New Zealand: All stories
Watch reform bill, EDS warns councils
2 Aug 2013
The Environmental Defence Society is urging regional and district councils to urgently consider the implications of the Resource Management Reform Bill on their indigenous biodiversity functions.
Travellers prefer green hotels
2 Aug 2013
Business travellers are increasingly prioritising green-certified hotels, according to a new survey by market research firm Timetric.
Foresters cool on wood fuel project support
26 Jul 2013
The Government’s decision to back the initial stages of a wood-to-biofuel plant is welcome - but it’s not the game-changer that the industry needs.
Beehive backs Stump to Pump project
26 Jul 2013
A private project to investigate the commercial viability of turning wood waste into biofuel has won Government backing.
Treasury cashes in on energy rating
26 Jul 2013
Treasury is embracing efficiency of a different kind – energy.
Human waste helps to mend mine sites
26 Jul 2013
A project using human waste to restore mining sites has won the inaugural Ministerial West Coast Environmental Award.
EDITORIAL: Is the water accord greenwash ... or hogwash?
19 Jul 2013
Controversy this week over an independent milk co-op’s refusal to sign up to the Fonterra-led Sustainable Water Dairy Accord highlights the problems of self-regulation.
Gas emissions from oil on the rise
19 Jul 2013
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions from oil are climbing
Milford Dart quiet on tunnel appeal
19 Jul 2013
There is no word yet on whether the backers of a $180 million tunnel through the Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks will fight to keep the project alive.
GE scientists deliver clear message to NZ
19 Jul 2013
Evidence presented by international scientists at a conference in China is a warning for New Zealand to keep GE out of the food system, and to focus on understanding the cultural values driving demand for New Zealand food overseas, campaigners say.
Nothing wrong with 1080, says environment watchdog
19 Jul 2013
Time is running out for native species on mainland New Zealand, says the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment.
Industry set to celebrate concrete
19 Jul 2013
Construction industry companies are being invited to strut their sustainability credentials.
Business not doing job, says green analyst
12 Jul 2013
Business is still failing to address climate change and environmental sustainability despite a talkfest in the capital this week, says one of our leading environmental policy analysts.
Air NZ loses place on clean-green list
12 Jul 2013
Air New Zealand is not the most environmentally friendly airline flying Australasian skies.
Labour seeks help for fossil fuel action
12 Jul 2013
Labour is looking for cross-party support for its attempt to bring back a ban on new fossil fuel electricity generation in New Zealand.
Carbon market intelligence for everyone for just $500!
12 Jul 2013
Strictly limited time offer: Access for everyone – for just $500!
We're woefully short on green facts, says report
5 Jul 2013
New Zealand has the information to address fewer than half the major environmental problems it faces, according to a Statistics Department analysis.
Nation is green-obsessed, says farming chief
5 Jul 2013
New Zealand is obsessed with its clean, green image and our bureaucrats have an “unhealthy obsession” with nitrates, says Federated Farmers dairying boss Willy Leferink.
It's not all about profit, says farm report
5 Jul 2013
Maximising agricultural output from land could cost us money, a study out today shows.
Genesis gets nod for biggest windfarm
5 Jul 2013
New Zealand’s largest windfarm has been given the go-ahead – but it’s unlikely to be built for a while.
Authority gets set to talk up EEZ
5 Jul 2013
The Environmental Protection Authority says it is ready to go to work on its new consenting, monitoring and enforcement functions in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
IWC wants bans to protect Maui's dolphin
5 Jul 2013
The International Whaling Commission is asking the New Zealand Government to immediately ban set net and trawl fishing in all areas where Maui’s dolphins are found.
Service stations to boast 'bintainers'
5 Jul 2013
BP and Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand have joined forces with the Love NZ brand to bring forecourt recycling to the South Island.
Our green brand pure nonsense, say Kiwis
28 Jun 2013
Most New Zealanders don’t buy our environmentally pure brand.
Rudd aims to redraw carbon reduction plans
28 Jun 2013
Recycled Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is rumoured to be revisiting Australia’s carbon reduction scheme.
Go green and get customers, survey shows
28 Jun 2013
Companies that behave sustainably can expect more customers, says the Sustainable Business Council.
Top brass takes a note ... on paper
28 Jun 2013
This morning, KPMG executives found themselves talking about paper.
Obama shows up NZ, say young greens
28 Jun 2013
President Obama's announcement of a United States climate plan will test whether the National Government is still at all serious about its claimed "fast follower" approach to climate change, say some of the country’s youth leaders.
Air NZ to refuse shark-fin freight
28 Jun 2013
Air New Zealand has bowed to pressure and will no longer freight shark fins.
Bombs rule the road as Kiwis steer clear of greener cars
28 Jun 2013
New Zealanders can’t afford to upgrade to low-emissions cars, a vehicle industry commentator says.
Pollution puzzle: We're using more water than we've got
28 Jun 2013
Water extraction levels from some New Zealand rivers now exceed the amount of water in those rivers, a freshwater biologist is warning.
Officials take hard line on boat paints
28 Jun 2013
Officials are getting tough over anti-fouling paints.
Prices force rethink of forestry carbon rules
21 Jun 2013
Forest owners exploiting low carbon prices to convert forest land to dairy farms have forced government officials to rethink this country’s net forestry carbon position.
Deadline looms for forest owners
21 Jun 2013
Forest owners have just over a week to file returns for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Yes, we can make steel without coal
21 Jun 2013
Our ancestors made steel without coal, so why don't we? Former Green Party co-leader JEANETTE FITZSIMONS examines the feasibility of coal-less steel:
Toyota heads off the green-car pack
21 Jun 2013
Car makers are dominating global green-branding efforts.
Air NZ in Paris to show off new green aircraft
21 Jun 2013
Air New Zealand's new Airbus A320s will each produce 250 tonnes less of carbon-equivalent emissions a year than the airline's current planes do.
Scientists win funds for Antarctica study
21 Jun 2013
University of Waikato Antarctic researchers Professor Craig Cary and Dr Charles Lee have secured $60,000 funding to lead a year-long international pilot study to develop and validate tools that measure how Antarctic ecosystems respond to change.
Woodies want large-scale biofuel plant
14 Jun 2013
A massive wood-processing plant with a substantial biofuel plant add-on could be viable, the sector says.
Dunne decider on thermal power future
14 Jun 2013
Beleaguered MP Peter Dunne could be called on to cast the deciding vote over whether new thermal electricity generation is banned or not.
Farming in ETS is madness, says Groser
14 Jun 2013
Bringing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme would be "environmental and economic madness”, says Climate Change Minister Tim Groser.
Industry sees bioenergy as key to jobs
14 Jun 2013
Legislation supporting bioenergy production of electricity will provide employment and economic growth in rural areas, says the Bioenergy Association.
Carbon price cancels out CCS potential
7 Jun 2013
A potentially lucrative industry in the underground storage of carbon dioxide is being stymied by almost negligible carbon prices.
Scrap carbon price cap, OECD tells NZ
7 Jun 2013
The carbon price cap and free carbon credits for trade-exposed emitters should be scrapped, the OECD is telling New Zealand.
House hears ETS 'far left' debate
7 Jun 2013
This week’s OECD Economic Report on New Zealand sparked an exchange in Parliament over whether the Emissions Trading Scheme is a “far left” policy.
Farmers slam fracking opposition
7 Jun 2013
Environmental and health concerns over the practice of spreading fracking fluids on pasture are being described as scare-mongering by Federated Farmers.
Taranaki voices iron ore concerns
7 Jun 2013
Taranaki people want iron ore mining to go ahead – but they’re worried about the environmental impacts, a new study shows.
WWF accuses NZ of hypocrisy
7 Jun 2013
The New Zealand government is subsidising the oil and gas industry to the tune of $46 million annually, an investment at odds with its claims on the world stage to be ‘spearheading’ efforts to reform fossil fuel subsidies, says global conservation organisation WWF.
Museum wins environment award
7 Jun 2013
Auckland Museum’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions have earned it one of New Zealand’s top environmental awards.
Solar power access gets easier for farmers
7 Jun 2013
Farmers are getting easier access to solar energy, potentially helping them to save thousands each year on their power bills.
ETS a ‘broken paradigm’ undercutting biodiversity efforts
25 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Pure Advantage is calling on the government to reform the Emissions Trading Scheme, with a new policy briefing saying that New Zealand’s offset-heavy approach is a “broken paradigm” undermining biodiversity and shifting risk to communities.
Transpower on track to meet core emissions targets
Mon 1 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transpower’s total greenhouse gas footprint increased year-on-year due to higher emissions from its value chain, but the company says that making sure infrastructure is in place to enable the country's energy transition is the biggest contribution it can make to reducing emissions.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Why climate strategy is now central to business success
26 Aug 2025
SPONSORED CONTENT: Ahead of next month’s Climate Change and Business Conference, New Zealand businesses are being urged to treat climate strategy not as a regulatory burden, but as a core driver of economic competitiveness.
