News Direct: Media releases
Low gas production threatens energy security
8 May 2024
Media release | Simeon Brown, Minister for Energy, and Shane Jones, Minister for Resources - There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co.
Midwives vital part of the solution to climate challenges
6 May 2024
Media release| Midwives may not be the first profession you think of when it comes to climate change but in a climate crisis they are an essential part of the emergency healthcare response.
Air New Zealand announces changes to Sustainability Advisory Panel
2 May 2024
Media release | Former Green Party co-leader and minister for climate change, James Shaw, is joining Air New Zealand's Sustainability Advisory Panel.
Contract awarded to recloak Coronet Forest
1 May 2024
Media release | The contract to deliver an aspirational vision to “recloak” Coronet Forest with native planting has been awarded to Te Tapu o Tāne and e3Scientific Limited.
Updated standard paves the way for introducing biomethane into existing gas pipeline network
30 Apr 2024
Media release: Gas NZ | The recent updating of the standard for reticulated natural gas by Standards New Zealand to allow for renewable gas to be injected into gas pipelines is a significant step towards New Zealand’s transition to renewable gas, GasNZ chief executive Jeffrey Clarke says.
Tzay is right to raise human rights concerns about carbon markets
29 Apr 2024
Media release | Amnesty International’s Advisor on Indigenous Rights, Chris Chapman has reacted to a call by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples to consider a moratorium on carbon markets.
Ipsos Earth Day Report 2024 - NZ Edition
23 Apr 2024
Media release | Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, has released a 33-country study as part of Earth Day, looking at how attitudes to climate change are changing.
AgriZeroNZ investment in Biolumic to shine light on low emissions pasture solution
19 Apr 2024
Media release | AgriZeroNZ, the joint venture fast-tracking emissions reduction tools for farmers, is investing up to $5 million (USD $3million) in BioLumic, an agriculture biotech company utilising ultraviolet (UV) light to develop a low emissions farm pasture with increased productivity gains.
Agriculture needs innovation to stay open for business
18 Apr 2024
Media release | The agricultural sector is facing a crisis, with forecasts for registering innovative animal and crop health products hitting an all-time low.
Emissions Trading Scheme underperforming - study
12 Apr 2024
Media release | The impact of Aotearoa’s main tool in the fight against climate change could be heightened if five sectors were better regulated, according to a new study.
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.
Energy and environment in an election year
Today 12:15pm
Parliament resumes this week but the year ahead is already framed by the November 7 election.
Shifting peak power use could save NZ $3 billion, report finds
Today 12:15pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Almost a quarter of New Zealand’s peak electricity demand could be shifted to off-peak hours, saving the country $3 billion in power generation and infrastructure to meet peak demand, according to new analysis from EECA.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Govt consulting on further ETS fee cuts for foresters
Today 12:15pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has moved to reduce compliance costs for forest owners, announcing a further cut to ETS registry charges and a new consultation on service fees, a move welcomed by forestry industry groups.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
