New Zealand: All stories
Supercritical steam new frontier for power generation
20 Jun 2014
Australian scientists have used solar energy to generate hot and pressurised “supercritical” steam, at the highest temperatures ever achieved in the world outside fossil fuel sources.
Nat's transport plan a fantasy, say Greens
20 Jun 2014
National's transport budget for the next decade is a fantasy plan that pretends climate change doesn’t exist and locks New Zealanders into their cars for the next 50 years, the Green Party says.
Fracking seriously dangerous, say campaigners
20 Jun 2014
Campaigners in the United States are warning that fracking for oil or gas, which has transformed the country’s energy market, is seriously depleting or contaminating supplies of the most vital asset − water
Carbon tax call is all about playing politics
20 Jun 2014
By CHARLES ETHERINGTON, Warren Forestry Ltd.- The Greens are giving the impression of being ahead on the topic of a carbon tax versus the Emissions Trading Scheme, but, as usual, they are actually behind and just playing politics.
Big sports events can come with a high social price tag
20 Jun 2014
THE World Cup in Brazil is again putting the spotlight on the sustainability, legacy and license to operate of large global sporting events.
Finns launch sustainable business tools
20 Jun 2014
The VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has launched a suite of new tools to help manufacturers and farmers develop economically, environmentally and sociallay sustainable business models.
Iwi bloc backs ETS to come out the winner
13 Jun 2014
One of the country’s largest carbon blocs believes the Emissions Trading Scheme is here to stay.
Abbott climate call gets cool reception here
13 Jun 2014
New Zealand appears unenthusiastic about our Tasman neighbour’s plans to form a conservative alliance on climate change.
Business-deal science under attack
13 Jun 2014
The practice of business paying state scientists to give evidence in resource hearings is under fire.
Innovators plan a big shift for business
13 Jun 2014
Leading international business innovators and entrepreneurs will gather in Auckland in September for the launch of a new global business innovation campaign in New Zealand.
Australia's emissions fund could start short
13 Jun 2014
Australia's Emissions Reduction Fund is likely to be under-supplied when it comes to market next month, a new report says.
Scientists find simple way to produce biofuel
13 Jun 2014
Scientists in the United States claim they have developed a simple, one-step process that turns plant tissue into biofuel.
New city hotspots are the air conditioners
13 Jun 2014
Researchers in the United States have identified a way in which city dwellers are inadvertently stoking up the heat of the night – by installing air conditioners
Energy efficient homes could help Treasury balance the books
13 Jun 2014
Britain has just been through an unusually mild winter for the UK. Despite the excessive rain and storms, the warmer temperatures meant the UK needed less energy to heat homes.
The case for a carbon consumption tax
13 Jun 2014
As delegates gather once again for climate talks in Bonn, the question has to be asked: after decades of conferences, committees, procedures and protocols, is the multilateral approach to tackling climate change working?
Why we need clear emissions-reduction reporting
13 Jun 2014
STEPHEN KNIGHT-LENIHAN, JULIA HARKER and PRUE TAYLOR argue for transparent emissions-reduction reporting, in the same way that we report on the share market and exchange rates.
Make a date with a green professional
13 Jun 2014
Sydneysiders will be “speed-dating” tomorrow to find environmentally aware architects and horticulturalists.
National glass recovery breaks even
13 Jun 2014
New Zealanders recycled glass last year at the same rate as in 2012.
Digital manufacturing has future, say Greens
13 Jun 2014
Digital manufacturing should be part of New Zealand’s green future, the Green Party says.
Let's get back to ETS basics, says Internet leader
6 Jun 2014
New Internet Party leader Laila Harre is no fan of the Emissions Trading Scheme
Harre: Business seems to like us
6 Jun 2014
New Zealand’s newest political party says business is coming in behind its ideas to green the economy.
Our new planes cut carbon, says Air NZ
6 Jun 2014
Air New Zealand says its new aeroplanes will help it to cut carbon emissions.
Obama climate move seen as a game-changer
6 Jun 2014
The Obama administration has announced what could be its biggest move to tackle climate change − with major emissions cuts on the way in what is seen by some as a policy game-changer for the US.
Business group wants to green KiwiSaver
6 Jun 2014
The Sustainable Business Network wants to turn KiwiSaver green.
How China changes could leave coal a stranded asset
6 Jun 2014
By ALEX KIRBY.- Analysts believe that China − the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, accounting for almost half of global consumption − could be close to making an abrupt and drastic change of tack.
Wellington mayor gets hands-on with China's electric buses
6 Jun 2014
Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown has taken the wheel of an electric bus.
Beached Az is now dead az
6 Jun 2014
New Zealand's Beached Az whale has died - from eating "plistuc".
American students claim to clean the air with roof tiles
6 Jun 2014
California science students say they have created a roof tile coating that when applied to an average-sized residential roof breaks down the same amount of smog-causing nitrogen oxides per year as a car driven 11,000 miles.
New Indian leader inherits energy problems
6 Jun 2014
India’s new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has inherited the on-going problem of supplying energy to one of the world’s largest economies.
Fonterra and DOC join hands for green growth
6 Jun 2014
Pure Advantage, the not-for-profit organisation promoting green growth, says that Fonterra and the Department of Conservation will be the corporate leaders for its ‘Biodiversity Advantage’.
ETS more workable than carbon tax, says Labour
3 Jun 2014
Labour says that it will be easier to lift carbon prices under the Emissions Trading Scheme than under a carbon tax, as proposed by the Greens.
Greens: Climate change biggest issue world has faced
3 Jun 2014
"They used to call climate change the biggest issue of our time; more recently, I've heard it described as the biggest issue of all time." Green Party co-leader RUSSEL NORMAN on why his party will replace the Emissions Trading Scheme with a carbon tax:
Angry iwi to file carbon prices Treaty claim
30 May 2014
A $600-million Treaty of Waitangi claim over the Government’s climate change policies and carbon prices is to go ahead.
Foresters could have arbitrage case, says expert
30 May 2014
A litigator turned forest manager says that the Government’s surprise move to close an arbitrage loophole for forest owners could be legally challenged.
Big emitters join arbitrage action ... later
30 May 2014
The Government says that it is effectively closing the arbitrage opportunity for industrial emitters from the middle of next year.
Climate change? She'll be right, says Shell
30 May 2014
Shell, the world’s largest oil company, believes that governments will not damage its business by taking rapid action on climate change, and says all its oil reserves will be needed and sold at a profit.
Hydrogen and fuel cells worth a look for home heating
30 May 2014
The inhabitants of a frequently cold and windy country like the United Kingdom need to heat their homes, even in what is loosely termed “summer”.
Costly golden oldie now gets heating energy from the sea
30 May 2014
You’re responsible for a historic building, and you’re finding the heating bills an increasing burden? There’s a fairly simple answer − so long as you live near the sea.
Look, ma, no hands ... Google car could be a threat, says GM
30 May 2014
Google dropped its driverless car on the motor world this week and the concept immediately won praise from a leading industry executive.
Beware the greenwashed air travel offer
30 May 2014
By SHARON BEDER, honorary professor at the University of Wollongong.- When was the last time you booked a flight? That extra $A1 in the final stages of booking may seem a small price to pay for offsetting the carbon emissions you generate travelling by air.
Former oil executive joins EPA board
30 May 2014
The latest member appointed to the Environmental Protection Authority has background in the oil and gas industry.
Learn new ways to manage pests
30 May 2014
Lincoln University and the Biological Husbandry Unit are holding a series of workshops on new ways to manage pests.
Foresters threaten to pull out of ETS
23 May 2014
Participation by forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme will come to a sudden halt because the Government has shown it will change the rules at the drop of a hat, industry sources say.
Government took easy option on forest credits
23 May 2014
The Government feared that an “arbitrage loophole” allowing forest owners to move in and out of the Emissions Trading Scheme could cost it up to $231 million over the next two years.
Seeds for all seasons when farmers get together
23 May 2014
Small-scale farmers from as far apart as Peru, China and Bhutan have agreed to share indigenous crop varieties in a pioneering initiative to help adaptation to climate change.
Methane hydtrates are a whole new world
23 May 2014
Last year, Japanese scientists announced they had for the first time extracted gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate, an ice-like substance made of natural gas trapped inside water crystals.
Maori unhappy about having to back carbon move
16 May 2014
The Maori Party says it is being forced against its will to support Government moves to stamp out arbitrage by one sector of the carbon market.
Surprise forest credits move sees market rise
16 May 2014
The domestic market traded up this morning on news that the Government plans to stop owners of post-1989 forests from using Kyoto credits to meet exiting obligations.
Govt explains arbitrage actions
16 May 2014
The Government says it is targeting post-1989 forest owners with its anti-arbitrage moves because it is the only sector that can move in and out of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
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.
