New Zealand: All stories
On yer bike ... Copenhagen shows the way for European cities
17 Apr 2014
More than 76,600 people could become employed by green transportation businesses, and 10,000 lives would be saved, if major European cities adopted Copenhagen's bicycle sharing system, says a new report.
Maori agribusiness gets $2m boost
17 Apr 2014
Five Mâori agribusiness projects worth more than $2.1 million have been approved by the Government.
Politicians leading us on a path to catastrophe, warns former PM
11 Apr 2014
Politicians too afraid of losing votes to talk about climate change are sentencing humanity to catastrophe, says former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer.
Our emissions up ... thanks to cars and cows
11 Apr 2014
New Zealanders’ love affair with cars and cows has pushed our greenhouse gas emissions up by 25 per cent.
Straterra wants better mineral industry rules
11 Apr 2014
By PATTRICK SMELLIE.- Mining industry lobbyist Straterra is calling for improved administration of New Zealand’s environmental and minerals regulations and wants the low-impact activities of mineral prospecting and exploration made automatically permissible.
Alpha Coal ruling breaks new ground for mining
11 Apr 2014
By MATHEW CURRELL.- This week's court ruling on the future of the $A6.4 billion Alpha coal project in Queensland - set to be one of the biggest coal mines in the world - is of major significance for how mining projects are assessed in Australia.
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.
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.
