays
12 Jun 2025
The government has come up with a solar energy package for farms, a new grass-fed certification scheme for meat and dairy, and a supplier agreement for carpets in new state homes - all part of the annual flurry of politicians’ Fieldays announcements.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
Mon 30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
Bill to limit farm-to-forest conversions passes first reading
Fri 27 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's bill aiming to limit farm-to-forestry conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme passed its first reading in Parliament this week, however concerns were raised over rushing it through under urgency, with less than two weeks allowed for public submissions.
IRD will stop using wetland destruction in ‘how-to’ for claiming expenses
Fri 27 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Environmental organisation Forest & Bird has welcomed the Inland Revenue’s decision to stop using wetland destruction as an example of a tax-deductible agricultural expense in future guidance.
