New Zealand: All stories

Ecologist queries Air NZ enviroment award
12 Jun 2009
Air New Zealand’s Qualmark’s Enviro-Gold accreditation is based in part on a false view of sustainability, says Pacific Ecologist editor Kay Weir.

Where are our carbon credits, asks tribal group
12 Jun 2009
Emissions trading has been a long time coming for Ngâti Porou Whanui Forests.

New bill will ignite local biofuel debate
12 Jun 2009
A new private member’s bill will spark an interesting debate about whether New Zealand-produced biofuel is disadvantaged compared with imported biofuel, says Gull’s New Zealand manager Dave Bodger.

NZUs should be staggered, says trading group
12 Jun 2009
The issuing of carbon credits to forest owners should be staggered through the year, rather than in one lump a year, says Environmental Intermediaries and Trading Group.

US trading plans excite NZ forest owners
9 Jun 2009
Moves to include international forestry offsets in America’s plans for a clean-energy economy will be a boon for New Zealand forest owners.

Decision near on greenhouse gas emissions rules
9 Jun 2009
The rules that will govern the way in which the stationary energy processes sector works under the emissions trading scheme are nearly complete.

Carbon certifiers tense as competition grows
9 Jun 2009
Competition in the carbon-neutral certification business is hotting up, with pioneer CarboNZero saying that newcomer Green Carbon fails to meet the criteria clients should use when choosing a greenhouse-gas certifier.

Capital clearing way for e-car stations
9 Jun 2009
The Wellington City Council is evaluating all of its transport policies to remove anything that stands in the way of kerbside charging stations for electric vehicles.

US connection boosts NZ Carbon Exchange
9 Jun 2009
A link to United States-based Cantor Fitzgerald is putting the New Zealand Carbon Exchange on a strong footing.

We need an environment watchdog, says society
5 Jun 2009
An environmental protection authority would give New Zealand more rigorous, science-based decisions on projects of national significance, says the Environmental Defence Society.

Airline test raises questions, says biofuel pioneer
5 Jun 2009
Air New Zealand’s biofuel test flight is a “proof point” in the development of a certified aviation biofuel, but questions remain about the crop source, says Blenheim-based Aquaflow.

Climate change: Where there's a Wills there's a way
5 Jun 2009
The best form of defence against climate changes is attack, Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer Bruce Wills believes.

Green Carbon takes on certifier role
5 Jun 2009
Green Carbon has established itself as a carbon certifier.

Govt agencies keen to support seabed mining
5 Jun 2009
Government agencies including Crown Minerals are keen to support the mining of massive deposits of sulphide on the seabed.

Coal mining takes on touch of the golden days
5 Jun 2009
Sluice mining is to be reintroduced to the West Coast for the first time since the technique was used in the gold rush era - but this time the target is coal.
Huge boost in wood, says report
5 Jun 2009
An increase in wood availability after 2016 for the Southern North Island will lead to increased opportunities for the sector, say the authors of the latest wood availability forecast report.

Tawhaki stays quiet on world's biggest carbon deal
2 Jun 2009
The New Zealand company reported to be involved in the world’s largest trade of carbon credits is keeping mum on the deal.

New centre to study agriculture gas emissions
2 Jun 2009
New Zealand is to get a government-funded specialist agricultural and horticultural greenhouse gas research centre.

MAF's message: Our way of farming must change
2 Jun 2009
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is pushing farmers to adapt to changes caused by climate change.

Organics campaigner sends key message to farmers
2 Jun 2009
Organics will play a key role in dealing with climate change, says Organics Aotearoa New Zealand chief executive officer Dr Jon Tanner.

Dumped computers major headache, says lobby group
2 Jun 2009
Clean-up lobby Computer Access New Zealand has identified e-waste as overwhelmingly the “fastest growing” component of public waste.

Forestry owners plead for level playing field
2 Jun 2009
New Zealand forest owners say investment in forestry world-wide is being inhibited by policies designed to dampen the effects of the economic recession and to counter climate change.
Govt delays setting emissions target again, says Greenpeace
2 Jun 2009
With only five months to go until the crucial UN climate talks in Copenhagen, the New Zealand Government has announced another delay in setting an emissions reduction target, says Greenpeace.

Mystery NZ buyer in world's biggest carbon deal
29 May 2009
International reports that a New Zealand-based company is involved in the world's biggest trade of carbon credits are causing confusion here.

Budget fund boost for ETS another sign it will stay
29 May 2009
A massive Budget boost in funding for the emissions trading scheme is being seen as a sign that the ETS is here to stay.

Climate change outburst embarrasses Act
29 May 2009
The Act Party is distancing itself from a statement made in its name yesterday in which National Party MPs were told they would “introduce an emissions trading scheme at their peril."

Act must back ETS, says forest owner
29 May 2009
The Act Party must embrace the emissions trading scheme, says Malborough forest owner and ex-Act supporter Michael Cambridge.

Beware of 'carbon cowboys', foresters warned
29 May 2009
“Carbon cowboys” with no forestry knowledge are looking to make a quick buck from carbon trading at the expense of forest owners, says Environmental Intermediaries and Trading Group founder Richard Hayes.

$470 million NZ Units spend in the next year
29 May 2009
The Government is providing to boost spending on allocating New Zealand Units from $22 million to more than $470 million in the next financial year.

Biofuel test-flight shows 'significant' fuel saving
29 May 2009
Scientific testing has found that up to 1.4 tonnes of fuel can be saved on a 12-hour long-haul flight powered by a 50/50 blend of second generation jatropha sustainable biofuel and traditional Jet A1, says Air New Zealand.
Budget investment brings hope for sustainability science, says OANZ
29 May 2009
Organics Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased by the Budget announcement of new priorities for the Ministry for the Environment, and hopes that the Primary Growth Partnership will lead to a greater investment in organic innovation.
Forum: Cooler weather heats up debate
29 May 2009
Dr Muriel Newman of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research looks at changes in the way we talk about climate change.

Business amoral on climate change, says Morgan
26 May 2009
New Zealand cannot rely on business to take a moral position on climate change because it is motivated by optimising profit, says economist Gareth Morgan.

Academic slams our lack of climate research
26 May 2009
New Zealand needs to invest in economic analysis if it is to keep up with climate change research being done offshore, says one of our leading climate scientists.

Uncertainty means forest industry taking a beating
26 May 2009
The forestry sector will take years to recover from the impacts of recent policy uncertainty, says forestry consultant Roger Dickie.

Business group's climate change voice remains hushed
26 May 2009
The Stephen Tindall–led Climate Change Leadership Forum’s bid to keep working seems to have sunk like a stone.

EU sugar crackdown could kill Fiji's carbon hopes
26 May 2009
The European Union's decision to abandon Fiji’s sugar allocation indicates that the island nation’s evolving business in supplying EU nations with their carbon credits could soon also be imperiled.

Our ETS already up and running, says law firm
26 May 2009
A publicly issued backgrounder on the emissions trading scheme by a top-tier law firm is being taken by some to represent a semi-official policy statement to the effect that the ETS is long past the point of no return.

Government cans electric car think-tank
22 May 2009
A group of leading industry experts promoting the use of renewable energy in transport has been disbanded less than a year after it was set up.

Smith delivers significant pro-ETS policy steer
22 May 2009
National still prefers an emissions trading scheme and has hinted at ways in which the scheme can be ‘harmonised’ with Australia’s.

We'd rather have a tax break, say biofuels producers
22 May 2009
A new government grant to encourage local biofuel production is not as good as the tax exemption bioenthanol producers get, the industry says.

TZ1 sale still to be signed off
22 May 2009
The sale of NZX’s TZ1 environmental registry is not yet final.

Capital carpool operation hits the road
22 May 2009
Greater Wellington Regional Council’s carpool scheme is open for business

New book, new challenge to climate change
22 May 2009
A book to be launched in Wellington at the end of the month is expected to challenge conventional wisdom about the applied politics of climate change.

Power companies' earnings 'disturb' minister
22 May 2009
Big energy companies earned $4.3 billion more in earnings between 2001 and 2007 than they would have under "competitive conditions", but the Commerce Commission says there is no evidence that they breached the Commerce Act.

Biodiesel industry gets multi-million dollar boost
19 May 2009
The biodiesel industry will receive a multi-million dollar boost over the next three years.

Consortium wins funding for wave energy device
19 May 2009
The Government has just announced that a consortium developing a device that “extracts” energy from waves is to receive $760,000 from the second round of Marine Energy Development Fund allocations.

Aquaflow keen despite poor share issue response
19 May 2009
The economic recession is not stalling algae-based biofuel company Aquaflow’s development plans, says director Vicki Buck - despite the company raising much less than expected from its recent prospectus.

Forget Australia, urges wind energy expert
19 May 2009
New Zealand shouldn’t follow Australia’s lead when it comes to pouring money into carbon capture and storage research, says Windflow’s CEO Geoff Henderson.

Suspending ETS punishes forestry, says grower
19 May 2009
Suspending the emissions trading scheme would mean the forestry sector isn’t rewarded for the work it is doing on climate change, says Forest Enterprises’ managing director Steve Wilton.