New Zealand: All stories
Farming fund looks for new customers
2 Aug 2016
The 2017 round of the Sustainable Farming Fund is open for applications.
Vector adds more Auckland e-car chargers
2 Aug 2016
Vector has added two new electric vehicle rapid-chargers to its Auckland network.
Musk sells his solar power company ... to himself
2 Aug 2016
Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla Motors, has bought Elon Musk’s solar power company, SolarCity, in an all-stock transaction worth $2.6 billion.
Pure air marketer offers scholarship
2 Aug 2016
A company exporting New Zealand air to polluted countries is offering a scholarship for research on the impacts of air pollution.
Charging pads let electric car owners cut the cord
2 Aug 2016
Electric-vehicle charging cords could soon go the way of the cassette tape, floppy disk and landline telephone.
Industry slams failure of free-market forestry
1 Aug 2016
New Zealand’s experiment with free-market forestry has left it without the forests needed to combat climate change and supply the domestic market with wood, the industry says.
NZ scientist to join key climate study
1 Aug 2016
A New Zealand political scientist is to join a crucial planning meeting on how the world’s scientific community should respond to the challenge of limiting global warming.
Fur industry wants slice of pest action
1 Aug 2016
The fur industry wants in on the Government’s dream of a predator-free New Zealand.
Britain's nuclear white elephant stumbles
1 Aug 2016
Celebrations by the nuclear industry planned for today have been cancelled following the shock decision by Britain to put the world’s largest electricity project on hold.
54 DEG: Searing Kuwait temp could be among the hottest
1 Aug 2016
A heat wave in the Middle East has sent temperatures soaring to heights that are rarely seen even there. On July 21, Mitribah, Kuwait, recorded a temperature of 54degC.
... and it's staying warm here
1 Aug 2016
The unseasonably warm weather is likely to continue, with forecasters saying there is a 65 to 70 per cent chance that the next three months will be warmer than usual.
State fracking controls don't exist, study finds
1 Aug 2016
Most local authorities in the United States are setting no controls on the impacts of fracking on communities, a new study says.
Fossil fuel workers to retrain in clean energy
1 Aug 2016
Scottish workers leaving the increasingly embattled oil and gas sector are being offered the chance to retrain for work in clean energy industries, under a new training scheme funded by the Scottish Government.
How right price, right credits would suit farmers
29 Jul 2016
A carbon price of $25 and a 50 per cent allocation of free credits would make the Emissions Trading Scheme viable for some farmers, a new report shows.
Call me Mercury, says Mighty River
29 Jul 2016
Mighty River Power says a rebranding campaign launched today reflects New Zealand’s future in clean energy.
Don't expect a solar 747 anytime soon
29 Jul 2016
After 12 years of planning and testing, Solar Impulse has finally completed its epic voyage around the world.
A short history of nuclear fission ...
29 Jul 2016
An Italian physicist, Enrico Fermi, was the first to achieve it but just recently nuclear fission’s popularity has been decreasing.
Renewables overtake coal in UK power generation
29 Jul 2016
Biomass, wind and other clean sources produced a quarter of UK electricity last year, government figures show, as plant closures reduced coal’s share to 22 per cent.
Denmark targets 100% renewable electricity by 2050
29 Jul 2016
Currently, 40 per cent of Denmark’s electricity comes from wind, and the country’s target is to reach 50 per cent by 2020 and 100 per cent renewables by 2050.
Bennett: We'll have to revisit emissions cuts
28 Jul 2016
New Zealand will take another look at its post-2020 emissions reduction target once it has ratified the Paris Agreement, the climate change minister says.
Big emitters face landmark human rights case
28 Jul 2016
The world’s largest oil, coal, cement and mining companies have been given 45 days to respond to a complaint that their greenhouse gas emissions have violated the human rights of millions of people living in the Phillippines.
SUSTAINABILITY: We're getting the hang of it
27 Jul 2016
New Zealand companies are becoming more socially and environmentally active – and it’s all down to the housing crisis, growing inequality and the United Nations’ new sustainable development goals.
Z gets an A for corporate responsibility
27 Jul 2016
New kid on the block Z Energy was the only New Zealand-owned company to get top marks in this year’s review of the state of corporate social responsibility in New Zealand and Australia.
NZ airs views at aviation emissions talks
27 Jul 2016
New Zealand is looking to join an international plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft.
Floods sound call to sea-level action, say Greens
27 Jul 2016
Floods in Kapiti and Waitara last weekend show why the Government must take action over rising sea levels caused by climate change, says the Green Party.
A nuclear reactor in every town? Don't laugh
27 Jul 2016
The nuclear industry sees the UK as a springboard for its plans to expand in the next 20 years, especially as a pioneer in the deployment of a new breed of small reactors.
Bacteria powers microscopic 'wind farm'
27 Jul 2016
By TYLER SHENDRUK | Many of society’s energy challenges require gigawatts of power, but many more are small – and some are entirely microscopic.
Solar plane makes history
27 Jul 2016
Solar Impulse 2 has completed the first round-the-world flight by a solar-powered aeroplane, after touching down in Abu Dhabi.
London Mayor targets tube network
27 Jul 2016
The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is in the process of securing a licence to provide “clean energy” for London tube stations.
PARIS POSER: We must sign the pledge ... but when?
26 Jul 2016
An announcement is imminent on the tricky question of when New Zealand will ratify the Paris Agreement.
Pest-free state could help to control climate changes
26 Jul 2016
The Government’s mission to make New Zealand predator-free by 2050 could have a positive spin-off for the battle against a warming climate.
China's coal peak hailed as turning point
26 Jul 2016
The global battle against climate change has passed a historic turning point with China’s huge coal burning finally having peaked, according to senior economists.
EPA finding clears way for limit on aircraft emissions
26 Jul 2016
The Environmental Protection Agency has declared that jet engine exhaust endangers public health by contributing to climate change, a key milestone as it works to develop regulations that will cut carbon emissions from commercial aircraft.
Irish agriculture faces emissions dilemma
26 Jul 2016
Ireland is facing a classic conflict, pitching economic growth targets against the need for action on climate change.
How forestry can make as much money as dairying
25 Jul 2016
Details of a study showing that forestry can be as profitable as dairying have been made public.
AGS forests will bank million tonnes of carbon
25 Jul 2016
Forests planted under the revived Afforestation Grant Scheme this year are expected to store 1.3 million tonnes of carbon.
PHEW! Are these really winter temperatures?
25 Jul 2016
Winter temperature records across the country continue to tumble, with Auckland as warm on Saturday night as a night in November.
Australians make hydrogen with near-zero emissions
25 Jul 2016
An Australian company is using “cheap as dirt” iron ore to convert methane in natural gas into hydrogen generating near-zero emissions.
MINE GAMES: Plunder of Earth’s natural resources is rising
25 Jul 2016
Humans’ appetite for gnawing away at the fabric of the Earth itself is growing prodigiously.
As nuclear power plants close, states need to bet big on energy storage
25 Jul 2016
Pacific Gas and Electric has started the process of shutting down the Diablo Canyon generation facility, the last active nuclear power plant in California.
US oil sector fights climate disclosure push
25 Jul 2016
Oil companies say a campaign by environmentalists to force them to reveal more about their climate change risks and carbon emissions in financial documents could cause "disclosure overload" that would not better inform investors.
Our forests key to the future, say scientists
22 Jul 2016
Heavy-emitting businesses could be buying more than $500 million worth of forestry credits a year by 2025, says the Crown Research Institute Scion.
UN awards us a fail mark for handling of environment
22 Jul 2016
New Zealand’s poor environmental management – including action on climate change and sustainable agriculture – has scored it a fail mark on five of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Tesla unveils plans for new vehicle types
22 Jul 2016
Tesla Motors has outlined a new model for vehicle sharing and disclosed plans for several new electric vehicles, including much heavier trucks.
Nations urged to back airlines carbon scheme
22 Jul 2016
Governments are being urged to support a proposed United Nations carbon offset scheme to ensure airlines can tackle climate change at a global level.
Labour-Greens vow to champion clean-energy business
21 Jul 2016
Clean-tech manufacturing would have a seat at the Cabinet table under a Labour-Greens government.
Let's not rush carbon tax, says economist
21 Jul 2016
Research results saying New Zealand needs a carbon tax as well as the Emissions Trading Scheme should be investigated further before being adopted as policy, says an economist involved in emissions reduction modelling for the Government.
The future of Big Oil? At Shell, it's not oil
21 Jul 2016
At Australia’s Curtis Island, you can see Big Oil morphing into Big Gas. Just off the northeastern coast lies a 667-acre liquefied natural gas terminal owned by Royal Dutch Shell, an engineering feat of staggering complexity.
Audi plans e-car push to put heat on Tesla
21 Jul 2016
Audi will aim for electric cars to account for a quarter of its sales by 2025 as part of a strategic overhaul following the emissions scandal at parent Volkswagen Group, company sources said, in a move that could step up the challenge to Tesla Motors.
How farmers, big emitters blow our carbon budget
20 Jul 2016
More than 90 per cent of New Zealand’s carbon budget for the 2020s will be spent on subsidising agriculture and trade-exposed heavy emitters, government estimates show.
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.
