New Zealand: All stories
Gates and the world's wealthy backing $1b energy fund
13 Dec 2016
Bill Gates and more than a dozen of the world’s wealthiest individuals have revealed a new $1 billion investment fund to foster major advances in clean-energy production.
Fossil fuel divestment funds double to $5 trillion in a year
13 Dec 2016
The value of investment funds committed to selling off fossil fuel assets has jumped to $5.2 trillion, doubling in just over a year.
Vehicles in Paris must have 'clean stickers'
13 Dec 2016
Paris has passed a new regulation which requires vehicles to display a “clean sticker” indicating the cleanliness of the vehicle in high pollution areas.
Greens' bill calls for sustainability reporting
12 Dec 2016
A proposal to make the Government report on environmental and social progress alongside economic performance is to go before Parliament.
Unhealthy forests affect distant ecosystems
12 Dec 2016
Ecologists have demonstrated, once again, the global importance of healthy forests.
Tinkering with plants helps to boost crop yields
12 Dec 2016
Plant scientists in the US have devised a new way to enhance the efficiency of crops: tune up the biochemical machinery of plants such as wheat, rice, maize, or even cabbages, to make the best of the available light and so increase yields.
ZERO EMISSIONS: Study will show us how to do it
9 Dec 2016
An international economist is in New Zealand preparing a report on how the country can cut all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Takanini joins e-charger network
9 Dec 2016
Auckland’s southern-most public electric vehicle charger has opened in Takanini.
Jellyfisheries are booming, but perhaps they're not a good idea
9 Dec 2016
Georgia fisherman Wynn Gale lifts a massive net over his boat, where it bobs and bounces when it hits the deck. That’s because it’s not filled with the rigid bodies of shrimp or fish, but thousands of jellyfish.
Sort out bioenergy, industry tells Government
8 Dec 2016
The ditching of plans for a large geothermally driven wood-processing plant in Northland shows why the Government must sort out New Zealand’s bioenergy plan, the industry says.
Healthy soils could start at the dairy shed
8 Dec 2016
Bio-waste from places like dairy sheds can be used to transform degraded soils into top-producing land, research is showing.
Nitrogen pollution forgotten element of climate change
8 Dec 2016
While carbon pollution gets all the headlines for its role in climate change, nitrogen pollution is arguably a more challenging problem.
Pay farmers to fix environment, say scientists
7 Dec 2016
Up-front payments of $400 a kilogram to cut nitrogen run-off from farms would see dairy farms turned into forests, Government-funded research shows.
Google to be 100% powered by renewables from next year
7 Dec 2016
Google’s data centres and the offices for its 60,000 staff will be powered entirely by renewable energy from next year, in what the company has called a “landmark moment”.
Britain paves way for EVs and green aviation
7 Dec 2016
British transport is set for a significant low-carbon boost with several new Government consultations and funding schemes announced in a bid to drive a green transport overhaul.
Toyota to expand hybrid development
7 Dec 2016
Toyota will expand the development of its gasoline-hybrid technology over the next five years to speed up the introduction of lower-emission engines.
CLIMATE CALL: Waterway plantings worth billions
6 Dec 2016
New Zealand will be billions of dollars a year better off if it plants trees along waterways.
NZX drags chain on sustainability standards
6 Dec 2016
Nearly two dozen more stock exchanges are bringing in sustainability reporting standards – but NZX is not one of them.
Polyol product might be told to pay up
6 Dec 2016
The Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Levy could be extended to importers of a specialist product used to make polyurethane insulation foam.
Batteries not the cheapest way to store energy
6 Dec 2016
Since Tesla unveiled its Powerwall, politicians, commentators and industry have hyped storage – and particularly batteries – as the solution for getting more renewable energy into electricity grids and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
How NZ could become biofutures powerhouse
5 Dec 2016
New Zealand could easily become a Queensland-style biofutures superpower, local industry leaders say.
FUSION FUTURE: A time of transition and potential
5 Dec 2016
For centuries, humans have dreamed of harnessing the power of the sun to energise our lives here on Earth.
Cement develops an appetite for C02
5 Dec 2016
Three new studies illuminate the sheer complexity of the aspect of climate science known as the carbon cycle − how carbon dioxide gets into the atmosphere and out again.
Major cities move to ban diesel cars and trucks by 2025
5 Dec 2016
The leaders of four major global cities say they will stop the use of all diesel-powered cars and trucks by the middle of the next decade.
US oil exports skyrocket despite climate pacts
5 Dec 2016
Seven years ago, the US exported its crude oil to just one country — Canada. This year, 22 countries received American crude oil, marking a more than 1000 per cent increase in US oil exports since 2009.
GM ready to lose $9000 a pop on all-electric Chevy Bolt
5 Dec 2016
General Motors stands to lose as much as $US9000 on every Chevrolet Bolt that leaves a showroom once the all-electric subcompact starts rolling out.
World’s largest solar plant opens in India
5 Dec 2016
The world’s largest solar plant has been unveiled by the Adani Group in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu, in the south of India.
Climate watchdog welcomes Treasury decision
2 Dec 2016
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright is welcoming the news that Treasury is talking about the possible impacts on New Zealand of sea-level rise.
China to lead way in growth of solar market
2 Dec 2016
The global solar photovoltaic market is likely to grow to nearly 300 gigawatts this year.
Toyota likes sales of luxury hybrid SUVs
2 Dec 2016
Sales of luxury hybrid sport vehicles are on the rise in New Zealand.
Engineers turn old tyres into quality oil and fuel
1 Dec 2016
Old tyres can be completely recycled into low-emission diesel engine oil, says a team of engineers.
China pushes to dig more coal
1 Dec 2016
In recent weeks, China has reiterated its plans to push forward on climate action. Despite this, the country is scrambling to mine and burn more coal.
Copenhagen boasts more bicycles than cars
1 Dec 2016
Denmark's capital city, Copenhagen, is now home to more bikes than cars.
Wise Responders welcome Treasury's reaction to risk
30 Nov 2016
A group of eminent New Zealanders who petitioned Parliament to order a risk assessment of the impacts of climate change is welcoming Treasury’s apparent support for at least part of the idea.
Households cut emissions by 11%, says report
30 Nov 2016
The average New Zealand household’s emissions fell 11 per cent between 2006 and 2012, new research shows.
China likes the look of our ecolabelling scheme
30 Nov 2016
New Zealand’s ecolabels could soon be recognised in China.
Trump can't stop rising use of fossil fuels
30 Nov 2016
Climate policies will keep chipping away at fossil fuels’ role as the mainstay of global energy use, despite Donald Trump’s appointment as United States president in 2017, according to a new report by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
World warming almost certain to affect wheat yields
30 Nov 2016
Farmers and consumers have just been issued another warning: global warming will almost certainly reduce wheat yields.
Switch to new power puts pressure on boilers
30 Nov 2016
A push for renewable generation is affecting demand for boilers, turbines and generators, a new report shows.
Rural bank warns farmers of green backlash
29 Nov 2016
A rural bank is warning New Zealand farmers that poor environmental performance could create trade barriers against their produce.
MAKE SOME NOISE: E-vehicles must turn up the volume
29 Nov 2016
US authorities have ruled that all hybrids and EVs must emit an artificial noise by the year 2019.
First solar panel roads to be built next year
29 Nov 2016
Rugged solar panels, capable of withstanding the weight of an 18-wheeler truck, are now being trial-built into road surfaces.
Finland plans to ban coal by 2030
29 Nov 2016
Finland has announced its plans to phase out the use of coal for electricity generation by 2030.
PAIN IN SPAIN: Fast train, but what about the birds?
29 Nov 2016
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Spain forgot about the birds when it built a high-speed train link between Seville and Almería.
Public wants to know green business credentials
28 Nov 2016
Strutting environmental credentials is paying off for businesses, as climate change rises rapidly as an issue in the minds of the public.
Careless companies hit by rising water costs
28 Nov 2016
Companies worldwide are being warned that taking water preservation measures is now vital, and that those who fail to act are likely to face mounting financial losses.
NZ goes shopping for Paris pact carbon credits
25 Nov 2016
New Zealand has started talking to countries about supplying carbon credits to help to meet its Paris Agreement emissions reduction pledge.
Nick Smith wants to work with the neighbours
25 Nov 2016
Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith is talking to his new Australian counterpart about aligning environmental regulation.
Why faster roads don't sit with our plans for electric cars
25 Nov 2016
Increasing the speed limit will negate the climate benefits of the Government’s electric vehicle policy, says an expert on climate change and transport.
Europe felling protected forests for biofuel supply
25 Nov 2016
Protected forests are being indiscriminately felled across Europe to meet the EU’s renewable energy targets, according to new report.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
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.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
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.
