New Zealand: All stories
Indonesia deepens reliance on coal power
20 May 2016
Indonesia, already one of the world’s biggest carbon emitters, plans to build a further 100 coal-fired power stations by 2019.
Europe has high hopes for smart meters
20 May 2016
Europe’s move to replace at least 80 per cent of electricity meters with smart meters could cut greenhouse gas emissions in the region by 9 per cent.
Outcry as Norway opens new areas to exploration
20 May 2016
Norway has warded Arctic drilling licences to 13 oil companies, including in a hitherto unexplored part of the Barents Sea, drawing condemnation from environmental groups.
Energy awards show what the country can do
19 May 2016
Innovations worth 1.2 petajoules of energy and 120,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were honoured in Auckland last night.
BLOWIN' IN THE WIND: China's desertification dust is even reaching our shores
19 May 2016
Dust and sand storms in China have intensified and now pose provocative geopolitical challenges. Traces of China’s deserts have been found as far away as New Zealand and the French Alps.
Glad tidings for the potential of sea power
19 May 2016
Two countries with the highest tides in the world, Canada and the UK, both claim to be the world leaders in creating electricity from the tides.
Europe needs independent carbon market regulator
19 May 2016
Europe needs an independent carbon market regulator with clear objectives rather than the current mix of state administrators and the European Commission that has complicated the market, says the chief executive of Total.
Renewables leaving natural gas in the dust
19 May 2016
In the first three months of 2016, the U.S. grid added 18 megawatts of new natural gas generating capacity. It added a whopping 1291MW of new renewables.The renewables were primarily wind (707 MW) and solar (522 MW).
Colorado e-car fans to get $5000 incentive
19 May 2016
Colorado people looking to buy electric vehicles in the state will soon have access to a $5000 incentive.
Why we need soil microbes to fight climate change
19 May 2016
Around the globe, 2016 has been a dusty year. And the loss of soil presents a less obvious challenge: it robs us of a key ally in fighting climate change. That ally is soil microbes.
Why funds managers must come clean on climate risks
18 May 2016
Superannuation and other fund managers should be telling customers just how big a risk climate change is to their investments, says the government’s financial markets regulator.
Chairman aside, AMP says it's serious about climate
18 May 2016
AMP says it is taking climate change seriously, despite a recent comment from chairman Simon McKeon that suggested otherwise.
South joins North in breaching carbon dioxide milestone
18 May 2016
The background atmospheric carbon dioxide levels measured at Cape Grim on Tasmania’s northwest coast have officially passed the 400 parts per million mark.
China dominates wind turbine installation
18 May 2016
Nearly half of the new wind turbines installed last year were in China, latest data shows.
Rich and poor divided over aviation emissions deal
18 May 2016
Details of a global carbon offsetting scheme for planes are up in the air after an inconclusive meeting in Montreal last week.
ETS ANSWERS: Three ways to make it work
17 May 2016
Bringing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme, setting an emissions cap, and building cross-party support to cut emissions and lift carbon prices should all be part of the ETS review, says one of its architects.
New RMA proposals won't cut it, say farmers
17 May 2016
Federated Farmers told the select committee considering the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill yesterday that current proposals will reduce the opportunity for public input, reduce opportunity for local decision making, and increase process costs.
April hottest ... and that makes seven months in a row
17 May 2016
April this year was the hottest April on record globally – and the seventh month in a row to have broken global temperature records. The latest figures smashed the previous record for April by the largest margin ever recorded.
It's more bad news for carbon capture
17 May 2016
Coal powered much of the industrial revolution and continues to fuel economic growth in developing nations, including China and India.
Shell creates green energy division
17 May 2016
Shell has established a separate division, New Energies, to invest in renewable and low-carbon power.
Largest floating windfarm to be built off Scotland
17 May 2016
The world’s largest floating windfarm is set to be built off the coast of Scotlandafter its developers were granted a seabed lease yesterday.
Facebook, Microsoft give clean energy a boost
17 May 2016
Facebook and Microsoft are joining forces with environmental groups to promote the development of 60 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025.
Angry climate campaigners aim at bank coffers
16 May 2016
Climate campaigners are looking to hit banks investing in fossil-fuel operations where it hurts – the bottom line.
OPINION: Government is Johnny on the spot
16 May 2016
Imagine a rugby game where a group of very capable players tries to help one player called Johnny to simply catch the ball and run and score a try.
Vanadium the ‘beautiful metal’ that stores energy
16 May 2016
An unheralded metal could become a crucial part of the renewables revolution. Vanadium is used in new batteries which can store large amounts of energy almost indefinitely, perfect for remote wind or solar farms.
UK energy from coal hits zero for first time in 100 years
16 May 2016
The amount of electricity generated from coal in the UK has fallen to zero several times in the past week, grid data shows.
Congrats, Colorado ... first it was pot, now it's rain barrels
16 May 2016
Before Governor John Hickenlooper last week signed a bill legalising rain barrels, it was a crime to catch and use rainwater in Colorado. Yes, the state legalised recreational use of marijuana before a commonplace water conservation tool.
Memo property investors: You have a climate duty
13 May 2016
Real estate investors now have a fiduciary duty on climate change, say the authors of a new guide on sustainable real estate investment.
How updating office buildings can cut emissions
13 May 2016
Retrofitting New Zealand’s commercial buildings to use less fossil fuel-generated energy could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 666,000 tonnes – equivalent to the methane emissions from 200,000 dairy cows, a Wellington researcher has found.
RISING SEAS: It all depends on your neighbourhood
13 May 2016
The world’s sea level is expected to rise by up to 82cm by the end of the century. Some areas of the world, such as the north-east coast of North America and the Western Pacific, will be more affected than others.
Shell unveils vision of 2deg energy future
13 May 2016
Shell has published analysis for the first time on what it would take to meet international climate goals.
UN seen as likely choice for airline pollution cuts
13 May 2016
A carbon market run by the United Nations is emerging as the most probable supplier of the emissions credits necessary to curb greenhouse gas pollution from the world's airline industry, according to a group that develops ways to verify carbon reductions.
Forest carbon storage risky, warns thinktank
12 May 2016
Storing carbon in forests is risky and should be used to meet no more than a fifth of New Zealand’s emissions reductions, says a group of prominent scientists and other New Zealanders.
Carbon emissions rise in study of future energy
12 May 2016
Global carbon dioxide emissions from energy production are likely to rise 34 per cent, or 11 billion tonnes, between 2012 and 2040, says a new report.
Student caps ceremony with message for management
12 May 2016
An Auckland University student used his own graduation ceremony yesterday to draw attention to the university’s refusal to divest from fossil fuels.
Will taxpayers foot the bill for broke coal companies?
12 May 2016
Coal’s share of the US energy market is rapidly plunging. Low-cost fracking-generated natural gas has overtaken the use of coal at America’s power plants.
Rainstorms whip up airborne dust problem
12 May 2016
Researchers have identified an unexpected generator of the fine organic dust that blows in the wind. They blame it on raindrops.
Can engineers change the world?
12 May 2016
Can technology solve the climate problem? Dr Susan P Krumdieck outlines her work on a new interdisciplinary practice called transition engineering: changing course one innovative project at a time.
China and US set for airline emissions clash
12 May 2016
China and the US are set for a fight over the split of responsibilities for cutting airline emissions at a UN meet starting today.
FAIR GO: What to make of our emissions targets
11 May 2016
New Zealand’s post-2020 emissions reduction target is fair - if you don’t expect rich countries to bear the brunt of fixing the climate change problems they’ve caused, a new government paper shows.
How a global carbon price will bring emissions down
11 May 2016
International carbon trading and a single global carbon price will drive deeper emissions cuts than those promised by countries under the Paris Agreement, a new report says.
Bloomberg task force extends deadline
11 May 2016
The Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures is extending its deadline for consultation.
Big names line up for Green Ribbon Awards
11 May 2016
The national airline, both major supermarket companies, one of the world’s largest technology companies, and a company that makes flexible pipes are among the finalists in the Government’s Green Ribbon Awards.
Japan has more charge points than petrol stations
11 May 2016
Japan has more electric car charging stops than petrol stations, according to a recent survey by Nissan.
Can we save the algae biofuel industry?
10 May 2016
Algal biofuels are in trouble. This alternative fuel source could help to reduce overall carbon emissions without taking land from food production, like many crop-based biofuels do.
Cow-gas fix no silver bullet for us, says researcher
9 May 2016
A new feed-supplement shown in trials to cut methane emissions from dairy cows by 30 per cent is exciting, but no silver bullet for New Zealand, says the head of the research consortium charged with cutting the country’s agricultural emissions.
Solar industry fights lines companies' taxes
9 May 2016
The solar energy industry is fighting back against taxes being imposed by lines companies on customers installing panels on their homes, by taking a case to the Electricity Authority.
Nuclear power plant costs roll onwards and upwards
9 May 2016
Building nuclear power stations is becoming hugely more expensive by the day, but decommissioning old ones might prove to be even more costly.
Oil firms have 10 years to change strategy ... or die
9 May 2016
International oil companies such as Shell and BP must completely change their business model or face a “nasty, brutish and short” end within 10 years, one of Britain’s most influential energy experts has warned.
GM and Lyft to test self-driving electric taxis
9 May 2016
General Motors and Lyft within a year will begin testing a fleet of self-driving electric taxis on public roads, a move central to the companies’ joint efforts to challenge Silicon Valley giants in the battle to reshape the auto industry.
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.
