New Zealand: All stories
NZ gas fireplace wins accolades
8 Nov 2013
A New Zealand-designed gas fireplace has been recognised as the most efficient in Europe.
DOC names partnerships head
8 Nov 2013
The Department of Conservation has appointed environmental and recreational consultant Dr Kay Booth to lead DOC’s conservation partnerships group.
Dunedin takes serious look at carbon footprint
8 Nov 2013
Dunedin City Council is one of the first local authorities in the country to measure its carbon footprint against the global greenhouse gas standard, ISO 14064-1:2006.
New footprinting standards available
8 Nov 2013
New international standards for carbon footprinting are now available in New Zealand.
Doha decision forced hand on setting 5% emissions target, says Groser
1 Nov 2013
New Zealand’s expulsion from international carbon markets was a factor in the Government’s setting of this country’s 2020 emissions reduction target.
Paper explains why public not consulted
1 Nov 2013
The Government chose not to consult the public over its 2020 emissions reduction target, despite knowing that the target was inconsistent with three-quarters of earlier public submissions.
Business must play major role, says minister
1 Nov 2013
The Government wants business to take a leading role as New Zealand moves to a low-carbon economy.
Energy leaders to talk carbon capture
1 Nov 2013
Advances in carbon capture and storage technologies will be on the agenda at a high-powered meeting of the world's energy ministers and business leaders next week.
Winemakers serious about sustainability
1 Nov 2013
Sustainability is the new normal in the wine industry, if entries in this year's Air New Zealand Wine Awards are anything to go by.
World foresters go face to face in Rotorua
1 Nov 2013
Financing forestry to mitigate climate change will be on the agenda when international foresters meet in New Zealand next week.
How new food forest courses will add to our larder
1 Nov 2013
Many more food forests are likely to spring up around New Zealand as a new tertiary qualification shows how to produce food in ways which mimic forest ecosystems.
Marsden money goes to climate change research
1 Nov 2013
Just over $3 million of this year’s $59 million Marsden Fund will go into climate change research.
Papers reveal Treasury push for zero GHG target
25 Oct 2013
Treasury wanted New Zealand to adopt a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of zero per cent below 1990 levels.
Our GHG emissions on the way up ... not down
25 Oct 2013
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are on track to rise by 2020, not fall as the Government has pledged.
Parties stay quiet on 2015 carbon auctions
25 Oct 2013
A new government might not auction carbon units in 2015.
Young forester happy to play the long game
25 Oct 2013
A young forestry investor says he’ll start selling carbon when spot NZUs get to $10.
Why Sydney wants to bend the power rules
25 Oct 2013
The City of Sydney is pushing for new rules to make low-carbon trigeneration affordable.
Toyota finds green is good for business
25 Oct 2013
Toyota dealers throughout New Zealand say business has increased since they went green and cut electricity consumption by more than a million kilowatts.
Greens quiz minister on emissions reduction
25 Oct 2013
News that New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions are expected to grow by more than a third by 2040 prompted questions in Parliament this week, as Green Party climate change spokesman Dr Kennedy Graham sought to pin the Government down on just how it planned to reach its emissions reduction targets.
Green designer takes a flexible approach
25 Oct 2013
By PETER KERR. Here’s an example of a simple idea being good, and a good idea being simple.
NZ turns away Australian carbon units
18 Oct 2013
More than two million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued under that country’s Carbon Farming Initiative will not be eligible for surrender in New Zealand.
Solar revolution carries huge financial pain
18 Oct 2013
An imminent revolution in the use of solar energy poses a huge financial risk to the Government and energy companies, an industry pioneer says.
Would you like cadmium with that?
18 Oct 2013
Scientists are working on a cadmium-free potato as part of a response to growing alarm over the accumulation of the toxic heavy metal in New Zealand soils.
Big users keen on cutting energy costs
18 Oct 2013
Big energy users are looking for ways to reduce energy use and costs, Statistics New Zealand says.
Major food firms sign up to substainability
18 Oct 2013
New Zealand sustainable reporting company Rata Sustainable Certification Programme has moved into the food sector.
Lightbulbs get the recycling treatment ... but not here
18 Oct 2013
Sydney has launched a city-wide lightbulb recycling system – but there are no plans to do the same for the millions of bulbs that come into New Zealand each year.
Hydro power heads for growth period
18 Oct 2013
The world's hydropower installed capacity is expected to rise by 3.5 per cent by 2020, a new report says.
US biodiesel set to pass billion-gallon mark
18 Oct 2013
The United States biodiesel industry is on pace to produce more than the 1.28 billion gallons set under the Renewable Fuels Standard for this year.
Oil engineer joins environment board
18 Oct 2013
The Government has appointed an engineer with a background in electricity generation and the oil and gas industry to the board of the Environmental Protection Authority.
Where's the Kiwi vision, asks IPCC author
11 Oct 2013
New Zealand could substantially cut greenhouse emissions from transport but lacks the vision to do so.
Expert dismisses Wellington rail plan
11 Oct 2013
Wellington’s Public Transport Spine Study is not backed by science and should be dismissed, says an international expert in sustainability.
Labour again trying for foreign units limit
11 Oct 2013
Labour is having another go at limiting the number of foreign carbon units emitters can surrender under the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.
Obama's coal power call tougher than ours
11 Oct 2013
Emissions controls on new thermal power plants in the United States would not be met by most New Zealand plants.
Greens vow to bring power to the people
11 Oct 2013
The Green Party says it would implement policies promoting small-scale distributed energy generation, such making it more affordable for families to install solar panels on roofs.
Building green now cost effective, says report
11 Oct 2013
Sustainable building no longer has to prove its economic worth – the business case more than stacks up in terms of lower operating and life-cycle costs, and improved value for owners, says a new report.
Nuclear energy left behind, says report
11 Oct 2013
Nuclear power is the only mainstream energy technology that does not show significant growth, the Worldwatch Institute says.
No nukes policy in line for world award
11 Oct 2013
New Zealand is in the running for the Future Policy Award, recognising policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations.
Forest trust for all seeks board members
11 Oct 2013
The Forest Growers' Levy Trust, the new organisation representing the interests of all plantation forest owners, large and small, is calling for nominations for its first elected board.
Rebel campaigner eyes NZ connection
4 Oct 2013
Leading Australian climate change campaigner Professor Tim Flannery says he would bring his privately funded Climate Council to New Zealand - if asked.
Obama's strategy guru joins LanzaTech
4 Oct 2013
Digital communications strategist and Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina is applying his talents to New Zealand-born LanzaTech.
IPCC report means no more excuses for NZ
4 Oct 2013
The latest IPCC report on climate change removes New Zealand’s excuses for not taking strong action on the problems.
We're thinking solar, say power people
4 Oct 2013
On and off-grid solar capacity in New Zealand has grown 370 per cent over the past two years, the Sustainable Electricity Association says.
Happiness is herbs for boom business
4 Oct 2013
A sustainable business started in a linen cupboard has turned into an $800,000-a-year company.
Home-energy firm wins UK accolade
4 Oct 2013
A Wellington-based home-energy efficient company has been recognised as part of the fastest-growing business in Britain.
Pressure grows to act on Maui's dolphin
4 Oct 2013
New Zealand is under increasing international pressure to take action over the near-extinction of Maui's dolphin.
True carbon price bioenergy aid, says expert
27 Sep 2013
A realistic carbon price and support from large companies would help to propel bioenergy from a good idea to reality, says one of our leading experts.
100% Pure? We're ranked at a lowly 36
27 Sep 2013
“100% Pure” New Zealand ranks at just 36th in the world when it comes to environmental sustainability, according to a new international energy report.
Business better, gas emissions worse
27 Sep 2013
New Zealand’s strengthening economy is showing in our carbon emissions.
LanzaTech wins $4m US research grant
27 Sep 2013
LanzaTech has been awarded a $US4 million grant by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy of the US Department of Energy to work with partners on unlocking the energy in waste methane gases.
IPCC serious over sea levels
27 Sep 2013
By HOLLY RYAN, Science Media Centre. Rising sea levels will receive increased attention from climate scientists today when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unveils its latest report on the state of the climate.
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.
