New Zealand: All stories
Greens have a tempting carbon tax idea
11 Aug 2014
A carbon price is still the best and fairest way to achieve emissions cuts, but as Australia and New Zealand show, it’s not easy to get it right. How could carbon pricing be improved?
Is natural gas fracking the answer to our energy problems?
11 Aug 2014
FEATURE: As climate talks heat up, experts debate whether natural gas fracking will turn brown economies green.
Fishers waking up to dangers of acidic oceans
11 Aug 2014
Research has highlighted the negative effect acidification of oceans can have on marine life, but now fishing communities are waking up to the big threat it poses to their livelihoods.
It looks like air fares will have to rise ... and rise ... and rise
11 Aug 2014
Researchers warn that the cost of airline tickets will need to rise steadily to decrease demand and counteract the effects of aviation’s growing carbon emissions.
Airports super-inefficient, says emissions study
11 Aug 2014
Airports are disastrously inefficient buildings which belch greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contribute hugely to climate change, a European study has found.
Science eyes role of water in beating climate change
11 Aug 2014
Should we pick and choose our climate strategies based on how water-wise they are?
Pure Advantage has new man at the helm
11 Aug 2014
Sustainable business lobby group Pure Advantage has a new man at the helm.
Scientists warn of biofuel plant dangers
11 Aug 2014
Researchers in the United States have warned those anxious to cut greenhouse emissions to make quite sure that the cure they choose will not turn out worse than the disease.
NZ gifts Rio Tinto $6m free carbon credits bonus
4 Aug 2014
The company that threatened to leave New Zealand if it introduced the Emissions Trading Scheme has had a $6 million windfall from taxpayers in the form of free carbon credits.
Frustrated forest owners quit trading scheme
4 Aug 2014
More than 750 owners of post-1989 forests left the Emissions Trading Scheme over the past year as New Zealand’s net forestation rate plummeted.
Economist rubbishes Govt's $500 power cost claim
4 Aug 2014
Government claims that lifting carbon prices would cost householders $500 more a year in electricity bills have been debunked.
WORTH WATCHING: New film shows up our sorry climate change story
4 Aug 2014
New Zealand’s tortuously slow reaction to the threats of climate change has been documented.
Green economy key to change, says Labour
4 Aug 2014
Labour says it will embrace the green economy by moving away from reliance on extractive industries and primary production toward low-carbon, high-value goods and services.
Smartphone could be way of beating the traffic jam
4 Aug 2014
Forward-thinking Finland plans to change the way Europe goes about urban travel using a novel system, based on a smartphone app, to help people to get the most out of public transport.
Pacific leaders call for tougher UN ocean laws
4 Aug 2014
Pacific Islands leaders say they will push for an agreement on ocean conservation at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s climate summit in September.
Former Shell chief here to talk about drilling
4 Aug 2014
Shell Australia former chief Dr Roland Williams will front up to the people of Hawke’s Bay tomorrow to talk about oil and gas drilling.
Wastewater system earns environment award
4 Aug 2014
Watercare’s Kawakawa Bay wastewater system has received one of three Environment and Sustainability Awards for large projects presented by IPENZ, Auckland Branch at the prestigious Arthur Mead Awards function.
Climate change increases the odds of a hungry world
4 Aug 2014
The odds on food production being unable to meet the needs of an expanding population are hard to predict, but a new study shows that the risk increases dramatically when man-made climate change is factored in.
Fishing crackdown could save the oceans
4 Aug 2014
Tighter bag limits for fishing could be the key to ocean conservation, according to new research showing that limiting fishing across entire regions can offer better protection than using marine reserves.
NZ ups spending on Pacific new-energy projects
4 Aug 2014
New Zealand is boosting its funding of renewable energy projects in the Pacific.
Foreign foresters might sue over ETS changes
1 Aug 2014
New Zealand might face claims under free-trade agreements for losses caused as a result of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Carbon axe will boost renewables, says Trustpower
1 Aug 2014
Electricity generator Trustpower believes the repeal of Australia's carbon tax will be great for renewable energy, which is likely to be heavily favoured under the federal government's Renewable Energy Targets scheme.
Divers vote to increase paua minimum size
1 Aug 2014
Commercial paua divers in Marlborough are voluntarily increasing the minimum size they may take.
Why swimmable rivers are a bridge too far
1 Aug 2014
Federated Farmers environment spokesman IAN MACKENZIE on why making rivers swimmable isn't practical.
New marine reserves laws set mark, says industry
1 Aug 2014
A new marine reserve and management law for Marlborough passed by Parliament is a template for seafood and environment conservation measures throughout New Zealand, says Seafood New Zealand.
If the Southern Alps look different, it's because they're losing snow and ice
1 Aug 2014
A third of the permanent snow and ice of Southern Alps has disappeared, according to aerial surveys.
How the Rock got on a climate change roll
1 Aug 2014
The Pacific island of Niue has its own plastic-manufacturing plant, enabling it to produce its own water tanks?
Nuclear power champions paint rosy picture
1 Aug 2014
The nuclear industry remains remarkably optimistic about its future, despite evidence that it is a shrinking source of power as renewables increasingly compete to fill the energy gap.
Organic farming growing rapidly, says EU
1 Aug 2014
The organic farming sector has grown rapidly over the past 10 years, to about 500,000 new hectares every year, according to European Union statistics.
Warming world wake-up call for Asia
1 Aug 2014
Researchers in the UK have established a link between changing climate and agriculture that could have significant consequences for food supplies in South Asia.
Business begins to adopt the circular economy
1 Aug 2014
The concept of the circular economy has left the realm of academic theory and entered the world of business.
Canberra gives go-ahead to massive coal mine
1 Aug 2014
Australia’s biggest coal mine, the Carmichael Coal and Rail Project this week received the go-ahead from the federal government.
Worth listening to ...
1 Aug 2014
New Zealand-based international engineering company Aurecon is involved in renewable energy projects around this world. But it is pessimistic about the outlook for renewables in New Zealand.
Iwi appoints new environment chief
1 Aug 2014
Ngâti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated has a new director of environment and natural resources.
Glass is the game for biggest manufacturer
1 Aug 2014
O-I Glass is New Zealand’s only glass-container manufacturer and is the country’s largest user of recycled glass.
Morgan makes a splash with private water report
25 Jul 2014
Philanthropist Gareth Morgan has followed through on his promise and thrown a large rock into the Government’s water-policy pool.
Scientist sees smart farmers already changing systems
25 Jul 2014
Smart farmers are already adapting to climate change, says the Professor of Dairying Systems at Massey University, Dr Danny Donaghy.
We must learn to live with floods, says river expert
25 Jul 2014
People are going to have to learn to live with floods like those that have shut down large parts of Northland over the past two weeks, says an expert in river channel dynamics.
Shorten pleads for G20 to talk climate crisis
25 Jul 2014
Australian Opposition leader Bill Shorten has taken his battle with Prime Minister Tony Abbott over climate policy to an international stage, saying the issue should be a priority for the G20 leaders' meeting in Brisbane.
PHEW! We sweated it out last winter, the hottest on record
25 Jul 2014
Last winter was New Zealand's warmest on record, says the latest international report on global climate.
Germany and Britain top the Dirty 30
25 Jul 2014
By KIERAN COOKE.- It’s not the sort of league table that anyone is proud of leading, but a new report on the European Union’s power sector lists the EU’s 30 most polluting energy plants – all powered by coal.
Greening needs workers, says UN labour chief
25 Jul 2014
The world does not have to choose between job creation and preserving the environment, says a senior United Nations labour official.
Big thinking, fresh thinking key to our future
25 Jul 2014
Imagine being able to contain greenhouse gas emissions, make fertiliser use more efficient, keep water waste to a minimum, and put food on the table for the 10 billion people crowded into the planet’s cities, towns and villages by the end of the century.
The pre-Holocene climate is returning – and it won’t be fun
25 Jul 2014
A string of events earlier this year provided a sobering snapshot of a global climate system out of whack. Europe suffered devastating floods, Britain's coastline was mauled, and the polar vortex case a US$5 billion economic chill over America.
Europe lacks courage on energy targets
25 Jul 2014
In proposing a 30 per cent rather than a 40 per cent energy demand reduction target, the European Commission is increasing the risks that European Union member states face from fossil-fuel dependence and slowing the economic and social benefits of better insulated homes and lower energy bills.
Businesses bounce back but still dragging the chain
18 Jul 2014
New Zealand businesses are bouncing back into sustainability – but they’ve got a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world, says a strategy and human resources expert.
Learn and live longer, fund director tells business
18 Jul 2014
Businesses not moving toward environmental sustainability are unlikely to have a long future, says Direct Capital founding director Bill Kermode.
Australia 'underarms' our key commercial fish
18 Jul 2014
Some of New Zealand’s key commercial fish species are the target of a new consumer boycott in Australia.
Green cities make us feel better, says study
18 Jul 2014
Urban conservation can save significant amounts of money in health spending, according to Wellington researchers.
What is the future of coal? It depends on which part of the world you’re talking about
18 Jul 2014
Have reports of coal's demise been greatly exaggerated? It depends which part of the world you look at.
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.
Gisborne leads NZ in solar battery uptake as resilience drives demand
Today 11:00am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Battery storage is rapidly moving from add-on to mainstream in New Zealand’s residential solar market, with 2025 data showing stark regional differences in uptake, according to new analysis.
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.
