New Zealand: All stories
Protect fresh water sources, says report
23 Mar 2012
Freshwater quality is one of the biggest environmental problems facing New Zealand, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Marine energy groups to join forces
23 Mar 2012
The New Zealand marine energy industry is to link up with its counterpart in Oregon to promote marine energy in the Pacific region.
Shearer pushes green economy vision
16 Mar 2012
Opposition leader David Shearer said he wanted a green economy, but didn’t say how he’d achieve it. Prime Minister John Key didn’t mention it at all.
Wood the answer, says biofuel expert
16 Mar 2012
New Zealand should be replacing fossil-fuel energy with wood, says the general manager of a Whakatane-based biotechnology business.
Plastic bottles become wheelie bins
16 Mar 2012
Auckland manufacturer Sulo Talbot is turning milk bottles into wheelie bins.
What to do with four million tyres
16 Mar 2012
The Motor Trade Association wants to recycle 90 per cent of New Zealand’s waste tyres.
E-waste controls will span Tasman
16 Mar 2012
The processing of e-waste is to be covered by a new Australia-New Zealand voluntary standard.
Talks look at wood for bio-energy
16 Mar 2012
Using wood to generate bioenergy for the national grid will be on the agenda of next week’s ForestWood 2012 conference in Wellington.
Storm damage could cost foresters
9 Mar 2012
Taranaki forest owners could face hefty carbon liabilities in the wake of last weekend’s destructive storm.
Govt will slow ETS
9 Mar 2012
The electricity, industrial and transport sectors will continue to be sheltered from the full force of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
We're late, but no worries, says Smith
9 Mar 2012
New Zealand might have missed the deadline for submissions on increasing international emissions reduction levels, but Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says it’s not a problem.
NZ will target fossil fuels at Rio
9 Mar 2012
New Zealand will use the Rio+20 Summit to push for reform of fossil fuel subsidies.
Wind power forecast is for huge growth
9 Mar 2012
Global installed wind capacity is set to increase on the back of expected massive growth in wind power markets.
Gas technology lines Aussie pockets
2 Mar 2012
Australian farmers are about to earn carbon credits on the back of New Zealand research.
NZ stays out of Europe airlines row
2 Mar 2012
New Zealand is staying out of a row over a requirement for airlines flying in and out of Europe to pay for their carbon emissions.
Green group steps up loo paper fight
2 Mar 2012
New Zealand toilet paper manufacturer Cottonsoft is about to be hit by another consumer campaign.
Kiwi carpoolers ride all the way to Britain
2 Mar 2012
A carpooling business started in a bedroom in Wellington has conquered Australia and is about to take on Britain.
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.
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.
