New Zealand: All stories
IN THEIR OWN WORDS 1: Climate change
25 Aug 2017
What will the political parties vying to run our country do about climate change?
IN THEIR OWN WORDS 2: Renewable energy.
25 Aug 2017
What will the political parties vying to run our country do about renewable energy?
BLUE GOLD: E-cars mean the world is going crazy for cobalt
25 Aug 2017
Niche metal cobalt - a key component in the new breed of e-car batteries - is leaving bigger names like copper and lithium in its dust and triggering an international hunt for new deposits.
Who said the warming target should be 2deg?
25 Aug 2017
If you read or listen to almost any article about climate change, it’s likely the story refers in some way to the “2 degrees Celsius limit.”
Climate-savvy customers making presence felt
24 Aug 2017
Most New Zealand companies are already being affected by customer demands for environmental sustainability - or expect to feel an impact.
Fossil fuel business cops most blame for methane
24 Aug 2017
The extraction and burning of fossil fuels is responsible for much more methane in the atmosphere than scientists thought, research published today shows.
Labour to throw switch on Kiwirail diesel plans
23 Aug 2017
The Labour Party has told KiwiRail that if elected next month it will halt State-owned rail company’s plans to ditch electric locomotives on the main trunk line.
Airlines' offsetting doesn't add up, says Consumer NZ
23 Aug 2017
Carbon offsetting by the two major domestic airlines operating in New Zealand doesn’t fully reflect carbon emissions caused by air travel, says Consumer New Zealand.
Researchers to probe rich options for Maori land
23 Aug 2017
Rising carbon prices mean carbon farming, backed by manuka honey production, is becoming a viable use of Maori land, says the head of a Ruatoria charitable company.
TAXING OR TRADING: Which way should we go?
22 Aug 2017
Is taxing or trading the best way to get New Zealand’s emissions down?
Climate threatens three of four vital grain crops
22 Aug 2017
Three of the four major grains on which the growing world population depends are vulnerable to global warming, says a new meta-analysis based on more than 70 studies.
Time to start thinking about our digital carbon footprint
22 Aug 2017
The media plays a big part in generating awareness over environmental issues. but what is often missing from the discussion is the environmental costs of producing media in the first place.
Should we trust climate science? Maybe eclipse is a clue
22 Aug 2017
Eclipse mania peaked today when millions of Americans upended their lives in response to a scientific prediction.
Intercity commuter trains would slash emissions
21 Aug 2017
A commuter-train service between Auckland and Hamilton could slash 6000 tonnes off New Zealand’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
THE COUNT: The Jacinda and James show
21 Aug 2017
It was Jacinda Ardern and James Shaw scoring in The Count last week.
EDITORIAL: Media missing the message
18 Aug 2017
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | “Climate change is the biggest story on any editor’s news-list right now,” claims a story in the Spinoff this week.
Climate change isn't our biggest environmental problem
18 Aug 2017
Our core ecological problem is not climate change. It is overshoot, of which global warming is a symptom
Hyundai confirms e-cars will be core business
18 Aug 2017
Hyundai has confirmed it is placing electric vehicles at the centre of its product strategy — one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up to Tesla and other rivals.
Our climate change policy a mess, says former PM
17 Aug 2017
New Zealand’s climate change policy is an “unholy mess” that won’t be fixed if the Cabinet doesn’t want it to be, says former prime minister and constitutional expert Sir Geoffrey Palmer.
Every degree of warming counts for crop harvests
17 Aug 2017
The world can expect 3 per cent to 7 per cent less yield for each degree rise in temperature.
Nation's best tell MPs how to do climate change
16 Aug 2017
Eminent New Zealanders backed by 60 NGOs will tell MPs today what they should do about climate change.
Super fund goes 40% low-carbon
16 Aug 2017
Forty per cent of the New Zealand Super Fund is now low-carbon.
Social media can help keep tabs on ecosystems
16 Aug 2017
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram could be a rich source of free information for scientists monitoring the health of coral reefs and other environmental assets.
FREE CREDITS: And the winner is NZ Steel
15 Aug 2017
New Zealand Steel is once again the big winner in the Government’s allocation of free carbon credits to industrial emitters.
Company gets $55,000 to fill rubbish bins
15 Aug 2017
The Government is giving $55,000 to a Tauranga company to develop an online waste-reduction workshop.
Government changes mind and pushes for e-cars
14 Aug 2017
The Government is promising to make a third of its car fleet electric by 2021 – despite saying last year that cash-strapped government departments couldn’t afford to replace petrol cars, let alone buy more expensive electric cars.
THE COUNT: Gareth and Jacinda on the board
14 Aug 2017
Three leaders scored points last week in The Count - Carbon News’ tally of the number of times the leaders of political party’s mention climate change in their formal speeches and statements as they seek to become our next prime minister.
Massive El Niño sent greenhouse gas emissions soaring
14 Aug 2017
The monster El Niño weather pattern of 2014–16 caused tropical forests to burp up three billion tonnes of carbon, according to a new analysis.
Crazy climate records from 2016 you might know
14 Aug 2017
Last year was the hottest on record with heat-trapping greenhouse gases hitting their highest concentration ever, surpassing 400 parts per million for the first time in nearly a million years.
GASES ARE GO: Our emissions on the rise again
11 Aug 2017
New Zealand’s reported greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise again, new figures show.
How to turn $1 into $3: Plant the waterways
11 Aug 2017
Every dollar spent on planting New Zealand’s waterways would pay returns of at least $3.
E-CAR QUERY: What do we do with the dead batteries?
11 Aug 2017
Carmakers, recyclers and tech start-ups are working to solve the question of how to deal with lithium-ion batteries when they wear out.
Emissions group to probe lack of carbon cap
10 Aug 2017
New Zealand’s lack of a carbon cap is one of the issues on the table for the Productivity Commission.
Nature deserves legal rights, say Greens
10 Aug 2017
A Green government would give nature legal recognition.
EDS CONFERENCE: Water, water everywhere
10 Aug 2017
It was freshwater at 10 paces on the first day of the Environmental Defence Society’s Tipping Points conference yesterday, with both National and Labour releasing their policies.
Fund wants to see 5283ha of new forest
10 Aug 2017
The Government’s reinstated Afforestation Grants Scheme will fund 5283 hectares of new forest this year.
To stop climate change, should we aim to dim the sky?
10 Aug 2017
Solar geoengineering is a controversial process to reduce heat. Some researchers say it might be humanity's last line of defense to stop greenhouse gas emissions.
Emissions group might branch into ETS
9 Aug 2017
The Productivity Commission could recommend changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Sustainable Farming Fund grants open
9 Aug 2017
Applications for the latest round of Sustainable Farming Fund grants are open.
Tesla drivers claim record of 1078 km on one charge
9 Aug 2017
Five members of the Italian Tesla owners club claim to have set a new distance record, travelling 1078 kilometres on a single charge in a Tesla Model S.
Graham's Globe must survive, says Labour
8 Aug 2017
Labour’s climate spokesperson says the work of the cross-party Globe group on climate change must continue, even if founder Kennedy Graham is out of Parliament.
Stand by, Wellington, worsening weather on the way
8 Aug 2017
More floods in Wellington, more droughts in Wairarapa, more hot days in both places and no frosts in the Tararua Ranges - that’s the picture painted in a new climate change report.
Foresters greet environmental standards move
8 Aug 2017
The introduction of a national environmental standard for plantation forestry is vitally needed, forest owners say.
Fossil fuel subsidies are a staggering $5 trillion a year
8 Aug 2017
A new study finds 6.5 per cent of global GDP goes to subsidising dirty fossil fuels. That's more than $5 trillion a year.
MORGAN MESSAGE: Use ETS profits to fix rental homes
7 Aug 2017
Profits from a rejigged Emissions Trading Scheme would be used to insulate and improve heating in rental housing under a Gareth Morgan-influenced government.
THE COUNT: Jacinda has little effect
7 Aug 2017
New Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern has mentioned climate change a couple of times in passing, but the greatest issue facing humanity has yet to make it into her formal speeches and statements.
Solar most popular form of new electricity generation
7 Aug 2017
Solar has become the world’s favourite new type of electricity generation.
Nuclear revival looks set to falter
7 Aug 2017
Hopes of a nuclear revival to combat climate change have been dashed as another prestige project runs into trouble.
Most want us to show leadership on climate change
4 Aug 2017
Most New Zealanders think the country should be a leader on climate change, with just 8 per cent saying the country should “do a Trump” and pull out of the Paris Agreement, a new survey shows.
Should we tap undersea methane hydrates for energy?
4 Aug 2017
Turning big, frozen deposits of methane buried under the seafloor into fuel for our cars and homes is coming closer to reality.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
Mon 20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
Going concern status flags depth of Methanex NZ's gas crisis
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Methanex's New Zealand operation is relying on financial support from its Canadian parent to remain a going concern after a second consecutive year of asset impairments left the business with negative equity.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
Fri 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
Fri 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
Wed 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.
