New Zealand: All stories
Rural poor might be let off the hook
11 May 2012
Poor rural areas might soon be exempt from having to deal with the greenhouse gas emissions of their rubbish.
China will show the way, says think-tank
11 May 2012
The current dominant economies – including the United States – will stagnate over the next 40 years, while China will be a success story because of its ability to respond to changing conditions, the latest Club of Rome report says.
ETS changing forestry, says minister
11 May 2012
The Emissions Trading Scheme is shifting New Zealand towards renewable energy and investment in forestry, the Government says.
Time running out for ETS submissions
11 May 2012
If you haven’t yet made your submission on the latest round of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme you’re nearly out of time.
Toolbox ticks climate change boxes
11 May 2012
Local authorities have been given a toolbox to help them to assess the impact climate change could have on their territories.
Empire State Building to light up ... Kiwi-style
11 May 2012
The Empire State Building is following the lead of Auckland's Sky Tower and going LED.
Key must quit coal connection, says campaigner
4 May 2012
Prime Minister John Key is under fire for being a shareholder in the worst of the "filthy five" banks named as the major funders of coal mining.
Deadlines loom for forest owners
4 May 2012
Time is running out for the owners of more than 250,000ha of post-1989 forest to claim carbon credits earned between 2008 and 2012.
Partners eye Havard forest share
4 May 2012
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund confirmed that it and global investment firm GMO Renewable Resources were in discussions with Harvard Management Company over the possible purchase of Harvard’s majority stake in the Kaingaroa forest estate.
NZ eyes regional common carbon market
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand is maintaining a “watching brief” on developments in Asia that Australia believes could lead to a common carbon market.
Govt stands back from new-world calls
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand supports global action on environmental issues, but might stop short of supporting an overhaul of world governance systems at the upcoming Rio+20 conference, officials say.
NZUs close to 12 million mark
27 Apr 2012
Nearly 12 million NZUs have been allocated so far to forest owners for carbon stored in their trees last year.
ETS consultation rolls to a stop
27 Apr 2012
Regional consultation meetings and hui on proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme are over.
Britain tempts NZ over marine power
27 Apr 2012
Britain is challenging New Zealand to join it in a $200-million-a-year marine power industry.
View of oceans must change, says expert
27 Apr 2012
New Zealand needs to change the way in which it manages competing economic, environmental and conservation demands on the oceans, an American marine policy expert says.
Rio Tinto the worst, says Roger
27 Apr 2012
Bluff Aluminium Smelter owner Rio Tinto has won this year’s Roger Award for its behaviour over the Emissions Trading Scheme
Prices force rethink on carbon books
20 Apr 2012
The Government is reworking its books in the wake of the carbon price collapse.
Coal survey unfair, says protest group
20 Apr 2012
Solid Energy is being accused of using dubious research to get results showing that New Zealanders support coal mining.
Carbon company feels cut by Australia
20 Apr 2012
A New Zealand company says it is not operating on a level playing field in Australia’s carbon business.
It's a game-changer, says Aquaflow
20 Apr 2012
Kiwi clean energy company Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation believes it is poised to make refining next generation biofuels a commercial reality in New Zealand and in overseas projects within three years.
Traders question new emissions rules
20 Apr 2012
New emissions rules for imported cars will do nothing to address the pollution caused by the existing fleet, the Motor Trade Association says.
Airport hotel signs for the environment
20 Apr 2012
International hotel operator Accor has named the Auckland Airport Novotel as its first New Zealand hotel to sign up for the type of environmental goals set at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
Insurer celebrates carbon first
20 Apr 2012
Life insurance company Sovereign is the first New Zealand recipient of a printed product that is certified carbon neutral under the new PAS 2050 life-cycle standard.
Business takes over energy centre
20 Apr 2012
The New Zealand Clean Energy Centre has been taken over by the Taupo business development organisation Enterprise Great Lake Taupo.
Paint comes from printer cartridges
20 Apr 2012
Two New Zealand companies are turning the waste from old printer cartridges into paint in what they say is a world first.
Labour backs calls for a new world
13 Apr 2012
Labour’s deputy leader says he supports calls for a major overhaul of the world’s economic, social and environmental management systems.
Why we must have an emissions target
13 Apr 2012
New Zealand will have to adopt an emissions target before it can introduce a cap-and-auction system.
It's good to be GE-free, says council
13 Apr 2012
New Zealand’s GE-free status is worth money, the Sustainability Council says.
We can't go on like this, says think tank
13 Apr 2012
Over the past 50 years, the world's middle and upper classes have more than doubled their consumption levels, and an additional 1 to 2 billion people globally aspire to join the consumer class, the Worldwatch Institute says in its latest report.
Firm doubles sales of LED lights
13 Apr 2012
Sales of energy-efficient LED lights have doubled in the past year, says a New Zealand supplier.
Bioenergy group looks for scholars
13 Apr 2012
The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand has established a bioenergy scholarship.
City wins praise for fracking stand
13 Apr 2012
A unanimous vote by Christchurch City Council to declare the city a fracking-free zone is significant and shows momentum is building against a dangerous drilling technique, Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes says.
Greens predict urban sprawl, congestion
13 Apr 2012
The Productivity Commission's main recommendations for affordable housing will create sprawling, congested, and less productive cities, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says
Government airs ETS changes
11 Apr 2012
The Government has just released proposals to amend the Emissions Trading Scheme in the wake of last year's Caygill Review.
Agriculture might get 2018 reprieve
11 Apr 2012
Agriculture might be out of the Emissions Trading Scheme until 2018.
Govt wants hold on international credits
11 Apr 2012
The Government intends restricting the number of international carbon credits New Zealand emitters can use to meet their obligations, it has been revealed today.
Some foresters might lose allocation
11 Apr 2012
The owners of pre-1990 forests might not get their next carbon credit allocation after all.
Wind energy lobby predicts big things
5 Apr 2012
The Wind Energy Association is predicting a 600 per cent increase in wind generation in New Zealand by 2030, creating 1500 jobs in rural areas and producing more than $10 million a year in lease payments for farmers.
EPA bombshell means big changes ahead
5 Apr 2012
Coal lobbyists are heading back to school in droves, and there's one phrase they're all learning... Ni hao, writes Keith Kohl
Don't be a chimp this Easter, says zoo
5 Apr 2012
Auckland Zoo has entered the palm oil debate, urging New Zealanders not to buy Easter eggs made with chocolate.
Worried scientists push for global action
30 Mar 2012
Thousands of scientists meeting in London are calling for radical economic and social reorganisation on a global scale to avert an environmental crisis.
Agriculture key to ETS credibility
30 Mar 2012
New Zealand could play a strong role in developing an international carbon market – but it needs to bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme, says an American geographer.
Greenhouse group shuts doors
30 Mar 2012
The Greenhouse Policy Coalition will be no more from tomorrow.
Wind is the word at Hamilton talks
30 Mar 2012
The annual New Zealand Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition kicks off in Hamilton next week.
Sustainability students in demand
30 Mar 2012
Learning how to save the world is proving to be a career-boosting strategy for graduates.
Build pulp-biofuel plant, urges expert
23 Mar 2012
New Zealand has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to build a mega pulp-and-paper mill that could also produce biofuel for the domestic market, the wood industry has been told.
Our focus wrong, says think-tank head
23 Mar 2012
Departing New Zealand Institute chief executive Rick Boven says that New Zealand is failing to grasp the full implications of the environmental crisis.
Market revival in PFSI credits
23 Mar 2012
Interest in the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative is picking up again in the wake of indications that it will not be scrapped.
Govt promises ‘earlier action’ in response to Commission’s warning climate targets at risk
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it will “explore opportunities for earlier action” ahead of the third Emissions Reduction Plan, and has committed to looking at ways to stop the system of free carbon credits for industrial polluters from disincentivising industrial decarbonisation.
Transpower tracks more than 100 new grid projects
Tue 14 Oct 2025
Transpower’s latest connection data show more than 100 generation, storage and load projects in its pipeline, reflecting the rapid pace of electrification across the country.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
13 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment has released updated emissions projections to 2050, which show significant differences to the Climate Change Commission's recent projections for the same period.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
