News Direct: Media releases
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.
No "silver bullet" for methane reduction on dairy farms, but...
7 Jun 2024
Media release | Last week, Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki, the regional development agency for Taranaki, hosted Mooving on Methane.
NZ to invest $20 million in renewable energy project for Niue
6 Jun 2024
Media release | Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi have agreed to enhance the special relationship that exists between their two countries.
Humanity must extract seven to nine billion tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere every year
5 Jun 2024
Media release | New State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report shows the need for a much stronger set of policies.
National’s climate cuts will take us backwards
4 Jun 2024
Media release | The National Government has shown all their talk about meeting climate targets is just hot air as they cut more than $3 billion in climate-related work, said Labour climate spokesperson Megan Woods.
Tiwai smelter to stay open in 20-year deal
31 May 2024
Media release | The aluminium smelter at Tiwai in Southland has secured energy supply from three generators until at least 2044.
Huge gap between net zero and real zero: analysis
31 May 2024
Media release | Government overreliance on carbon dioxide removals to avoid the urgent need to make rapid deep cuts in emissions prolongs the use of fossil fuels.
New programme offers planet-friendly guidance for NZ’s not-for-profits
30 May 2024
Media release | Carbon footprint tracking expert Cogo has collaborated with the Terra Nova Foundation on a trailblazing ‘Earth positive’ (Earth+) programme.
Hutt City Council announces low carbon acceleration fund recipients
28 May 2024
Media release | Five organisations with a keen eye for reducing their emissions have been given the green light on their reduction initiatives.
Climate Change Commission chair to retire
27 May 2024
Media release | The Climate Change Commission Chair, Dr Rod Carr, has confirmed his plans to retire at the end of his term later this year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.
Flood damage a growing risk for NZ’s kelp forests
27 May 2024
Media release | Timber slash and debris from flooding events is decimating Aotearoa New Zealand’s vital underwater kelp forests, a nationwide study shows.
New project targets methane reduction in dairy effluent ponds
23 May 2024
Media release | A new project led by Lincoln University and Ravensdown marks the next step towards providing farmers with a cost-effective tool to reduce methane emissions from effluent storage ponds.
Peters backs rail over road as Govt weighs heavier trucks
Wed 29 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Winston Peters has broken ranks with the Government over proposed changes to heavy vehicle rules, saying rail – not bigger trucks – is the answer to New Zealand’s fuel pressures as the Coalition considers easing weight limits to reduce freight costs.
Announcements expected soon on $200M gas fund
Fri 24 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Fossil fuel companies appear likely to take up a $200 million government fund to encourage additional oil and gas exploration, dashing lobbyist Business New Zealand’s hopes that it might be repurposed to underwrite industrial electrification.
New funding for low methane farming uptake
Wed 29 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government will co-fund projects under an Early Adoption Accelerator scheme announced today to accelerate the uptake of low emissions farming technologies emerging from the AgriZero public-private partnership.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ’s latest push to roll out more EV chargers is a good thing – but can it go the distance?
14 Apr 2026
A $50 million plan to expand New Zealand’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network marks another step toward a lower-emissions transport system.
Wilding conifers continue to plague Southland
17 Apr 2026
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Fast-spreading conifer trees are causing headaches in Southland as inconsistent funding continues to hinder control efforts.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
