New Zealand: All stories
Why water footprinting should be used with caution
7 Apr 2016
It seems logical that crops and goods that need lots of water should not be produced in water-scarce countries.
INDEFENSIBLE! Scientists slam Key's climate change attitude
6 Apr 2016
Scientists are calling the Government’s lack of leadership on climate change indefensible, after Prime Minister John Key said that science would solve the problem.
Message to investment managers: Don't get stranded
6 Apr 2016
Sustainable investment is in danger of getting so bogged down in the detail that it loses sight of the epoch-shaping events happening around it, says business commentator Rod Oram.
Students give university the good oil on ethical investing
6 Apr 2016
Auckland University might be promoting the talk on sustainable investment this week, but that doesn’t mean it’s walking the walk itself.
Christchurch gets first fast-charging station
6 Apr 2016
Christchurch has its first rapid-charging station for electric vehicles.
The case for a carbon tax on airline flight tickets
6 Apr 2016
After years of delay, the international aviation industry is inching its way toward bringing its greenhouse emissions under some form of regulation.
Plants find cool response to warming
6 Apr 2016
Everyone can breathe just a little easier about the future according to research predicting that warming may mean plants expel less carbon dioxide.
GET WISE! We have a real carbon exposure risk
5 Apr 2016
New Zealand has a carbon exposure risk whether it likes it or not, says business commentator Rod Oram.
Air NZ emissions move wins global support
5 Apr 2016
Air New Zealand’s move to offset greenhouse gas emissions from its aircraft by supporting the restoration of native forests is picking up international momentum.
Depending on how you do the sums, we could be carbon neutral right now
5 Apr 2016
Restoration ecologist and carbon sequestration expert Dr NEIL MITCHELL expands on his claim that New Zealand should be using native forests to offset greenhouse gas emissions
GM crops can thrive as climate warms
5 Apr 2016
Plants genetically modified to take advantage of hotter temperatures and increased carbon dioxide could cut fertiliser use and raise yields to alleviate global food shortages.
Businesses don't get it, says Bloomberg group
4 Apr 2016
Disclosure of the risks companies face from climate change is fragmented and incomplete, the G20’s Taskforce on Climate-Related Disclosure says in its first report.
SEA-LEVEL WARNING: The Government won't listen
4 Apr 2016
New research suggesting that sea-level rise could be faster and more extreme than currently expected means that a task force to analyse the risk for New Zealand makes even more sense. So why isn’t the Government doing it?
Mighty River snaps up latest from Tesla
4 Apr 2016
Mighty River Power is adding the new Tesla Model 3 to its fleet of electric vehicles.
Antarctic melt could be alarming, say scientists
4 Apr 2016
Scientists in the US predict that the alarming rate at which Antarctica’s ice continues to thaw could be enough to double global sea level rise within this century.
Scientists crack secrets of wood-based glass
4 Apr 2016
Swedish researchers have developed a transparent wood-based material that could be used in future to make biodegradable windows and photovoltaic panels.
WHAT A WASTE! Native forests key to cutting carbon
1 Apr 2016
New Zealand is paying a high cost in carbon for neglecting its native forests, says a carbon sequestration expert.
You're gambling, Greens tell Government
1 Apr 2016
The Government is gambling with our future by not preparing now for rising seas which threaten up to $20 billion worth of New Zealand homes, the Green Party says.
Nasa readies green fuel to drive its spacecraft
1 Apr 2016
Nasa says its first “green” rocket fuel will be ready for use next year.
What does the science really say about sea-level rise?
1 Apr 2016
A recent high-profile study led by US climatologist James Hansen has warned that sea levels could rise by several metres by the end of this century. How realistic is this scenario?
Science grapples with climate conundrums
1 Apr 2016
New research illustrates that reactions of people, plants and animals to the changing climate are a key factor in unravelling the complexities of global warming.
That good addresses might not be so good for solar
31 Mar 2016
Auckland’s better-off suburbs are not as good for solar roof-top electricity generation as many of the city’s poorer suburbs, a computer modelling project by Auckland University school shows.
Beware the Exxon factor, lawyer warns big business
30 Mar 2016
Air New Zealand, Fonterra and other companies operating in heavy-emitting industries should be planning how to deal with their emissions to avoid “becoming an Exxon”, warns a Wellington environmental lawyer.
It wouldn't take much for e-cars to ease our emissions
30 Mar 2016
Replacing just 10 per cent of the cars in New Zealand with electric vehicles would cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by a million tonnes a year.
LanzaTech signs first US biofuels deal
30 Mar 2016
New Zealand-founded LanzaTech has signed its first North American deal, giving United States biofuels and biochemicals maker Aemetis exclusive rights to its patented technology to convert various types of waste gas to ethanol in California.
Clean water our greatest challenge, says tourism industry
30 Mar 2016
The tourism industry has come out in support of the campaign to clean up the country’s rivers, saying the clean-and-green image is too important to risk.
Rising heat brings earlier (and better) vintage
30 Mar 2016
Winegrowers can expect good grape harvests much earlier now, thanks to climate change, but scientists say the effect may not last.
Emitters, you have until Thursday
29 Mar 2016
Emitters have until Thursday to file returns for last year.
Capital plugs in to fast-charge e-car stations
29 Mar 2016
Wellington has its first high-speed electric car charging stations.
'Unless you make the price of fossil fuels honest, people will just keep burning them'
29 Mar 2016
"They talk like they realise there’s a problem, but they’re not taking the only action that would be effective. Unless you make the price of fossil fuels honest, by including their cost to society, people will just keep burning them." That's retired Nasa scientist Dr James Hansen, talking to Radio New Zealand’s Kim Hill on Saturday morning.
Does doing renewable energy demand the undoable?
29 Mar 2016
Switching to renewable energy as fast as the world needs to will require changes so massive that they are unlikely to happen, scientists say.
It looks like Asia is losing its appetite for coal
29 Mar 2016
Many hundreds of planned coal-fired power plants in Asia will probably be shelved as economies slow and climate change and air pollution worsen.
Cuba’s sustainable agriculture at risk in US thaw
29 Mar 2016
President Obama’s trip to Cuba this week accelerated the warming of US-Cuban relations. Many people in both countries believe that normalizing relations will spur investment that can help Cuba to develop its economy and improve life for its citizens. But in agriculture, US investment could cause harm instead.
Labour vows to set new rules around carbon risk
24 Mar 2016
Carbon risk disclosure would be compulsory under a Labour government, says finance spokesman Grant Robertson.
Airport recycles waste from aircraft
24 Mar 2016
More than half the waste coming off aeroplanes at Auckland airport is now being recycled.
OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: Labour lays it on the line
23 Mar 2016
Regional clusters, an overhaul of the country’s science system, and encouraging social enterprises could be part of a Labour government’s drive to develop clean-tech, sustainable jobs.
Black-out Bridges keeps us in the dark on e-cars
23 Mar 2016
Transport Minister Simon Bridges is refusing to release advice officials have given him on encouraging New Zealanders to switch to electric vehicles.
No worries, says Key, science will save the world
23 Mar 2016
Prime Minister John Key says that science will save the world from climate change.
US energy firm boosts Christchurch plant
23 Mar 2016
United States energy technology company Enphase Energy has expanded its Christchurch research plant.
Are vegetables really the most low-carbon diet?
23 Mar 2016
It is often claimed that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment, because grazing animals such as cattle and sheep produce a lot of methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Electric cars the answer for NZ, says report
22 Mar 2016
Switching to electric vehicles will do more to prevent climate change than installing solar panels will – even if the electricity to power the cars comes from burning fossil fuels, says a new report.
Beehive blind to one big fact, says energy expert
22 Mar 2016
The Government’s argument that New Zealand should search for natural gas because it’s cleaner than coal ignores the fact that the world already has more fossil fuels than it can safely burn, says a world expert on energy and climate change.
Supermarket extends soft-plastics recycling
22 Mar 2016
Progressive Enterprises is extending the industry-led, Government-funded soft-plastics recycling trial to its Countdown supermarkets in Hamilton.
Labelling watchdog gets new chief
22 Mar 2016
Environmental Choice, the government-owned-and-backed environmental labelling organisation, has a new general manager.
European politicians push nuclear ‘poison pill’
22 Mar 2016
The economics of nuclear power in Europe are in meltdown, leaving taxpayers facing a heavy burden as the industry clings to pledges of huge public cash injections.
Goodies v baddies ... why labelling is holding farming back
22 Mar 2016
It’s hard to keep wild animals out of farms. Birds, mammals and insects all affect crop yields, in positive ways (such as flies pollinating flowers) and negative ones (such as when birds damage fruit).
Drilling for gas is good for us, says Government
21 Mar 2016
Drilling for gas in New Zealand will be good for the climate, the Government says.
Minister's reminder: Trees are really, really important
21 Mar 2016
Forests play a vital role in the economy and the environment, the Government is reminding New Zealanders.
Energy efficiency in itself can become a market
21 Mar 2016
New research by the European Commission suggests that energy efficiency can become a “niche” market that will attract investors away from fossil fuels.
Emissions standstill boosts Paris pact hopes
21 Mar 2016
The link between global economic growth and emissions growth has been further weakened as greenhouse gas levels show no increase for the second year in succession.
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
Tue 21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says that recent moves to weaken methane targets and halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing show the Government has been captured by industry.
Electricity Authority proposes doubling solar export limits to 10 kW
Mon 20 Oct 2025
The Electricity Authority is proposing a default 10kW export limit for small-scale generation, saying new inverter standards and voltage settings allow homes and businesses to feed more power into local networks without compromising safety.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
13 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment has released updated emissions projections to 2050, which show significant differences to the Climate Change Commission's recent projections for the same period.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
