New Zealand: All stories
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.
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.
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.
