New Zealand: All stories
Poor leadership means NZ's a climate change flop
1 Oct 2010
New Zealand’s performance on climate change has been given a fail mark – and the blame is being laid at the feet of our political and business leaders who "continue to live high-emission lifestyles".
ETS changes leave Kiwis with $820m Kyoto bill
1 Oct 2010
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will leave the public with an $820 million deficit for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
New push to boost investment in clean tech
1 Oct 2010
A new vehicle to encourage investment in New Zealand’s clean-tech industries is about to be launched.
Wellington puts electric cars to the test
1 Oct 2010
New Zealand has its first fleet of production electric cars.
Time for free-credits industries to come and get it
1 Oct 2010
The steel, iron, aluminium and gelatine industries can now apply for free carbon credits.
Former MP heads agriculture advisory group
1 Oct 2010
Former National Party MP Katherine Rich is to head the group advising the Government on the rules governing agriculture’s entry to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
New biodiesel mix aims to be cheaper
1 Oct 2010
Biodiesel made from vegetable oil and tallow is now available to the New Zealand public.
ETS in full swing as last bits tidied
1 Oct 2010
With the passing of eight sets of regulations to bring in remaining sectors, the Emissions Trading Scheme is effectively now fully implemented, says Buddle Findlay senior associate Alastair Camereon.
Delays frustrate Kaipara tidal energy developer
24 Sep 2010
Endless planning delays are hindering investment in marine energy in New Zealand, says the man behind plans for a tidal energy plant on the Kaipara Harbour.
Peak Oil: We've been lying to you
24 Sep 2010
By Ian Cooper.- Peak oil isn't real. Anyone with half a brain knows that.
Country needs clean-tech skills, says innovator
24 Sep 2010
New Zealand has a shortage of the people needed to turn clean-tech ideas into profitable businesses.
Mayoral hopefuls quiet on eco-city proposals
24 Sep 2010
Politicians vying to lead the Auckland super-city have not yet responded to a proposal to turn the city into an environmentally friendly economic powerhouse.
Rugby star kicks off Global Climate Working Bee
24 Sep 2010
All Black Conrad Smith says he is supporting the 350 Aotearoa Global Climate Working Bee.
New-tech fridge shows what NZ firms can do
17 Sep 2010
Fisher & Paykel Appliance’s breakthrough refrigeration technology is being hailed as an example of what this country must do to exploit the global shift to clean technology.
Clean-tech lobbyists get ear of Lord Stern
17 Sep 2010
The 100% Plan lobby group is talking to former World Bank chief economist Lord Nicholas Stern about international collaboration on a clean-tech development plan for New Zealand.
NZ wood eyes future in Europe's buildings
17 Sep 2010
The New Zealand wood industry has a new market – environmentally concerned Europeans.
Brownlee chuffed with geothermal figures
17 Sep 2010
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee is hailing a shift from coal to geothermal electricity generation as a sign that the market can deliver on climate change.
We're about to get the word on water
17 Sep 2010
The results of consultation over future freshwater policy will be released next week.
Maari reaches ‘10 million barrel’ milestone
17 Sep 2010
The Maari oil-field produced its 10 millionth barrel of oil this week, marking a significant milestone in the field’s history.
Meridian, landowners talk on North Bank hydro project
17 Sep 2010
Meridian Energy has begun consultation with landowners on a proposed design for the North Bank Hydro Project.
Foresters check trees for quake damage
10 Sep 2010
Foresters are heading out today to start counting the carbon cost of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Stern: It's out there if you want it
10 Sep 2010
Lord Nicholas Stern has told New Zealanders that the future could be bright – if we are willing to do what’s needed to get our greenhouse gas emissions under control.
Owners await NZU allocations
10 Sep 2010
Owners of pre-1990 forests have applied for NZUs, but so far none have reached the market.
Forest owners call for roadshow encore
10 Sep 2010
Government officials are considering taking their Emissions Trading Scheme roadshow on the road again – this time for the owners of post-1989 forests.
Bioenergy material going to waste, says report
10 Sep 2010
More than a quarter of New Zealand's energy needs - and nearly a third of our transport fuels - could come from energy crops and materials that are currently wasted, according to a new report.
LanzaTech signs for first coal-to-biological-fuel project
10 Sep 2010
New Zealand's LanzaTech has signed a deal with one of China's largest coal producers to produce fuels and chemicals from waste.
FORUM: Can feed-in tariffs let everyone be an energy generator?
10 Sep 2010
Electricity generation is still the province of a few big players - and the current Government seems determined to rely on fossil fuels generation, says the Sustainable Energy Forum.
Pressure builds to change ETS obligation rule
3 Sep 2010
Some companies are buying carbon credits to offset the cost of carbon in fuel and energy as pressure builds to change the rules over who is responsible under the Emissions Trading Scheme for accounting for carbon.
Mighty River likes look of carbon market
3 Sep 2010
Mighty River Power says it has ideas that could see its involvement in the carbon market stretch beyond buying credits to offset its own liabilities.
We pay $11m too much, say major power users
3 Sep 2010
The Emissions Trading Scheme is costing large commercial electricity users $11 million a year more than it should, the Major Electricity Users Group claims.
Stern brings country chance to listen and learn
3 Sep 2010
Next week’s visit by Lord Nicholas Stern might help New Zealanders to understand that this country is lagging behind in action on climate change, says a sustainable business champion.
Go for natural gas - the price is right
3 Sep 2010
The global economic situation is making it easier for companies to switch from carbon-rich coal to more environmentally friendly natural gas.
Iwi join Aussies in carbon forestry venture
27 Aug 2010
Six iwi have joined forces with an Australia carbon forestry farmer and are looking to mop up land in the Central North Island.
NZ on brink of plastics breakthrough
27 Aug 2010
New Zealand is on the verge of developing a sustainable plastics and polymers industry.
New company sells Kiwi clean-tech to the world
27 Aug 2010
A new company has been launched to export New Zealand clean-tech technologies around the world.
Nappy plan wins Government money
27 Aug 2010
A feasibility study into a project to set up a disposable nappy-composting facility in Wellington has received government money.
Govt might have to boost new plantings
20 Aug 2010
The Government should underwrite the growing of millions of forestry seedlings if it wants to meet its climate change planting goal.
Think tank: Clean-tech needs a new look, too
20 Aug 2010
The author of a report that calls for the internationalising of New Zealand business says that the strategy applies to developing our clean-tech industries as well.
Quota owners slow to hook carbon accounts
20 Aug 2010
Fewer than half of the owners of fishing quota have taken the crucial step of opening accounts on the New Zealand Emissions Unit Register.
The Carbon Traders 4: Richard Hayes, EITG
20 Aug 2010
Richard Hayes’ experience in technology and interest in environmental offsetting are combining to do good things.
Journals not court is place for scientific debate - experts
20 Aug 2010
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) faces a legal challenge by climate sceptics group the Climate Science Coalition which is taking the Crown Research Institute to court over the accuracy of its climate data.
Climate Science Coalition criticises Science Media Centre
20 Aug 2010
New Zealand Climate Science Coalition chairman Barry Brill has taken issue with comments gathered by the Science Media Centre relating to the case being taken to the High Court seeking invalidation of NIWA temperature records.
High Court asked to invalidate NIWA’s official NZ temperature record
20 Aug 2010
The High Court has been asked to invalidate the New Zealand official temperature record as promoted by the Crown Research Institute, Niwa.
Top Energy sells Fiji operation
20 Aug 2010
After almost four years operating in the Fiji Islands, local electricity generation and lines network company, Top Energy has announced it has sold its operations there.
Inaugural National Winner Features In 2011 Ballance Farm Environment Awards
20 Aug 2010
The announcement of a national winner will be a feature of the 2011 Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Boardroom doesn't get it, says climate talks chief
13 Aug 2010
The business community has not yet got its head around the implications and opportunities of climate change, says the chair of the latest Australia New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference.
Kiwi ETS wins minister a rare bouquet
13 Aug 2010
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith has had an unusual experience this week – he’s being feted for the Emissions Trading Scheme.
What Nick Smith said to transtasman business leaders
13 Aug 2010
This week Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith spoke at the 6th annual Climate Change and Business Conference, being held in Sydney. This is what he said:
The Carbon Traders 3: Wayne King, Carbon Market Solutions
13 Aug 2010
Wayne King has been behind some of the biggest carbon deals in New Zealand, but he got into the business almost by accident.
Tasman challenge: Cut emissions by 15 per cent
13 Aug 2010
Australia and New Zealand can cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15 per cent by 2020 in economically beneficial ways, say business leaders at the 6th Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Sydney.
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.
