New Zealand: All stories
Toyota using sewage to power new electric car
21 Sep 2016
For unlimited clean energy, Toyota is turning to one of the dirtiest places there is: the toilet.
We need a million electric vehicles, says report
20 Sep 2016
New Zealand needs 1.2 million light electric vehicles on the road by 2030 to meet its Paris Agreement emissions reduction target, a report shows.
Minister admits Government can't afford e-cars
20 Sep 2016
Government departments are so cash-strapped they can’t afford to buy electric vehicles, the transport minister says.
Green glue hailed as gamechanger
20 Sep 2016
An environmentally friendly bioadhesive labelled a gamechanger for the wood panel industry has been named Biotechnology of the Year.
Why are millions of trees dying across the US?
20 Sep 2016
A quiet crisis playing out in US forests as huge numbers of trees succumb to drought, disease, insects and wildfire – much of it driven by climate change.
DUNNE DEAL | United Future offers cash for e-cars
19 Sep 2016
One of the Government’s support parties is promising to do what Treasury advised and what the Government has refused to do – offer cash to anyone buying electric vehicles.
New stations blossom in e-drive week
19 Sep 2016
International Drive Electric Week last week saw new electric vehicle charging stations opened in Nelson, Thames Wellington and Auckland.
Agriculture emissions continue to grow
16 Sep 2016
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture continue to climb.
RAIL v ROAD: Trains still come out in front
16 Sep 2016
Rail will continue to out-perform road transport when it comes to climate change, regardless of whether it’s using electric trains or not, KiwiRail says.
GOODBYE GAS: Why petrol cars must go by 2035
16 Sep 2016
The last gasoline-powered car will have to be sold by about 2035 to put the world on track to limit global warming to the most stringent goal set by world leaders last year, a new study says.
Renewables establish economic lead
16 Sep 2016
The cheapest way of generating energy today is to use renewable fuels – and the authors of a new analysis predict that renewables are set to enjoy even more of an advantage within a few years.
Investment in new renewables outpaces demand
16 Sep 2016
The International Energy Agency has released a report showing that investment in new renewables has covered the global electricity demand in 2015.
Minister way off mark on EVs, says transport expert
15 Sep 2016
Government suggestions that improved fuel efficiency will get New Zealand’s transport emissions under control are nonsense, an expert says.
Scientists get closer to methane answers
15 Sep 2016
New research has added yet another layer to a major scientific debate about the global emissions of methane.
Modified wood aims to save forests from the axe
15 Sep 2016
A hardwood substitute has been developed to effectively end the need to log native forests.
Stand by for the electric Mini
15 Sep 2016
BMW is planning a big shift in its electric vehicle strategy that would greenlight electric versions of some of its most important vehicles, including the 3-series sedan, X4 crossover and iconic Mini.
Gas pipelines run over EU energy policy
15 Sep 2016
Civil society campaigners have accused the European Union of pouring unprecedented amounts of state aid into a huge energy project that runs counter to its own climate change objectives.
Lower crop yields test market forces
15 Sep 2016
Food will cost the consumer more as a result of climate change, but it is not at all clear that farmers will profit accordingly, says a new study.
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE: Otago puts heat on Auckland
14 Sep 2016
Otago University is extending its ban on fossil-fuel investments as part of a global divestment movement of nearly $5 trillion, putting more pressure on Auckland University to do the same.
Now it's milk ... minus the dairy industry
14 Sep 2016
A San-Francisco startup believes it has found a solution for the guilty conscience of consumers who love eating dairy ice-cream, cheese and yoghurt, but oppose factory-style farming and its environmental footprint.
Green-powered boat readies for round-world voyage
14 Sep 2016
Dubbed the “Solar Impulse of the Seas”, the first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen aims to make its own historic trip around the world.
E-bus can run 560km on one charge
14 Sep 2016
Manufacturer Proterra is debuting a new electric bus, called the Catalyst E2 Series, that can drive up to 560 kilometres per charge.
Taxpayers gift $80m to industrial emitters
13 Sep 2016
Taxpayers have this year given industrial emitters of greenhouse gases free carbon credits worth more than $80 million on today’s market – and soon they’ll be getting twice as many.
Warmer world not healthy for wheat crops
13 Sep 2016
Global wheat production will fall as temperatures rise, a new study shows.
New fabric generates electric power on the go
13 Sep 2016
A super-thin fabric that generates electricity from both sunlight and movement promises a lightweight, flexible, foldable power source on the go.
Fasten your seat belt - turbulence is on the rise
13 Sep 2016
Severe turbulence, which recently forced the emergency landing of a transatlantic flight, is on the rise. But why and what can be done?
RUC exemption could save thousands for truckers
12 Sep 2016
Truck and bus operators could save thousands of dollars a year under road-user charge exemptions now before the Government.
Survey quizzes big business on sustainability
12 Sep 2016
Environmental and social sustainability in business is going mainstream, say those behind the latest S&P Dow Jones sustainability indices.
Our best shot at cooling the planet might be right under our feet
12 Sep 2016
Studies suggest that regenerating the soil by turning our backs on industrial farming holds the key to tackling climate change.
Making wine brings a lot of energy headaches
12 Sep 2016
Wine production consumes large amounts of energy and generates a sizeable quantity of greenhouse gases.
Planting flooded paddies raises rice methane threat
12 Sep 2016
Directly seeding rice into fields rather than transplanting it into flooded paddies would dramatically reduce methane emissions and slow down climate change, according to scientists studying the staple crop.
New EV exemption won't work, says Treasury
9 Sep 2016
The Government is extending an exemption from road user charges for light electric vehicles – despite being told by Treasury that the move won’t get more people into electric cars.
Waste Management fleet going electric
9 Sep 2016
Waste Management is converting its rubbish trucks to run on electricity as part of plan to switch its 1000-strong fleet away from fossil fuels.
Shipping industry prepares for looming climate tax
9 Sep 2016
As pressure mounts on shipping to pull its weight in global climate efforts, the sector is anticipating a carbon price on bunker fuels.
BIOGAS BONUS: NZ is slow to get the message
8 Sep 2016
New Zealand is slow to grasp the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution by turning waste into biogas, says a company providing the technology all over the world.
Lobby group asks investor to drop fossil fuels
8 Sep 2016
KiwiSaver provider Simplicity is being challenged to add fossil-fuel companies to the list of investments it won’t touch.
Humans running the show, so let’s make sure we learn
8 Sep 2016
As we head into the Anthropocene epoch, we often stand accused of inadvertently running “global experiments” through our effects on wildlife, food chains, landscapes and the climate.
Europe’s nuclear club slows emissions cuts
8 Sep 2016
The prospect of using nuclear energy appears to deter European countries from adopting renewable technologies such as wind and solar, and from introducing energy efficiency measures.
Auckland chemist strikes gold in biogas breakthrough
7 Sep 2016
A membrane invented in Auckland and worth more than its weight in gold could drastically change biogas production.
Shipping pollution kills thousands a year in Asia
7 Sep 2016
A boom in shipping is aggravating air pollution in China and other nations in east Asia, causing thousands of deaths a year in a region with eight of the world’s 10 biggest container ports, scientists have said.
Biggest funds blocking climate action
7 Sep 2016
Some of the world’s biggest funds are not living up to their responsible investment rhetoric, an analysis of ExxonMobil investors reveals.
A-CHOO!: Warming world set to raise pollen count
7 Sep 2016
Allergic diseases already cause misery for hundreds of millions of people, with serious implications for public health budgets in both developed and developing countries.
Time to move on life-saving soil science solutions
7 Sep 2016
Not many years ago, global health advocates bemoaned the fact that it took decades for life-saving vaccines to become widely accessible in poorer countries. This resulted in the unnecessary deaths of millions of children every year.
Banks put high price on climate change risks
6 Sep 2016
Twenty-eight per cent of banks operating in Asia and the Pacific say that exposure to climate change risk is a reason for not lending money.
Greens' Hague quits to head Forest & Bird
6 Sep 2016
Green Party MP Kevin Hague is quitting Parliament to become chief executive of the environmental organisation Forest and Bird.
Who should pay for aerosol pollution?
6 Sep 2016
Affluent consumers in developed countries like New Zealand might have to pay for the pollution caused by production in developing countries of the goods they buy, a new paper suggests.
US eyes public land for renewables
6 Sep 2016
More wind turbines and solar power plants could be coming to vast tracts of public lands in theUS if the Obama administration finalises a new rule aiming to streamline how federal lands can be developed for renewable energy.
Big Two back move on aviation emissions
5 Sep 2016
China and the United States have pledged support for a new deal to curb carbon dioxide emissions from the aviation sector.
FLY BUYS: Insects could be the animal food of the future
5 Sep 2016
While science is racing to develop more drought tolerant crop strains through genetic engineering, there may be a simpler alternative ‑- flies.
Global carmakers select a different forward gear
5 Sep 2016
As China's domestic firms bet heavily on electric cars, foreign peers are set to stay in a different, petrol-driven gear.
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
Tue 3 Mar 2026
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.
