News Direct: Media releases
Planned plant to produce low emissions fuel a step closer
10 Apr 2024
Media release | Plans to build New Zealand’s first plant to produce low emissions fossil free fuel to replace coal have moved a step closer with the signing of an agreement to lease a site at Kawerau.
Purpose Capital Consortium increases investment in Lodestone Energy to $17.4M
10 Apr 2024
Media release | In March 2024 Purpose Capital led a $7.4M syndicated follow-on investment into Lodestone Energy.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles sales on the rise in Australia
8 Apr 2024
Media release | The EV fringe benefit tax exemption, a desire to save on vehicle running costs and expanded model availability are driving demand for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV), according to Australia’s National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association (NALSPA).
Business survey: Only a third of small Kiwi businesses prioritising climate action
5 Apr 2024
Media release | Even though small businesses know there are benefits to taking climate action, only 36% are making it a priority.
Scrapping Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary a ‘huge blow’ for marine protection
2 Apr 2024
Media release | The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa to meet its international commitments, says the WWF for Nature NZ.
Business sustainability efforts still falling short of consumer expectations, says new research
26 Mar 2024
Media release | New research from Kantar and the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) reveals Kiwi consumers believe business action is falling short of business responsibility, both in terms of climate change and environmental issues and community and social challenges.
Legal activists double down on greenwashing claims against Z Energy
20 Mar 2024
Media release | Consumer NZ, the Environmental Law Initiative and Lawyers for Climate Action NZ are doubling down on claims that Z Energy is greenwashing New Zealanders.
New record for NZ’s costliest weather events
20 Mar 2024
Media release | A leading global professional services firm, has published its 2024 Climate and Catastrophe Insights Report, shedding light on global natural disaster and climate trends.
Historic data reveals unprecedented heatwaves
13 Mar 2024
Media release - A thermometer dipped in a bucket of sea water on New Year’s Day in 1967 began a unique record which shows the dramatic intensification of warming in the Hauraki Gulf.
Govt announcements make this a bad week for the climate
11 Mar 2024
Media release | “The Government has made a series of announcements this week which are bad news for the climate in Aotearoa”, says Jessica Palairet, Executive Director at Lawyers for Climate Action NZ.
Hundreds of marae exposed to natural hazards
7 Mar 2024
Media release - New research aims to bolster marae resilience against flooding, landslides and other natural hazards.
UN body steps up pace to implement carbon crediting mechanism
4 Mar 2024
Media release - The United Nations Body charged with implementing a new carbon crediting mechanism under the Paris Agreement has expedited plans for action at their first meeting since COP28.
Native snails heading for extinction
27 Feb 2024
Media release | New Zealand has some of the most spectacular land snails in the world, but they’re sliding to extinction – and climate change is a major factor.
Tohatoha launches new climate change education initiative – The Climate Disinformation Night School
21 Feb 2024
Media release | Non-profit community education group Tohatoha announced it is launching a new initiative that aims to counter the spread of disinformation around climate change both in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.
Water quality and climate change top survey issues again: Otago Regional Council
21 Feb 2024
Media release | Water quality and climate change remain the most important environmental issues to people around Otago, according to the latest survey results just released by the Otago Regional Council.
Time to name the silent killer: heatwaves
20 Feb 2024
Media release - As Western Australia reels from record-breaking heat, the Climate Council is calling for heatwaves to be named, similar to how we name tropical cyclones, as a way of helping avoid more deaths.
Govt to spend $3.6 billion on environment in 2023/24 fiscal year
15 Feb 2024
Media release | Central government agencies are estimated to spend $3.6 billion on the environment in the 2023/24 financial year according to new figures from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Mongolian Dzud: Extreme weather puts 90% of country at ‘high risk’
14 Feb 2024
Media release | The ongoing “white and iron” dzud in Mongolia has reached a “critical” level, with over 90 per cent of the country facing high levels of risk from the unique weather phenomenon.
Forest & Bird says hazard policy a must to protect Kiwi communities from future floods
13 Feb 2024
Media release | Forest & Bird is calling on Penny Simmonds and Simon Watts – the respective ministers for the environment and climate change – to take action and pass the National Policy Statement on Natural Hazard Decision Making.
Academics weigh in on Smith V Fonterra
9 Feb 2024
Media release - The Supreme Court's decision to advance Michael Smith's climate lawsuit against major polluters marks a significant judicial recognition of climate issues, with University of Auckland law academics highlighting the case’s significance.
Otago Regional Council expects new electric buses will significantly impact emissions
8 Feb 2024
Media release | The first of a fleet of electric buses (e-buses) will appear on Dunedin’s streets in February 2024.
Extreme weather a critical concern for the next decade of farming, experts say
7 Feb 2024
Media Release | Climate change, extreme weather events and water quality are considered the three biggest challenges likely to affect agriculture in Aotearoa for the next 10 years, according to primary industry experts.
Antarctic frontier project ‘tantalisingly close’ to vital climate secrets
1 Feb 2024
Media release | An international team co-led by GNS Science Te Pū Ao, Te Herenga Waka has successfully gathered crucial information in their mission to understand the West Antarctic Ice Sheet’s past response to climate warming.
CarbonPool, the world's first carbon credit insurance company, raises $12M
30 Jan 2024
Media release - CarbonPool helps society reach net zero by providing in-kind insurance for failure to achieve net zero commitments.
New research into carbon sequestration potential of kelp
29 Jan 2024
Media release - Could kelp be a secret weapon in the fight against climate change? A new research project aims to answer that question by better understanding how kelp contributes to carbon sequestration in our oceans.
Rise in new renewable electricity generation projects
26 Jan 2024
Media release - A report commissioned by the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko shows the amount of new renewable electricity generation that has been committed has almost doubled in 18 months.
Researchers map 140,000 landslides triggered by Cyclone Gabrielle
24 Jan 2024
Media release - Canterbury researchers and students have mapped 140,000 landslides triggered by Cyclone Gabrielle in a bid to create models for future weather events.
Climate research takes on greatest threat to Pacific
23 Jan 2024
Media release - Pacific researchers are taking bold steps to better understand the population dynamics of the region’s 13 million peoples – projected to become 20 million by 2050.
Octopus DNA contains grave warning for sea level rise
22 Dec 2023
Media Release | Scientists have used octopus DNA to discover that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) likely collapsed during the Last Interglacial period around 120,000 years ago when global temperatures were similar to today.
Marae to install emergency pods
20 Dec 2023
Media Release: Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu | As flooding events become more frequent and the threat of an Alpine Fault rupture looms, 24 marae across Te Waipounamu (South Island) are enhancing their emergency preparedness.
First comprehensive survey of electricity consumer behaviour
19 Dec 2023
Media Release | Consumer Advocacy Council - One third of consumers and small businesses are thinking about buying an electric vehicle in the next 12 months, and nearly a third of households on mains gas are likely to switch to electric appliances in the next five to 10 years.
Fifty freshwater experts and leaders urge Christopher Luxon not to make a “terrible mistake” on clean drinking water and healthy rivers
18 Dec 2023
Media release | Fifty freshwater experts and leaders from around the country have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Luxon urging him and his new coalition government not to touch the country’s national freshwater policy.
NZ’s Climate Venture Capital Fund releases inaugural report
12 Dec 2023
Media Release | The Climate Venture Capital Fund has published its inaugural impact report, marking firsts for the VC sector and for climate reporting in New Zealand.
Urine sensors for cattle to reduce nitrogen loss
11 Dec 2023
Media release | It’s a 'wee' issue but with a big environmental impact; and a new award-winning technology developed by AgResearch may help farmers to address it.
'Silent devastation' of drought set to increase globally under climate change
5 Dec 2023
Media Release | Droughts will become more frequent and more severe under climate change, according to a report launched at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
Progress towards Canterbury's Climate Action Plan
30 Nov 2023
Media release | The Canterbury Mayoral Forum endorsed a collective funding approach to regional climate actions during a meeting on Friday 24 November.
New VCMI guidance opens door for corporate carbon credit claims
29 Nov 2023
Media Release | The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) has today released additional guidance for its Claims Code of Practice (Claims Code), enabling companies to make claims about their use of high-quality carbon credits.
Fly-in fly-out MPs urged to save money and the environment
24 Nov 2023
Media release | Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter has sent new Members of Parliament a Snapper card, preloaded with $20, to jump on board Metlink’s Airport Express as they travel between the Beehive and boarding gate.
Mercury Kaiwera Downs windfarm opens
22 Nov 2023
Media release | Mercury has cut the ribbon to celebrate stage one of the Kaiwera Downs Windfarm coming online.
Climate adaptation planning: “Strengthen community engagement,” says Helen Clark Foundation and WSP
21 Nov 2023
Media release | A new report from the Helen Clark Foundation and engineering consultants WSP is calling for significant change to the way communities are engaged in climate adaptation planning.
New Zealand’s largest insurer calls on new government to prioritise flood resilience
21 Nov 2023
Media Release | The economic toll of our summer of storms continues to mount, with insurance payouts now topping $1 billion, a number second only to the Christchurch earthquakes, AMI, State and NZI can reveal.
Majority of New Zealanders want public transport discounts to stay
16 Nov 2023
Press release - A new poll has found that 71% of New Zealanders want to keep the current public transport discounts. 50% strongly agree the discounts should be kept.
Forest & Bird backs action to stop mining on Coromandel conservation land
14 Nov 2023
Media release | Coromandel-based anti-mining group Ours Not Mines is in the High Court today challenging the Hauraki District Council’s decision to give OceanaGold – a large international mining company – access into nationally significant Coromandel public conservation land for only $1 per year.
Oxfam joins calls for New Zealand to support fossil fuel free Pacific
9 Nov 2023
Media release | Oxfam is backing calls from Pacific leaders for the New Zealand and Australian governments to endorse the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, a top agenda item at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
Landfill has a new front-end loader – and it’s fully electric
7 Nov 2023
The recently introduced front-end loader at Wellington’s Southern Landfill is the first of its kind at a landfill in New Zealand, and will reduce emissions by up to 15 percent on the site.
New tech to boost emissions reduction effort
6 Nov 2023
Media release | Ground-breaking new portable technology to measure methane emissions from cattle “on farm” will bolster efforts to reduce the climate change impact from livestock in New Zealand and overseas.
Scholarship awarded for world first climate change degree
1 Nov 2023
Media release - A Mount Maunganui-based university student is the first recipient of the Toi Moana Climate Change Scholarship, awarded by Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
‘It’s just how life is here’: Children in Vanuatu devastated by early return of cyclone season
30 Oct 2023
Media release | Category Five Tropical Cyclone Lola in Vanuatu has claimed at least two lives and caused widespread, severe damage to hundreds of homes, schools and food gardens in a country still reeling from the category four twin cyclones that devastated the country in March 2023.
AgriZeroNZ appoints Wayne McNee as chief executive
25 Oct 2023
Media release | AgriZeroNZ, the public-private joint venture helping farmers reduce their emissions, has appointed Wayne McNee as its chief executive.
10% of wilderness outside of Antarctica may be threatened by agriculture as the climate warms
20 Oct 2023
Media release | Expansions in crop farming across the globe are the biggest driving force of biodiversity loss in the wild. Now, in a new study publishing in the journal Current Biology on November 6, researchers have modeled how the world’s agricultural landscape could change over the next 40 years.
Commissioner calls on govt to better manage economic risks of climate change
Mon 12 May 2025
Climate change is creating an inevitable liability for the government which needs to be understood and managed, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Genesis reports rising coal, declining gas
2 May 2025
Talks about the future of the third Rankine unit at Huntly continue as Genesis reported a third quarter result that showed the rise of coal and the decline of gas.
Fonterra linked to illegal deforestation, claims Greenpeace
5 Mar 2025
Dairy giant Fonterra's supply chain is linked with illegal deforestation, according to Greenpeace Aotearoa, after New Zealand's major importers of palm kernel have been found to be illegally operating palm plantations in Indonesia.
NZ could ditch 8 million fossil fuel machines right now to slash emissions
7 May 2025
The majority of the country’s ten million fossil fuel machines could be replaced cost-effectively with electric equivalents right now, new research from Rewiring Aotearoa has revealed.
Air New Zealand announces less ambitious emissions ‘guidance’
2 May 2025
Air New Zealand has published its first “emissions guidance,” saying it expects to reduce net “well-to-wake” greenhouse gas emissions from jet fuel by 20-25% by 2030, from a 2019 baseline.
Farming lobby attacks ‘loopholes’ in carbon forestry limits
7 May 2025
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is urging the government to close what it says are loopholes in new guidance around limits on carbon forestry.
FMA exemption grants compliance relief to climate reporters
7 May 2025
The Financial Markets Authority has signed off on new exemptions giving climate-reporting entities a break from some of their compliance duties.
