New Zealand: All stories
CLIMATE CLASS: We're ranked in the bottom five
22 Nov 2016
A new international survey ranks New Zealand as one of the five worst-performing countries when it comes to climate policy – alongside Spain, Japan, Turkey and the Ukraine.
Solar company wins innovation award
22 Nov 2016
An energy service that combines battery storage and rooftop solar without any equipment costs for Kiwi homeowners has won a green award for innovation.
Canada sets 2030 deadline to get out of coal
22 Nov 2016
Canada could be coal-free by the end of next decade under plans outlined by environment minister Catherine McKenna.
Scientists take big step toward safely burying carbon dioxide
22 Nov 2016
Scientists for the first time have injected carbon dioxide into ancient lava flows and watched it solidify, demonstrating that capturing carbon dioxide and safely storing it underground might be a realistic way to cut greenhouse gases.
Cars use much more fuel than manufacturers let on
22 Nov 2016
Cars consume much more than makers claim they do and the gap between lab and real-world performance can reach up to 42 per cent, according to a new study.
Alaska flies first jet powered by local forest biomass
22 Nov 2016
Alaska Airline passengers have taken to the skies in a world-first commercial flight running on sustainable alternative jet fuel made from forest residuals from the Pacific Northwest.
PV power could save nation tonnes of emissions
21 Nov 2016
New Zealand could save up to 815,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year by converting 18 per cent of households to photovoltaic solar power, a new study says.
EDS tries to stop Mackenzie land conversions
21 Nov 2016
The Environmental Defence Society is going to court to stop land-use conversions in the Mackenzie Country.
Obama puts Arctic Ocean off limits for drilling
21 Nov 2016
Barack Obama’s administration has ruled out drilling for oil and gas in the pristine Arctic Ocean, throwing up a last-ditch barrier to the pro-fossil fuels agenda of incoming president Donald Trump.
It's going well, says PM, as we pick up another fossil award
18 Nov 2016
The Prime Minister says the Emissions Trading Scheme is operating “pretty well”.
Key will talk climate change with Trump
18 Nov 2016
Climate change will be one of the first subjects New Zealand raises with US President-elect Donald Trump, the Prime Minister says.
Air NZ flies high at sustainable business awards
18 Nov 2016
Air New Zealand is the supreme winner in this year’s Sustainable Business Network Awards, announced in Auckland last night.
Texas oil find biggest in US history
18 Nov 2016
THE US Geological Survey says a deposit in West Texas is the largest continuous oil and gas field ever discovered in the United States.
NZ eyes buying 80% international credits to meet target
17 Nov 2016
New Zealand might buy international carbon credits to meet 80 per cent of its Paris Agreement emissions reduction commitment, a Government paper shows.
European countries might have to import cow dung
16 Nov 2016
The European Union will be forced to import organic waste, such as cow dung and wood, if it does not limit the amount of bioenergy that can count toward its renewable energy targets.
Treasury eyes action on cost of rising seas
15 Nov 2016
Treasury is looking at setting up a working party into how much climate change-induced sea-level rise will cost the country – even if its minister doesn’t think it’s a good idea.
DODGY CREDITS: What does Treasury really think?
15 Nov 2016
Treasury’s opinion on whether New Zealand should retire more carbon credits to make up for the “dodgy” units it surrendered to meet it first emissions reduction pledge remains tantalisingly out of sight.
Fossil fuel emissions have stalled for third year
15 Nov 2016
For the third year in a row, global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry have barely grown, while the global economy has continued to grow strongly.
Warming wreaks havoc with ecosystems
15 Nov 2016
Climate change has already begun to alter the world’s ecosystems – at sea, in rivers and lakes, and in the forests and meadows on land, according to an international team of scientists.
KYOTO QUERY: Is NZ carbon units stand legal?
11 Nov 2016
New Zealand’s legal ability to use carried-over Kyoto carbon units to meet its 2020 emissions reduction target is being questioned.
New funding round will see 5.5m trees planted
11 Nov 2016
The latest round of funding from the Government’s Afforestation Grants Scheme will see 5.5 million trees planted next winter.
Britain's last coal power plants to close by 2025
11 Nov 2016
The last coal power station in Britain will be forced to close in 2025, the government said as it laid out its plan to phase-out the polluting fossil fuel.
Bike to work ... and get yourself a tax break
11 Nov 2016
People should receive £250 ($NZ425) a year in tax breaks if they cycle to work, according to a proposal to improve public health and business productivity backed by some of the UK’s biggest companies.
Cloud cameras warn of dips in solar power
10 Nov 2016
A new way to tackle the much-maligned unpredictability of solar energy is being deployed at a solar farm opening in Western Australia – cloud-tracking cameras.
Plant biodiversity at risk as climate changes
10 Nov 2016
By mid-century, the woodlands, grasslands and shrubs of Europe and North America will have changed.
CARBON COFFERS: $100,000 offsets VIP air travel
9 Nov 2016
Taxpayers are paying $25 a tonne to offset the climate impact of air travel by Cabinet ministers and their staff.
We might be better than we think at absorbing carbon
9 Nov 2016
New research reveals that the ability of New Zealand’s land biosphere to absorb carbon could be 50 per cent more than currently estimated.
Tax meat and dairy to cut emissions, study urges
9 Nov 2016
Climate taxes on meat and milk would lead to huge and vital cuts in carbon emissions as well as saving half a million lives a year via healthier diets.
Wind and solar combo could be the way to go
9 Nov 2016
By combining intermittent renewable energy sources through hybrid projects, developers are taking advantage of the strengths of each.
We can’t bet on renewable energy to save the world
9 Nov 2016
The Paris climate agreement has now officially come into force most people have hailed it as a huge success and a significant milestone in our quest to limit the effects of global climate change.
Government prepares for 2030 carbon price of $152
8 Nov 2016
The Government is pricing carbon into its forward projections at up to $152 a tonne in 2030.
Arctic Ocean could be ice-free before mid-century
8 Nov 2016
Two scientists have worked out what it would take to melt all the ice in the Arctic Ocean.
Hopes rise for solution to forest-split problem
7 Nov 2016
The door is slightly open for the Government to reconsider the contentious pre-1990/post-1989 forestry split under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Morgan's party will stand firm on climate
7 Nov 2016
Gareth Morgan’s new political party will have a strong focus on climate.
Politicians feel the heat from rising temperatures
7 Nov 2016
Voters who feel good about life – whether it is to do with their job, their marriage or even the success of their sports team – are more likely to support their politicians.
Mercedes-Benz enters US energy storage market
7 Nov 2016
Mercedes-Benz is launching a new company to sell stationary storage of all sizes to the US market.
US designates e-vehicle charging corridors
7 Nov 2016
The US government is designating 48 electric vehicle charging corridors along 25,000 miles of major highways as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and make it easier for drivers to switch to electric cars.
NZ wins praise for work in global carbon markets
4 Nov 2016
New Zealand is showing “true leadership” on the development of global carbon markets, a new report says.
EDITORIAL: Welcome to the real world that's Paris
4 Nov 2016
It's Paris Day – the day the Paris Agreement comes into force.
Why geo-engineering is unlikely to save the world
4 Nov 2016
The global watchdog responsible for protecting the world’s wealth of species, the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity, has looked at the hopes for reining in climate change through geo-engineering.
Government getting serious about forestry
3 Nov 2016
The climate ministers are seriously considering the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s afforestation proposals, it was revealed yesterday.
New energy strategy on way, says minister
3 Nov 2016
The Government's new energy strategy is about to be released and is likely to contain aspirational targets to convert the heat and transport sectors to renewable energy sources.
PAY DAY: Bioenergy switch brings in business
3 Nov 2016
An eight-year investment in bioenergy is finally paying off with customers for an Invercargill laundry company.
Big Oil joins climate push with clean-energy fund
3 Nov 2016
Top oil companies including Saudi Aramco and Shell are joining forces to create an investment fund to develop technologies to promote renewable energy.
California ups e-car rebate for the not-so-rich
3 Nov 2016
California recently tweaked its green car incentive programme so more benefits are available for lower-income households and high-income earners are excluded from getting the rebates.
German vice-chancellor attacks China’s e-car targets
3 Nov 2016
Germany has criticised a Chinese proposal that would set a minimum quota for sales of electric vehicles.
Offshore wind could swell 650% by 2030
3 Nov 2016
Offshore wind capacity could grow by more than 650 per cent in the next 15 years, according to new research.
Subsidy crunch cuts funding for Asia clean energy
3 Nov 2016
THE GREEN-ENERGY industry is starting to feel the impact of an efficiency drive sweeping Asia, where governments from China to Japan are scaling back subsidies to constrain a boom in installations.
Is the Government cooking the forestry books?
2 Nov 2016
The Government is being accused of attempting to cook the books by changing the way in which carbon stored in trees is accounted for.
You can't do it alone, bioenergy body hears
2 Nov 2016
No country has made the move to low-carbon bioenergy without strong governmental support, the New Zealand Bioenergy Association has been told.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
Air NZ joins Marsden Point SAF project
Today 12:30pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand has quietly added its name to a consortium exploring the viability of green hydrogen production for sustainable aviation fuel at Channel Infrastructure’s Marsden Point energy hub.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
