New Zealand: All stories
How sail is catching up with the fossil-fuel ships
11 Apr 2014
Ship transport is energy efficient, but it is also a significant source of emissions because of the globalised world huge transportation needs. In large measure, these vessels are powered with high-sulphur fossil fuels.
NZ climate change film goes global
11 Apr 2014
A global agreement for the educational market has been secured for the New Zealand film Thin Ice – the Inside Story of Climate Science.
Wooden skyscrapers cool idea in a warming world
11 Apr 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- US scientists have a new green solution to urban construction: chop down trees and use the wood for buildings.
UN to promote sustainable energy for all
11 Apr 2014
The United Nations has launched the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, an initiative aimed at promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency worldwide
Academic gets funds for drought studies
11 Apr 2014
A Waikato University doctoral student has won a scholarship to investigate the on-going inpacts of drought on dry-land farming.
Tyres can save fuel, says consumer watchdog
11 Apr 2014
Choosing tyres which grip well but are also fuel efficient can save money and reduce carbon emissions, says Consumer NZ.
Airlines wrestle with demands of climate change
11 Apr 2014
By LYNETTE DRAY.- Although aviation emissions contribute only 3 to 5 per cent of the total impact on the planet’s climate, this is steadily growing and is a surprisingly intractable problem to solve.
Z Energy goes it alone with $21 million biodiesel plant to supply local market
4 Apr 2014
A commercial-scale biodiesel project nearly stymied by the withdrawal of Government support is to go ahead.
Tax credits deal fuels LanzaTech move to Illinois
4 Apr 2014
NEW ZEALAND clean-tech company LanzaTech has been lured to Illinois with more than $US1 million worth of tax credits.
ETS officials talking to Korea and Thailand
4 Apr 2014
NEW ZEALAND is working on ways to link with emerging carbon markets in Korea and Thailand.
Profit comes before environment, says Act leader
4 Apr 2014
NEW Act Party leader Jamie Whyte says that businesses have no obligation to the environment.
Biofuels not a lasting solution, warns report
4 Apr 2014
By DOUGLAS CRAWFORD-BROWN.- Biofuels alone are unsustainable, but can still help to combat climate change.
Europe puts off decision on aviation emissions
4 Apr 2014
EUROPE has postponed action to regulate international aviation emissions.
We need a price target range, says forest expert
28 Mar 2014
A LEADING forestry services executive is calling on the Government to set a target range for carbon prices.
Z Energy on fuels project sideline
28 Mar 2014
ONE OF THE companies involved in a $13.5 million project investigating the viability of turning wood waste into biofuel says it is not involved in the NXT Fuels project.
Not worth it, say international traders
28 Mar 2014
INTERNATIONAL carbon traders say there is little incentive for the private sector to get involved in carbon-sequestering forestry projects.
New investors pump $70m into LanzaTech
28 Mar 2014
NEW ZEALAND-BORN LanzaTech has attracted an extra $70 million in investment
Planners to put 100% Pure under the microscope
28 Mar 2014
CRITICAL issues which threaten New Zealand's 100% Pure positioning will be addressed by planners at a conference in Queenstown next week.
Heat extremes put major crops at risk, say scientists
28 Mar 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- Rampant climate change driven by ever-rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere poses a serious threat to world food supply, according to a new study in Environmental Research Letters.
Brm, brm ...move over, brick, there's a streamliner coming through
28 Mar 2014
By KIERAN COOKE.- The European Parliament has voted in favour of changing the design of goods lorries throughout the EU - from their present brick shape to a more streamlined-looking vehicle.
Hi-tech's a big job and Britain is doing it well
28 Mar 2014
BRITISH hi-tech engineering is more successful than you think, says JIM PLATTS, lecturer in manufacturing engineering at Cambridge University.
A green office is a happy office, say businesses
28 Mar 2014
BUSINESSES investing in green office spaces as part of the nationwide energy efficiency programme say the change they are putting in place are making their staff happier and more productive.
California goes nuts for water
28 Mar 2014
WHILE recent rainfall has brought welcome relief to California, the amount of precipitation has not been nearly enough to put an end to what is its worst drought on record. The state’s $45 billion agricultural sector has been particularly hard hit, writes KIERAN COOKE.
Carbon price inaction could hurt Nats at poll
21 Mar 2014
National could feel at the ballot box its failure to take action on carbon prices and lack of vision on forestry.
Carbon price breach of rights, says Maori leader
21 Mar 2014
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia has weighed into the row over low carbon prices, describing the loss of value of credits given to Maori in Treaty of Waitangi settlements as a breach of human rights.
Let's get together, says UK energy expert
21 Mar 2014
Huge potential exists for New Zealand and Britain to collaborate on the science and technology of renewable energies, says the British Foreign Office chief scientific adviser.
Australian Senate throws out carbon tax bill
21 Mar 2014
The Australian Government’s bill to scrap that country’s carbon tax has been thrown out of the Senate, prompting speculation that a double dissolution could be looming.
Power emissions down for quarter
21 Mar 2014
New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions from electricity are at a 17-year low.
Post-89 emissions returns trickle in
21 Mar 2014
Only a quarter of post-1989 forest owners registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme have submitted their 2013 emissions returns.
Couple's laundry millions back environment
21 Mar 2014
A family which made its fortune in the laundry business has given $100 million to support environmental and educational projects.
Key talks environment in China
21 Mar 2014
The Prime Minister has been talking about the environment with his Chinese counterpart.
Greens have plans for timber buildings
21 Mar 2014
The Green Party in Government will put $1 million toward the cost of the first 10-storey or higher New Zealand building made with structural timber, co-leader Dr Russel Norman said this week.
Foreign airlines should pay, say Europe lawmakers
21 Mar 2014
Flights to and from Europe should not be exempted from Europe’s emissions trading scheme, the Environment and Public Health Committee of the European Parliament says.
Water is the key in a hungry world
21 Mar 2014
Tomorrow is World Water Day. Foodtank president DANIELLE NIERENBERG says that farmers around the world should be looking to colleagues who have come up with innovative ways of using each drop more efficiently.
We're keen on renewables, says Bridges
21 Mar 2014
Energy Minister Simon Bridges says the Government is just as excited about renewables as it is about oil and gas.
BP urges progress on global carbon price
21 Mar 2014
By ED KING .- Oil giant BP says regional and national carbon pricing policies are likely to be the best way to tackle climate change.
Minister names forum members
21 Mar 2014
The Government has named the members of its Smart Grid Forum.
Green buildings need to seen outside the CBD
21 Mar 2014
Australia is allegedly in the midst of a green building revolution, powered by the awarding of ratings to developers who build sustainable buildings, writes JOREN van der HEIJDEN, Associate Professor of Environmental Governance at Australian National University.
Climate scientists 3, economists 0
21 Mar 2014
Hold up the trophy. Open the champagne. Climate scientists have easily won the game. According to a recent study, when it comes to the accuracy of forecasts and projections, the climate side is much better at the game than the economists’ team, says KIEREN COOKE.
Burger chain goes free-range
21 Mar 2014
Home-grown burger chain Burger Fuel says it will use only free-range chicken in its New Zealand outlets.
Canberra outlines new farm opportunities
21 Mar 2014
The Australian Government says it is making it easier for farmers and landholders to be able to participate in the Emissions Reduction Fund by storing carbon in their soil, improving farm productivity and contributing to action on climate change.
Our cities need attention, say planners
21 Mar 2014
More collaboration is needed to deal with the country’s burgeoning urban growth issues, says a new report by the New Zealand Planning Institute.
Scientists raise threat of methane in rivers
21 Mar 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- British scientists have identified yet another twist to the threat of global warming. Any further rises in temperature are likely to accelerate the release of methane from rivers, lakes, deltas, bogs, swamps, marshlands and rice paddy fields.
Cunliffe's vision shows green economy blindspot
14 Mar 2014
Labour leader David Cunliffe has just given a speech on the future of New Zealand’s economy - without mentioning clean technology and the green economy.
Beehive still silent on demand to lift carbon prices
14 Mar 2014
There’s still no word from the Government on whether it will boost carbon prices to avoid a $600 million Treaty of Waitangi claim.
Public wary of DOC's new business role
14 Mar 2014
Getting into bed with business could affect the Department of Conservation’s ability to protect New Zealand’s fresh water, the public fears.
Farmers remain free of emissions obligations
14 Mar 2014
The Government is all but ruling out making agriculture responsible for its greenhouse gas emissions next year.
Key downgrades New York climate talks
14 Mar 2014
Holding the general election on September 20 could mean New Zealand doesn’t have a leader in place to attend the United Nations’ Climate Summit in New York.
Now you can check it out before you buy ... by phone
14 Mar 2014
A new product certification system lets consumers check over their phones the environmental and social sustainability of New Zealand food products.
Should climate deniers be brought to book?
14 Mar 2014
Is misinformation about the climate criminally negligent, asks Rochester Institute of Technology Assistant Professor of Philosophy, LAWRENCE TORCELLO.
‘Pathetic': experts slam govt’s approach to adaptation
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | The government has signalled it will step back from full property buyouts if assets are hit by climate disasters, a move adaptation experts say will condemn hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders to a “dismal” future.
Electricity Authority proposes doubling solar export limits to 10 kW
Today 11:00am
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.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
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.
