New Zealand: All stories
Science out to solve carbon mystery
25 May 2012
On a Waharoa dairy farm two special machines aren’t missing a trick.
Tool measures hort gas emissions
25 May 2012
Horticulturalists have a new tool for measuring their greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon low brings halt to forest planting
18 May 2012
Forest planting – crucial to New Zealand’s emissions-reduction plans – has all but stopped in the face of record-low carbon prices.
Marsden eyes emissions savings
18 May 2012
New technology to be installed at the Marsden Point oil refinery will save it hundreds of thousands of dollars a year worth of greenhouse gas emissions.
Law firm first to win world green award
18 May 2012
A journey that started just under a year ago with a company-wide carless day has led a New Zealand intellectual property law firm to become the first in the world to achieve the international Cemars emissions reduction scheme certification.
Low lake levels affect gas emissions
18 May 2012
The low water level of most of New Zealand hydro-generation lakes will affect the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Last-minute submissions flood ministry
18 May 2012
The Ministry for the Environment has been swamped with last-minute submissions on changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Switched-on insurer turns over new Leaf
18 May 2012
Sovereign is the first company in New Zealand to purchase the world’s first mass-produced, fully electric, zero-emission vehicle; the Nissan Leaf.
Oceans still a mystery, say scientists
18 May 2012
New Zealand doesn’t know what impact mining, marine power and biodiscovery could have on its oceans, scientists say.
NZ wants new deal for carbon markets
11 May 2012
Negotiations for a new framework for international carbon markets will be a priority for the New Zealand delegation at international climate change talks in Bonn next week.
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.
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
Wed 4 Mar 2026
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.
