New Zealand: All stories
Power company grows home generators
7 Dec 2012
Meridian Energy says it has captured the growing home-generation market in New Zealand.
RMA changes put money first, says watchdog
7 Dec 2012
Changes to the Resource Management Act put economic development ahead of environmental concerns, says the Environmental Defence Society.
Agriculture: It's not all bad news
7 Dec 2012
Agriculture can be good news for the climate, a new report says.
NZ will end up just a slogan, Greens warn
30 Nov 2012
New Zealand is in danger of becoming little more than a marketing slogan that the world is starting to see through, Green Party climate change spokesman Kennedy Graham is warning.
Get smart with power, says PowerSmart chief
30 Nov 2012
New Zealand could switch to solar energy generation more quickly if the industry was on a level playing field with traditional generation, says one of the founders of a company just named the sustainable small business of the year.
Environment watchdog questions fracking
30 Nov 2012
Environmental issues associated with fracking can be managed, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
Insulation scheme hot news, say Greens
30 Nov 2012
The Warm Up New Zealand Heat Smart home insulation scheme is a success story that shows how government can work with community groups and local businesses to create green jobs, improve the lives of New Zealanders, and reduce our impact on the environment, says Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei.
Buy local credits, urges businessman
23 Nov 2012
New Zealand businesses should be taking advantage of low international carbon prices to buy local units, says an Auckland businessman.
Villa Maria wins sustainability title
23 Nov 2012
Products ranging from raw petfood to biodegradable coffins have been recognised in this year’s sustainable business awards.
Time running out for ERUs submissions
23 Nov 2012
Submissions on plans to ban some international units from the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme close next week.
Fracking report due next week
23 Nov 2012
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report on fracking will be released on Tuesday.
Why innovation is the key in tough times
23 Nov 2012
Innovation has become the key ingredient for business sustainability in the new “normal” financially constrained environment, says Ricoh New Zealand.
Greens accuse Nats of breaking promises
23 Nov 2012
The National Government has broken two election promises it made to act on climate change, the Green Party says.
Pollution really, really scary, say our kids
23 Nov 2012
New Zealand children are worried about pollution, climate change and scary animals, a new report shows.
Winemaker walks off with world award
23 Nov 2012
New Zealand’s Yealands Estate has been named the leading Sustainable Medium Business in the world in the International Green Awards.
Everyman's guide to Tiger Country
23 Nov 2012
Forest owners and farmers now have access to detailed information about carrying out earthworks on steep hills that are often prone to erosion - the "tiger country" where plantation forests are increasingly grown.
We've got it wrong, says market expert
16 Nov 2012
Market instruments are the only viable way of reducing the world’s greenhouse gas emissions – but the New Zealand scheme is currently failing, an international expert says.
Boost regional bio-industry, says report
16 Nov 2012
Fostering industries such as biofuels from woody biomass and investing in technologies such as smart grids could give New Zealand’s regional economies a real boost, says one of the authors of a new report on green growth.
Stern: NZ a land of opportunity
16 Nov 2012
Lord Stern, the British economist who made the business world sit up and take notice of climate change, says that shifting to a green economy will protect New Zealand’s current competitive advantage and clean, green brand.
We'd sign with Kyoto, promises Labour
16 Nov 2012
A Labour Government would sign up to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Joyce denies environment comment
16 Nov 2012
Economic Development Minister and Associate Finance Minister Steven Joyce is denying a claim he told business leaders that the public will accept environmental degradation if it comes with economic growth.
Bill dumps agriculture on backburner
9 Nov 2012
Agriculture is out of the Emissions Trading Scheme indefinitely.
National MP questions the science
9 Nov 2012
A Government MP who shouted “where’s the science?” during the debate on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme this week says he’s no climate-change denier.
Grants on offer for retailers to cut energy
9 Nov 2012
Some retailers are being paid to cut their energy consumption.
Textile companies slash energy costs
9 Nov 2012
Ten New Zealand textile companies have cut energy costs by an average 17 per cent this year.
Invest in environment, Greens urge
9 Nov 2012
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund might have to consider climate change and other environmental issues in its investment decisions in future.
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.
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.
