New Zealand: All stories

Forget today, think carbon 30 years out
2 Nov 2012
Today’s low carbon prices are not an incentive for investment in low-carbon technology, the Government has acknowledged.

Govt eyes better planting policies
2 Nov 2012
The Government is looking for new policies to encourage afforestation.

Wind turbine pioneer finds overseas market
2 Nov 2012
New Zealand wind turbine developer Windflow Technology has exported its first turbine.

How to build green - for free
2 Nov 2012
The Government is offering free advice on designing low-energy buildings.
Trustpower surges ahead with Snowtown 2
2 Nov 2012
The turning of the first sod for South Australia’s largest wind farm has signalled the start of construction for Snowtown Stage 11, a 90 turbine expansion of TrustPower’s existing Snowtown wind farm, capable of generating a further 270 megawatts of renewable power for South Australia.

Scientist hopes to get fuel supply from thin air
2 Nov 2012
A University of Canterbury lecturer is researching the possibility of producing fuel from air and electricity.
Have your say on mining changes
2 Nov 2012
The Government is calling for public feedback on proposed changes to royalties and the taxation of minerals.

ETS changes get through House ... just
26 Oct 2012
Controversial changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme passed their second reading in Parliament yesterday by the slimmest of majorities.

Price flop not a good look, admits Smith
26 Oct 2012
Former Climate Change Minister Nick Smith admits that low carbon prices are sending “weak” market signals to emitters and foresters.

Dunne seems deaf to foresters' pleas
26 Oct 2012
The forestry industry is focusing its lobbying attention on United Future’s Peter Dunne to try to stop changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme which they say will stop planting in its tracks.

Maori vow to fight for ETS rights
26 Oct 2012
Maori say they will continue to fight damaging changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme even if they are passed by Parliament.

Cheap price to pay, says Labour
26 Oct 2012
Bringing farmers into the Emissions Trading Scheme would cost them less than $100 a year each on current prices, Labour says.

Denniston debate goes back to court
26 Oct 2012
A scheme to mine the Denniston Plateau will be back before the courts on Monday.

ETS protesters bring out the chainsaws
26 Oct 2012
Youth organisation Generation Zero held a mock chainsaw massacre outside Parliament yesterday to protest about changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme going through the House.

Care of our oceans lacking, say experts
26 Oct 2012
The Environmental Defence Society is calling for an overhaul of New Zealand’s marine protection provisions in the wake of a new report which is says shows serious deficiencies in the present system.

Philippines wins NZ geothermal help
26 Oct 2012
New Zealand’s GNS Science will help the Philippines to develop its geothermal energy generation.
Speak up for our seabirds
26 Oct 2012
The Ministry for Primary Industries and the Department of Conservation are seeking feedback on the draft of a new National Plan of Action to reduce the incidental catch of seabirds in New Zealand fisheries.

Govt has numbers to pass ETS changes
19 Oct 2012
The Government has the numbers it needs to pass controversial changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Groser: We'll check out status of units
19 Oct 2012
The Government says it will look at the eligibility of some international units under New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme.

ETS 'disappointing and costly' decision
19 Oct 2012
The failure to fix the Emissions Trading Scheme Amendment Bill before its third reading is a disappointing and costly decision, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright.

Poll shows Maori mood against mining
19 Oct 2012
Opposition to minerals exploration is stronger among Maori than it is among the general population, a poll shows.

LanzaTech does the business in Malaysia
19 Oct 2012
New Zealand’s LanzaTech is working with Malaysia’s government-owned national oil company, Petronas, to convert carbon dioxide to sustainable chemicals.
Minister bound for green Korea
19 Oct 2012
Climate Change Minister Tim Groser is bound for South Korea, a country that is pegging its future on green growth.

Farmers want action on water quality
19 Oct 2012
Farmers are calling for greater action on bacterial contamination of the nation’s rivers.

OPINION: There's no free lunch with water
19 Oct 2012
Federated Farmers chief executive CONOR ENGLISH explains why the decisions being made now about water are so important:
A case of too many CERs
19 Oct 2012
CERs were sold off overnight, falling 15 cents on concerns that more issuance is pushing the number of CERs beyond the level the system needs, OMFinancial reports.

Mining mood catches industry by surprise
12 Oct 2012
The mining industry is rethinking its communications strategy in the light of research suggesting most New Zealanders give mining qualified support.

Developing countries adopt green energy
12 Oct 2012
Investments in renewable energy continued their steady rise last year - and the developing world is taking the lead.

Survey shows how much we care about environment
12 Oct 2012
A new survey shows New Zealanders care about the environment even if the Government doesn’t, says Green Party conservation spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

Industry angry as Solid Energy acts to drop biodesiel
5 Oct 2012
Solid Energy says it is in negotiations to sell its biodiesel business, but the industry remains angry over the Government’s retreat from the sector.

ETS changes go under scrutiny
5 Oct 2012
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme are now being debated by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.

Why businesses should get water-wise
5 Oct 2012
Water foot-printing is going to be as big as carbon foot-printing – and smart businesses are recognising that now, says Water New Zealand chief executive Murray Gibb.

Dick Smith’s recipe for a fantastic future without perpetual economic growth
5 Oct 2012
Australian entrepreneur DICK SMITH spoke to New Zealand business leaders in Queenstown recently about an alternative to the current economic model.

Silicon Valley backs LanzaTech
5 Oct 2012
New Zealand waste-to-fuels pioneer LanzaTech has bagged more than $18 million of growth captial from a Silicon Valley science investment organisation.

Rail closure wrong-headed, say Greens
5 Oct 2012
KiwiRail’s decision to close the Gisborne-Napier rail line is a huge disappointment for the Gisborne community and a result of the National Government’s wrong-headed transport policy, the Green Party says.

Millions to be spent on climate-proofing
5 Oct 2012
Potential climate change trends over the next 90 years will be identified and examined in a new, multi-million dollar research project which aims to climate- proof New Zealand.

Our lakes are warming up, says report
5 Oct 2012
Recent studies reveal significant warming of the world's lakes.

Rena spill becomes part of community study
5 Oct 2012
Emergency management specialists from Massey University's Joint Centre for Disaster Research are to revisit the scene of the Rena oil spill in the Bay of Plenty as part of a $760,000 project investigating the resilience of communities having to cope with disaster on their doorstep.
Scientists out to develop better seeds
5 Oct 2012
A new research programme aims to deliver better seeds and plant species for farmers, to help to improve animal productivity and minimise environmental impacts.

Worried forest owners urge Key to act
28 Sep 2012
The heads of eight major forestry companies have asked the Prime Minister to intervene directly over the flow of cheap foreign carbon credits into New Zealand.

Government lying to us, says forester
28 Sep 2012
The Government is being accused of lying to New Zealanders over plans to encourage afforesation as a means of reducing greenhouse gas levels.

EDITORIAL: The problem called John Banks
28 Sep 2012
The Government may be weakening in its opposition to restricting the number of international carbon units allowed into New Zealand.

Emissions cut, but still at high level
28 Sep 2012
New Zealand’s emissions of greenhouse gases from the energy sector fell slightly last year, but overall, our growth remains high compared to other countries, jusat-out figures show.

CarbonScape picks up rich second prize
28 Sep 2012
New Zealand carbon-refining company CarbonScape has been pipped at the post in one of the world’s largest competitions for sustainable innovation.

Think carrot ... not stick
28 Sep 2012
Carbon Match founder LIZZIE CHAMBERS says we need to think about how the carbon market can drive innovation - and artifically low carbon prices are not the answer.

Law firm gives fees to sustainability
28 Sep 2012
Intellectual property law firm James and Wells is donating donating a percentage of its fees from “sustainable clients” to coastal clean-up charity Sustainable Coastlines.
Super fund drops nuclear investment
28 Sep 2012
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund will no longer invest in the company that owns the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Farmers see plan as a step too far
28 Sep 2012
Federated Farmers is appealing against the ground-breaking Environment Court decision allowing the Horizons Regional Council’s OnePlan to go ahead.

Maori leaders want cheap credits blocked
21 Sep 2012
The influential Climate Change Iwi Leaders Group is pressuring the Government to cut the flow of cheap international carbon credits into New Zealand.

Is ETS a scheme or a scam, ask Greens
21 Sep 2012
New Zealand's emissions trading scheme could be renamed the emissions trading scam, Parliament has heard.