New Zealand: All stories
Govt allows only five days for submissions on repeal of oil and gas ban
27 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government is allowing only five days for the public to make submissions on legislation to restart oil and gas exploration.
Environment Canterbury commits to climate plan
27 Sep 2024
Environment Canterbury Regional Council has approved its first Climate Action Plan, outlining its current and future response to climate change.
Media round-up
27 Sep 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: ACT leader David Seymour condemns school climate protests; five anti-mining activists were arrested in central Wellington; and gas industry boasts about successful lobbying.
Environment Southland taken to court over wetlands dispute
26 Sep 2024
The Environmental Law Initiative is heading to the Christchurch High Court next week to challenge Environment Southland for what it says are failures to fulfil legal obligations to monitor wetlands.
Govt fired up for return of fossil fuel exploration
26 Sep 2024
The coalition government’s legislation to reinstate offshore oil and gas exploration has had its first reading in Parliament under urgency, but the Green Party is vowing to revoke permits if it returns to government.
Franz Josef ratepayers await stopbank loan details
26 Sep 2024
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef community leaders are urging the West Coast Regional Council to think twice before saddling them with a $4 million debt for flood protection.
XRB eyeing changes to climate reporting regime
25 Sep 2024
The External Reporting Board says it will make tweaks to the climate reporting regime by the end of the year, with consultation beginning in the next few weeks.
Lawyers warn govt against rolling back corporate climate governance
25 Sep 2024
Lawyers for Climate Action has warned the government against significant changes it is considering to the country’s corporate climate governance framework.
Ad agency activists ‘name and shame’ fossil fuel promoters
25 Sep 2024
Ad agency climate activist group Comms Declare has launched in New Zealand, calling out 14 local agencies as ignoring the scientific consensus to keep promoting fossil fuel clients.
$27 million subsidy for low emissions heavy vehicles
24 Sep 2024
Last week the government announced $27.75 million for the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund, to subsidise the purchase price of low and zero-emissions heavy vehicles.
Canterbury councils confirm $1.47m for climate plan
24 Sep 2024
The 11 councils in Canterbury have confirmed $1.47 million in funding over three years for the Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan.
Oil and gas industry slows energy transition as focus shifts back to fossil fuels, says GlobalData
24 Sep 2024
The oil and gas industry has pursued energy transition avenues to decarbonise, however heightened energy security fears amid the Ukraine war have brought back the focus on fossil fuels.
RMA is out – govt to replace with two new laws
23 Sep 2024
Two new laws are set to replace the Resource Management Act, with the government placing private property rights at its core.
Canadian company looking at Taranaki oil and gas
23 Sep 2024
Canadian energy company Monumental Energy is exploring oil and gas opportunities in the Taranaki region this week in partnership with New Zealand Energy Corp.
Govt developing sustainable finance strategy
23 Sep 2024
The government is partnering with the Centre for Sustainable Finance to develop a sustainable finance strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand.
High temperatures and air pollution driving increase in strokes
23 Sep 2024
Climate change is driving an increase in strokes, with air pollution and high temperatures partly to blame for a 70% increase in new strokes worldwide over the past three decades, according to a new study.
How to prevent widespread harm of plastic pollution? New research
20 Sep 2024
Tackling microplastic pollution, which could more than double by 2040, needs a strategy which takes on board economics and human behaviour as well as science, according to a review of 20 years of microplastics research.
Hazard mapping has 'chilling effect' on Nelson property market
20 Sep 2024
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Proposed hazard maps for Nelson are allegedly preventing properties across the city from being insured.
Inghams, Lodestone enter 20-year solar generation agreement
20 Sep 2024
Poultry producer Inghams has entered into a new 20-year solar generation partnership with Lodestone Energy, beginning 2025.
Media round-up
20 Sep 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: Preparing for disasters should be a bipartisan process; the government considers removing public sector carbon neutrality goal; and Methanex job losses could prove a blow for gas plans.
Environmentalists to bolster legal team in face of govt reforms
19 Sep 2024
The Environmental Defence Society is looking to strengthen its resource management team with a legal expert to lead its engagement against what it says are "extremely concerning" policy changes.
NZ’s decision to restart fossil fuel exploration will be ‘hard to explain to future generations’: leading climate scientist
19 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government’s plan to restart oil and gas exploration is set to lock in higher levels of global warming, according to a leading Australian climate scientist.
IRD consulting on tax and forestry ETS
19 Sep 2024
The Inland Revenue Department is consulting on an interpretation statement on tax and the forestry emissions trading scheme.
NZ could be 3°C warmer this century
18 Sep 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand could be up to 3°C warmer as soon as 2090, according to new climate predictions from the Ministry for the Environment.
Manawa deal: a red rag to a bull
18 Sep 2024
Contact’s proposal to takeover Manawa may make commercial sense, but it is like waving a red rag at a bull when it comes to the politics of the move.
‘Grave concerns’: experts plead with govt not to increase speed limits
17 Sep 2024
A coalition of experts is urging the government to drop its plan to increase speed limits, in an open letter arguing it will lead to more deaths and higher health costs as well as increased emissions.
Climate shouldn't be politicised: Carr
17 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr said it "defies belief" that the climate is a political debate.
Research to solve climate challenges scoops millions in funding
17 Sep 2024
A range of sustainability and climate-related projects have been awarded funding from the 2024 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Fund.
Industry says coal ‘critical’ to minerals strategy
16 Sep 2024
The mining lobby says coal should be included in the government’s just-released list of minerals deemed essential to New Zealand’s economy.
Govt must rethink energy assumptions: Rewiring Aotearoa
16 Sep 2024
Electrification presents a significant opportunity to future-proof the economy as well as reduce gross emissions, according to Rewiring Aotearoa.
Emissions down overall, despite higher electricity emissions
16 Sep 2024
By Robert McLachlan | Although emissions from electricity have increased, according to the latest data, use of oil, coal, and gas has dropped off compared to the previous quarter.
Electricity emissions soar 169% in June quarter
13 Sep 2024
Increased use of non-renewable sources saw emissions from electricity generation soar 169% between April and June.
Solar picking up pace
13 Sep 2024
The solar rush continues to pick up pace with Lodestone Energy starting construction on its fourth North Island utility-scale solar farm near Whitianga.
Environmental group challenges forestry claims
13 Sep 2024
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | Environmentalists are rejecting claims by a forestry umbrella group that Gisborne District Council does not have the expertise to support and regulate the industry.
Media round-up
13 Sep 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: a former top diplomat says we need to step up our game with our next climate target; are Kiwis really ‘sick and tired’ of spending on cycleways? and why Aotearoa isn’t doing enough to fund climate action.
Minister says buying offshore carbon credits ‘unrealistic’
12 Sep 2024
By Liz Kivi | Climate change minister Simon Watts says buying carbon mitigation offshore to meet the country’s international climate obligations is “unrealistic”.
Climate venture fund invests in alternative oat milk start-up
12 Sep 2024
The Climate VC Fund is the largest investor in a seed-funding round to bring Christchurch-based alternative oat milk start-up Teiny to market.
Zespri looks at NZ-Belgium low-emissions shipping corridor
12 Sep 2024
Zespri and shipping partner ANL/CMA CGM have launched a feasibility study into a possible low-emissions shipping corridor between between Tauranga and Zeebrugge in Belgium, via the Panama Canal.
Cyclone Gabrielle was intensified by human-induced climate change
11 Sep 2024
A new study has revealed climate change increased rainfall during Cyclone Gabrielle by 10%, intensifying flooding as the region faces future storm risks.
Kiwis increasingly concerned about climate: report
11 Sep 2024
New Zealanders are increasingly concerned about climate change, according the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor.
Rain, demand and prices fall
10 Sep 2024
After more than a month of elevated wholesale electricity prices, heavy rain, access to gas and more wind combined to drive spot prices down to virtually zero dollars in the last week or so.
Air NZ, Mitre 10 fall short in climate action rankings
10 Sep 2024
Air New Zealand and Mitre 10 have fallen short in a new ranking of 21 major companies based on their climate action targets.
NZTA agrees to cover $100m of Sounds roads recovery
10 Sep 2024
By Maia Hart, Local Democracy Reporter | Repair work in the Marlborough Sounds will “accelerate” after the NZTA board approved $100m in funding, although not everything the council asked for has been signed off.
Climate plan is high-cost and low ambition, says expert
9 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | The government’s Second Emissions Reduction Plan is high-cost, high-risk, and low ambition, says Massey University Professor, Robert McLachlan.
Offshore renewables plan ignores risks: environmentalists
9 Sep 2024
The government’s plan for offshore renewables ignores environmental risks, according to the Environmental Defence Society.
Councils to lose ability to make tougher local rules for forestry
6 Sep 2024
Foresters have welcomed the government’s announcement that it will roll back councils’ ability to introduce their own tougher rules for forestry, but the move is likely to be controversial with some local authorities.
Govt climate plan creates financial risks, business leaders say
6 Sep 2024
The proposed initiatives in the government’s Draft Second Emissions Reduction Plan carry a high risk of failure in policy implementation, according to the Sustainable Business Council and Climate Leaders Coalition.
Offshore electricity generation policy to speed up consents
6 Sep 2024
The Government reiterated the next steps of its ‘Electrifying New Zealand’ policy when it announced its response to the energy shortage. However, it also released details on how the offshore electricity generation regime would work.
Media round-up
6 Sep 2024
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: What can we learn from the Paris Agreement? The disasters that await if we keep failing to confront climate change; and is the new national transport plan steering New Zealand back to a car-dependent past?
'The Emissions Trading Scheme is broken': Carr
5 Sep 2024
By Shannon Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme is broken and not fit for purpose, says Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr.
Debanking debate heats up as deadline looms for submissions on NZ First bill
Tue 1 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The debate over so-called “woke banking” is back in the spotlight as the deadline approaches for public input on NZ First’s Debanking Bill.
SolarZero liquidation complex - but sale possible
Tue 1 Jul 2025
It will likely take a long time to sort out the complexities around the liquidation of SolarZero, with a series of claims against the company adding to the myriad complexities in arrangements set up to manage its contracts and obligations.
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.
