New Zealand: All stories
Science studies the changing face of vegetation
16 Aug 2016
Thirteen per cent of the world’s vegetation has changed its biome, or category, over the past 30 years, new research shows.
'THE BLOB': How marine heatwaves are causing climate chaos
16 Aug 2016
Wide-scale disruption from warming oceans is increasing, but they could change our understanding of the climate.
Simple pollination steps help cotton farmers
16 Aug 2016
Cotton is the world’s most widely grown and economically important non-food crop. In the United States alone, farmers grow cotton on 12 million to 14.5 million acres, and produce a yearly harvest worth nearly $25 billion.
Why it's a tough job to get Paris pact over the line
15 Aug 2016
Getting the Paris Agreement on climate change into force this year is technically possible, but getting across the emissions threshold will be hard, says a New Zealander at the heart of the process.
UN gives our Super Fund top marks
15 Aug 2016
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has again scored an A-plus rating for governance and strategy around responsible investment in the latest benchmarking report by the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment.
E-CASH: Anybody got a good EV idea?
15 Aug 2016
The Government is offering money for projects to help to switch the nation’s fleet to electric vehicles.
Fonterra manager wins energy plaudits
15 Aug 2016
Fonterra energy manager Linda Thompson has been named Young Energy Professional of the Year 2016 at the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
Good news or bad for our river water quality?
15 Aug 2016
Improvements in some components of river water quality are encouraging, but it’s too early to declare victory, says NIWA’s Dr Scott Larned.
China eyes California-like e-car rules
15 Aug 2016
China will consider mandates that carmakers produce more electric vehicles or purchase carbon credits from their peers, potentially emulating California’s system and transitioning from a subsidy-driven approach to catalyzing cleaner cars.
Why farmers should give up the plough
15 Aug 2016
Farmers need to give up the plough to protect UK food security in the face of climate change, warn government advisers.
IBM develops cheaper biodegradable plastics
15 Aug 2016
Researchers from US multinational International Business Machines say they found a way to create cheaper and biodegradable plastics.
Keep us out of the ETS, pleads steel industry
12 Aug 2016
New Zealand Steel wants the steel industry excluded from the Emissions Trading Scheme, saying that rising carbon prices are putting the industry at risk.
Wind covers Scotland's electricity needs for a day
12 Aug 2016
High winds recently boosted renewable energy output to provide 106 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs for a day.
Carbon-farming case lawyer under investigation
11 Aug 2016
A lawyer who advised a carbon-farming company that was later prosecuted by the Overseas Investment Office is under investigation over the affair.
Local scientists probe use of artificial leaves
11 Aug 2016
Artificial photosynthesis could be used to store carbon dioxide in synthetic “leaves”.
EPA appoints science voice for the people
11 Aug 2016
The Environmental Protection Authority has appointed a chief scientist to help people to understand the science behind its decisions.
Swiss pioneer new way of storing energy
11 Aug 2016
A pilot project is developing a new system that stores electricity in the form of compressed air in the Swiss Alps.
Dairy groups blast methane reductions
11 Aug 2016
California’s attempt to curb emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is facing vocal opposition from a dairy industry that fears government meddling in the flatulence of its cows.
Anxious farmers keen to keep carbon subsidies
10 Aug 2016
Farmers – already exempt from liability for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from their businesses – urged the Government to keep other subsidies in place to further protect them from carbon pricing.
Renewable electricity hits 90% mark
10 Aug 2016
New Zealand has hit its target of 90 per cent renewable electricity production this year.
RIGS TO REEFS: Should we leave oil platforms alone?
10 Aug 2016
The global offshore oil and gas industry has installed a wide variety of infrastructure throughout our oceans, including tens of thousands of wells, thousands of platforms and many thousands of kilometres of seabed pipelines.
Europe aims to close loophole on wood energy
10 Aug 2016
European officials are moving to close a loophole that promotes the burning of wood for electricity by an industry that’s felling American trees, and a new report they commissioned has laid bare the urgent need for reform.
German firm runs first climate-neutral train
10 Aug 2016
A German company has run the first train in the country with a zero-carbon footprint by using an innovative environmental project in Rwanda to offset emissions.
Nation needs emissions targets, says banker
9 Aug 2016
New Zealand should be setting annual emissions targets, says Westpac
Fonterra turns dairy waste into fertiliser
9 Aug 2016
New wastewater treatment technology at Fonterra’s Edendale site is turning dairy waste into fertiliser that is helping local pastures to flourish.
Green build group chooses new chief
9 Aug 2016
The Green Building Council has a new chief executive.
Christchurch office wins 5-star rating
9 Aug 2016
Insurance company IAG and property investor Goodman have been awarded a 5-star NABERSNZ whole-building rating for their Christchurch office.
Mighty mangroves might be major weapon in climate fight
9 Aug 2016
Mangroves might be one of the world’s most viable solutions to fighting climate change.
Can Tesla go from sexy cars to clean energy?
9 Aug 2016
Elon Musk, who tapped into branding magic at Tesla Motors when he built electric cars that are stylish and drive fast, is now looking to get into the bigger and less-sexy realm of sustainable energy, solar power and batteries.
CLIMATE COSTS: Three things we must do now
8 Aug 2016
New Zealand needs an Earthquake Commission-style Climate Change Fund to help to pay for the inevitable impacts of climate change, says an expert in public policy.
Environment groups push plan to meet Paris goals
8 Aug 2016
Environmental groups are working on a plan they say will help the Government to do what it needs to do to meet the Paris Agreement emissions reduction target.
Landcorp to can palm kernel animal feed
8 Aug 2016
Palm kernel won’t be fed to animals on Landcorp-owned farms after this financial year.
It just got easier to find a charging station
8 Aug 2016
Power distributor Vector has launched an interactive map to help Auckland motorists to find the nearest electric vehicle charging station.
Packager cracks takeaway coffee poser
8 Aug 2016
A New Zealand packaging company says it has come up with an environmentally sound way of getting a takeaway coffee.
Giant Amazon dam fails environment test
8 Aug 2016
Plans to build a giant hydroelectric dam in the heart of the Amazon rainforest have been halted by Brazil’s environmental protection agency because of mounting concerns about the fate of indigenous communities and wildlife living in the area.
German e-car discount scheme draws a crowd
8 Aug 2016
Nearly 2000 people in Germany have applied for the government's electric car discount scheme, introduced on July 1, and a third of them are buyers of BMW models.
Trees clear winner as carbon farmer cashes in
5 Aug 2016
Carbon credits have netted a dairy farmer more than he could have ever made from running livestock on his Taranaki hill country.
Climate-friendly flying could cost billions
5 Aug 2016
Sourcing biofuels to replace oil will cost billions, but without radical cuts in air traffic or improvements in technology it may be the only solution to cut airline emissions.
China reveals futuristic straddling bus
5 Aug 2016
China is testing a 2m-high bus which runs on electricity and straddles the cars below, allowing them to pass underneath uninterrupted.
UK charge points set to outnumber petrol stations
5 Aug 2016
Public electric vehicle charge points will outnumber petrol stations in the UK by the end of the decade, marking a potential tipping point in the adoption of zero emission vehicles.
Businesses call for ETS policy certainty
4 Aug 2016
Calls for cross-party policy on climate change, and complaints about “continual and ad-hoc” changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme dominated comments on the first stage of the latest review of the scheme.
So far, we've had our hottest year since 1909
4 Aug 2016
Temperatures in New Zealand have been 1.3deg above average for the first seven months of this year.
Singapore eyes self-driving taxi service
4 Aug 2016
A Singapore start-up is attempting to develop the world’s first driverless taxis.
We look to be light on climate change officials
3 Aug 2016
The Government has only a handful of staff dedicated to working fulltime on climate change.
BEE WARNED: Agriculture stands to lose millions
3 Aug 2016
New Zealand agriculture stands to lose $295-728 million annually if the local honeybee population continues to decline, according to a new study into the economic consequences of a decline in pollination rates.
Little Ice Age analysis bodes ill for the future
3 Aug 2016
The dip in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels during the Little Ice Age wasnt caused by New World pioneers cutting a swathe through native American agriculture, as had been previously thought.
Aviation emissions pact may be voluntary at first
3 Aug 2016
A deal to limit carbon emissions from global civil aviation could be voluntary for the first five years instead of mandatory for certain countries under the current proposal.
E-car charging could follow Airbnb model
3 Aug 2016
Individuals are offer their charging stations to the public, to fill gaps in commercial recharging networks.
New York eyes 50% renewable energy by 2030
3 Aug 2016
New York state will aim to generate half its power from renewable sources by the year 2030, an ambitious plan that will rely on big subsidies to nuclear power plants.
Industries fought to keep 1:2 carbon subsidy
2 Aug 2016
The waste, stationary energy, industrial processing and agricultural sectors mounted the biggest opposition to getting rid of the one-for-two carbon subsidy.
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.
