New Zealand: All stories
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.
Richer forest biodiversity could rake in billions
25 Nov 2016
Biodiversity is not just a conservationist ideal, it is a high-value strategy, according to new research. It makes forests more productive, and could deliver up to $500bn a year in wealth across the planet.
Forget Trump, global climate action is on the move
24 Nov 2016
International momentum for action on climate change is building, despite the United States electing Donald Trump president, says New Zealand’s climate change ambassador.
Trump to slam the lid on climate research by Nasa
24 Nov 2016
Donald Trump is poised to eliminate all climate change research conducted by Nasa as part of a crackdown on “politicised science”, says a senior adviser.
California counts 102 million trees dead from drought
24 Nov 2016
An astonishing 102 million trees have died across California over the past six years from drought and disease — including 62 million trees in 2016 alone.
Bennett's new climate think-tank has work deadline
23 Nov 2016
A first report on how New Zealand can adapt to climate change – including environmentally sustainable economic growth - should be with the Government by May.
Our sinking land at mercy of rising seawaters
23 Nov 2016
Parts of New Zealand are sinking at faster rates than others and will be subjected to higher levels of future sea level rise, new research from Victoria University of Wellington suggests.
California aims to generate energy from traffic jams
23 Nov 2016
The California Energy Commission has announced plans to attempt to utilise energy generated from standstill traffic.
UN plans early warning network as climate risks soar
23 Nov 2016
As summers get hotter, seas get warmer and extreme wind and rainstorms inflict ever-greater loss of human life and property, the World Meteorological Organisation is trying to develop an early warning system for vulnerable countries.
The Arctic is a seriously weird place right now
23 Nov 2016
The sun set on the North Pole more than a month ago, not to rise again until spring. But stange things are happening.
VW shifts gear to e-cars and US market
23 Nov 2016
Volkswagen said it wants to be the world leader in electric cars by 2025 as it unveiled a major shift to clean-energy vehicles in the wake of the dieselgate emissions cheating scandal.
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.
Pacific Islands call for fossil fuel phase-out, NZ hangs back
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | Pacific Islands nations have launched a landmark declaration for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, calling for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels, however New Zealand isn’t rushing to join the call.
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.
