New Zealand: All stories
Review ETS after Paris, says climate lawyer
17 Aug 2015
The Emissions Trading Scheme review should be pushed off into next year, a climate change lawyer says.
It's time for packaging that cares about the future
17 Aug 2015
Our Daily Waste founder Dr SHARON McIVER on why how smart businesses are future-proofing by getting rid of plastic packaging now.
Contact to close gas-fired Auckland plant
17 Aug 2015
The 400MW Otahuhu B gas-fired power station will close from the end of next month.
Clouds gather over China’s solar power industry
17 Aug 2015
The recent turmoil in China’s stock market has sent shockwaves through the country’s corporate sector, including its mighty solar power industry which in recent years has grown to dominate the world market.
Wind and solar surge sends EU emissions tumbling
17 Aug 2015
Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling fast, mainly because of the rapid spread of the wind turbines and solar panels that are replacing fossil fuels for electricity generation.
The urban machine solution is not good for cities
17 Aug 2015
First-world cities have an unhealthy dependence on the “urban machine” - the modern engineering solutions within their infrastructure - making their inhabitants vulnerable to disaster, new research shows.
Extreme weather puts Africa's food security at risk
17 Aug 2015
A British government scientific panel says increasingly frequent heat waves, droughts and other extreme weather threaten more – and more severe – global food crises.
Clean Power Plan will have a real impact
17 Aug 2015
The United States Government’s recently announced Clean Power Plan will have a negative impact on the country’s coal industry, with the potential loss of up to 60 Gigawatts of coal power capacity by 2020, according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.
India lets loose the reins of its energy horses
17 Aug 2015
India’s “seven horses of energy” electricity sector transformation is gathering pace, with far-reaching ramifications for renewable energy development and the structural decline of seaborne thermal coal, says a new report.
Added gene can make rice more climate-friendly
17 Aug 2015
Scientists discover a way to boost production of the grain that billions rely on for food – and reduce its damaging emissions of methane.
Why coal commitment will cost Fonterra dearly
10 Aug 2015
Fonterra’s determination to keep using coal is exposing it to future high carbon costs, an international energy expert is warning.
World doesn't have time for pessimism, says IPCC man
10 Aug 2015
IPCC deputy chair Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele says he hasn’t got time to be pessimistic about whether the world will take action to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Foresters sidestep Government and go it alone
10 Aug 2015
Establishing a national forestry policy is top of the agenda at a sector meeting in Wellington today.
Iwi leaders sign up to water partnership
10 Aug 2015
Maori and local government have agreed to work together on freshwater issues.
Land deal runs foul of investment office
10 Aug 2015
An Australian company that used a New Zealand contact to buy land for carbon farming has fallen foul of the Overseas Investment Office.
Revolutionary fence is set to trap the sea’s power
10 Aug 2015
A British company has announced plans for an array of unique marine turbines that can operate in shallower and slower-moving water than current designs.
Here’s how we can save the car – and the planet
10 Aug 2015
Passenger cars are still the most popular transportation mode. In 2014, nearly 68m were produced globally.
‘Peak car’ means UK might get much closer to carbon targets than it realised
10 Aug 2015
Cars are one of the biggest threats to the planet. The transport sector accounts for more than 60% of global oil consumption and about a quarter of energy-related carbon emissions, and it’s seen as harder to decarbonise than other parts of the economy.
Chinese ride to the rescue of Europe’s nuclear industry
10 Aug 2015
The Chinese are planning to come to the rescue of a European nuclear industry so short of money that it cannot build any new stations without outside help.
Arctic’s melting ice shrinks Europe-Asia shipping routes
10 Aug 2015
The disappearing Arctic ice cap will boost trade between north-west Europe and countries such as China, Japan and South Korea by making the sea routes far shorter, according to economic analysts.
Investor group names new chief executive
10 Aug 2015
The Investor Group on Climate Climate Change Australia/New Zealand has a new chief executive.
Why Tiwai stands between us and 100% renewable energy
3 Aug 2015
New Zealand could have 100 per cent renewable electricity generation within a decade if the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter closed.
Caygill sets out on new energy mission
3 Aug 2015
Former Finance Minister David Caygill is to chair the BusinessNZ Energy Council – a group of energy companies whose mission is to secure a sustainable energy future for New Zealand.
Water talks aim to get answers
3 Aug 2015
The state of New Zealand’s freshwater quality and who is to blame will be debated in Hamilton next week.
Fossil fuel industry still winning the investment war
3 Aug 2015
The campaign to convince investors not to use their money to support the extraction and use of fossil fuels is failing to gain enough converts, experts say.
Wildfire threat spreads across warming world
3 Aug 2015
As climate change warms the world, vegetation dries, rainfall patterns waver and the threat of wildfire spreads.
Good practice makes perfect sense for emissions cuts
3 Aug 2015
European researchers investigating ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the internationally agreed safety level have arrived at the good news that we can just about achieve it – provided all nations show the political will to do so.
As biodiversity declines on corn farms, pest problems grow
3 Aug 2015
Biodiversity performs critical ecosystem functions that cannot be replaced indefinitely by technology, such as pesticides and herbicides. This includes a diverse population of insects on farms.
Treasury maps out our path to a low-carbon enconomy
27 Jul 2015
A strong carbon price, better urban planning, a climate commission and systematic assessment of how government policies affect climate change would help New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy, Treasury says.
Key: It's our climate policy and we're sticking with it
27 Jul 2015
Prime Minister John Key has rejected calls for cross-party agreement on climate change policy.
Why cities are a rare good news story in climate change
27 Jul 2015
The visit last week of 65 mayors to the Vatican to discuss climate change, among other things, reflects the central role of cities in debates that for too long took place only at the global and national level.
Soil maps could help show the way for farmers
27 Jul 2015
Detailed soil maps of farms could reduce nitrate leaching and help to improve food production, a Lincoln University report suggests.
Norway pumps up 'green battery' plan for Europe
27 Jul 2015
Norway is hoping to become the “green battery of Europe” by using its hydropower plants to provide instant extra electricity if production from wind and solar power sources in other countries fade.
Big money in reforming fossil fuel subsidies
27 Jul 2015
Reforming fossil fuel subsidies could release enough money to finance universal access to water, sanitation, and electricity in many countries, as well as helping to cut global greenhouse-gas emissions, new research in Nature Climate Change suggests.
Forecasting dead zones and toxic algae in US waterways: a bad year for Lake Erie
27 Jul 2015
Over the past two decades, scientists have developed ways to predict how ecosystems will react to changing environmental conditions.
Recession cut US emissions, not falling coal use
27 Jul 2015
Between 2007 and 2013 emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels burnt in the US fell significantly − by about 11% − and many analysts credited this to ac hange from coal to natural gas in electricity production.
You knock it down, we'll pick it up, says recovery firm
27 Jul 2015
New Zealand’s capacity to recycle construction, industrial and demolition material has been boosted.
Taupo scheme ticking along ... but there are problems
20 Jul 2015
High transaction costs and a lack of liquidity mean that the Lake Taupo Nitrogen Trading Market isn’t working as well as it could, researchers say.
Groser pleads special case for animal emissions
20 Jul 2015
New Zealand wants the next global climate change agreement to treat biological gases treated differently from other greenhouse gases.
Recycling trial aims to solve plastic bags problem
20 Jul 2015
The packaging sector and the Government are working together to find a way to recycle supermarket bags and other soft plastic.
Japan signs up for geothermal classes
20 Jul 2015
New Zealand and Japan will work together on geothermal energy research.
Barriers, canals and fake islands ... how we can save cities from rising sea levels
20 Jul 2015
Extreme storms and rising sea levels will threaten the existence of coastal cities worldwide, unless preventative action is undertaken.
EPA Clean Power Plan reenergises US climate policy debate
20 Jul 2015
For the first time this United States summer, the nation’s fleet of existing power plants will face limits on carbon dioxide emissions.
Climate change brings ill winds for airline industry
20 Jul 2015
Scientists say wind patterns altered by climate variability are costing airlines millions of dollars in extra fuel and flying time − and increasing CO2emissions.
How people and planet benefit from green buildings
20 Jul 2015
Research worldwide shows that environmentally-friendly buildings are much better for the health of the people who live and work in them, as well as for the Earth.
Solar tiles aim to replace panels
20 Jul 2015
Monier has launched a new roof tile that doubles as a solar panel.
'Failed' NZ could be walking into trap at Paris climate summit
13 Jul 2015
New Zealand could be in trouble with its post-2020 emissions reduction target if the world doesn’t allow us to continue to use creative accounting to meet our obligations, international scientists are warning.
How the country can save $37 million a year ... use KiwiRail
13 Jul 2015
Treasury’s advice that the Government should stop propping up KiwiRail because it is too expensive fails to take into account the carbon cost of transporting freight by rail.
Businesses put brakes on climate action, says study
13 Jul 2015
Fewer businesses are taking action on greenhouse gases than two years ago, Waikato University’s latest sustainability report shows.
Foresters see need for big ETS changes
13 Jul 2015
Major changes will need to be made to the Emissions Trading Scheme if New Zealand wants to meet its just-announced post-2020 emissions reduction target.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
