New Zealand: All stories

How uni got rid of a tower of paper
2 Mar 2012
Shifting to online purchasing has saved Waikato University a tower of paper.

Ferry terminals win green praise
2 Mar 2012
Brisbane’s CityCat ferry terminals are the first in Australia to be certified green.
Antarctic call shonky, says ice-man Morgan
2 Mar 2012
Climate change, not fishing, is the biggest threat to the Southern Ocean, says economist Gareth Morgan.

NZ could be centre for new fuel technology
24 Feb 2012
New Zealand could become a regional centre for emulsified fuel technology.

Converting farmers like low carbon
24 Feb 2012
Low carbon prices are proving a boon for farmers wanting to convert forest land to farmland.

Green economy Kiwi can win a ribbon
24 Feb 2012
The Government wants to recognise a New Zealander who has contributed to the development of a green economy.

Lucy joins oil ship boarding party
24 Feb 2012
Lucy Lawless and Greenpeace activists have occupied a Shell-contracted drillship due to depart the port of Taranaki for the Arctic, where its exploratory oil drilling programme threatens to devastate the Alaskan coastline.

Clouds give clue to changing climate
24 Feb 2012
Research from The University of Auckland on changes in cloud height in the decade to 2010 has provided the first hint of a cooling mechanism that may be in play in the Earth’s climate.

Meridian explains jump in emissions
17 Feb 2012
Meridian Energy’s greenhouse gas emissions rose more than 60 per cent in the 2010/2011 financial year.

Electric cars ... what do you think?
17 Feb 2012
What do New Zealanders really think about electric cars?

Solid Energy wants coal from new mine
17 Feb 2012
Solid Energy wants to expand the Stockton coal mine.
Scientists eye water-powered meter
17 Feb 2012
University of Waikato scientists are hoping to create a smart water meter, completely powered by the water running through it.
Why sludge is starting to look sexy
17 Feb 2012
Power generation from wastewater treatment sludge is to reach 3845 gigawatt hours by 2020 due to increasing industrialisation and the overexploitation of natural resources.

Green economy only way for Shearer
10 Feb 2012
Lining up economic policy and environment policy is the biggest environmental issue facing New Zealand, says Labour leader David Shearer.
Labour likes ETS ... if it works
10 Feb 2012
New Labour leader David Shearer says that he is committed to the Emissions Trading Scheme – if it works.
Lignite could fight cadmium, says study
10 Feb 2012
Low-grade lignite could be used to deal with dangerous cadmium contamination of New Zealand’s soils, scientists say.
NZ scientists caught up in climate row
10 Feb 2012
Two New Zealanders are caught up in a media row among scientists over the accuracy of predictions about human-induced climate change.

We need new water system, says academic
10 Feb 2012
A Waikato University academic says that New Zealand needs to rethink its water allocation system or risk stifling economic and cultural development.

Stand by ... the weather will get worse
10 Feb 2012
El Niño and La Niña weather patterns will become even more dominant in New Zealand with climate change, according to research from the University of Auckland published in Nature Climate Change.

Govt might block overseas credits
3 Feb 2012
The number of international carbon credits coming into New Zealand could be cut.

Officials back slow-down of ETS
3 Feb 2012
Government officials are backing recommendations to slow down the impact the Emissions Trading Scheme is having on the economy.

Developer goes solar for subdivision
3 Feb 2012
A Christchurch developer making the leap into solar energy says he expects it to be good for business, good for society and good for the environment.

Fancy fridges save country millions
3 Feb 2012
Better-performing, more-efficient fridges and freezers saved New Zealanders $59 million last year, according to the latest sales data compiled by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
Solid Energy buys back Spring Creek
3 Feb 2012
Solid Energy has bought back Cargill’s 49 per cent share of Spring Creek Mining Company, the owner of Spring Creek underground mine near Greymouth.

$500m boost if farm emissions cut
27 Jan 2012
Halving agricultural greenhouse gas emissions could give a $500 million-a-year boost to the economy.

Door to Europe could open for foresters
27 Jan 2012
Possible rule changes in Europe could open the way for New Zealand forest owners to sell credits into the European Emissions Trading Scheme.

Minister puts plans for environment
27 Jan 2012
New rules to protect New Zealand’s oceans and freshwater, streamlining the Resource Management Act, a new Environment Reporting Act and aligning the Emissions Trading Scheme with that of Australia are on the Government’s agenda.

Interest high in green-living project
27 Jan 2012
Proponents of an off-the-grid housing community say the idea is generating strong interest from here and abroad.

Hydropower on rise worldwide
27 Jan 2012
Global use of hydropower increased more than 5 per cent between 2009 and 2010, according to new research.
LIfe gets harder for the environment
27 Jan 2012
This year will be a challenging one not only for the economy, but for the environment as well, writes Organics Aotearoa New Zealand chairman DEREK BROADMORE

Smart growers profit from low carbon prices
20 Jan 2012
Savvy forest owners who sold carbon credits at the peak of the market are buying credits back again at severely depressed prices.

Forest owners fast out of the blocks
20 Jan 2012
Forest owners are proving quick off the mark this year in applying for carbon credits.

Prices force major forester to rethink
20 Jan 2012
Low carbon prices are causing one of our largest forestry companies to think twice about selling this year.

Airlines look at buying into our ETS
20 Jan 2012
The implementation of a carbon tax on airlines flying into Europe is thought to be prompting some to consider opting in to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.

Taupo tempts clean-tech Americans
20 Jan 2012
The first step has been taken toward developing an off-the-grid housing community that could lure wealthy American business people to this country.

Meridian drops wind farm project
20 Jan 2012
Meridian Energy has canned the controversial Project Hayes wind farm.

Home-drinks firm has throwaway line
20 Jan 2012
Home fizzy-drink machine maker Soda Stream is launching a campaign to show New Zealanders just how many bottles we throw away.

Poor prices will hurt government income
16 Dec 2011
Collapsing carbon prices could leave a hole in the Government’s books.

Smith (and climate change) down the track
16 Dec 2011
The removal of the Climate Change Minister Nick Smith from National's parliamentary front bench is a sign of things to come under this Government, the Green Party is warning.

Clean streams progress just a trickle
16 Dec 2011
The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord Snapshot of Progress Report for the 2010/11 dairy season, shows a mixed bag of progress towards improving fresh water quality, MAF says.

Groser looks for more ETS partners
9 Dec 2011
New Zealand is working towards a regional carbon market.

Durban knows our foresters are there
9 Dec 2011
New Zealand Forest Owners' Association chief executive DAVID RHODES reports from the Durban climate change negotiations:

Drop Denniston, says business lobby
9 Dec 2011
Turning the Denniston Plateau into a coal mine threatens New Zealand’s clean green image, says the Pure Advantage green-growth business lobby group.

Sunshine cars go all the way south
9 Dec 2011
The first New Zealand-built electric car has travelled the country.

Cadmium, compaction, carbon ... our soil is under attack
2 Dec 2011
Toxic cadmium levels, soil compaction and carbon loss are looming as major problems which could affect New Zealand’s agricultural economy, a soil scientist is warning.

Fonterra forces farmers to fence
2 Dec 2011
The fencing of water ways is to become a condition of supply for Fonterra dairy farmers as the industry moves to clean up its environmental image.

LanzaTech to make avgas for US
2 Dec 2011
New Zealand gas fermentation company LanzaTech has won an American government contract to make aviation fuel from waste products.

Smart meters need study, says expert
2 Dec 2011
New Zealand's electricity industry and regulators could usefully collaborate with academic researchers on randomised testing to gain insights into household impacts of smart meters, says a visiting American researcher.

Scientists see big job for southern seas
2 Dec 2011
Scientists say they are increasingly realising the importance of the Southern Ocean for New Zealand and Australia in the way that it acts as a "sink" absorbing a huge share of mankind's excess heat and carbon dioxide and slowing down the rate of climate change.