New Zealand: All stories
ETS befuddles business community, poll shows
12 Sep 2008
The emissions trading scheme might be law, but most business people don’t know much about it.
NZ algae-to-fuels pioneer claims world breakthrough
12 Sep 2008
New Zealand’s Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation says it has become the first company in the world to produce green-crude from wild algae.
Disappointed farmers vow to fight on ... but how?
12 Sep 2008
Federated Farmers will keep fighting the emissions trading scheme – but isn’t sure what move to take next.
Carbon courses aim to help small businesses
12 Sep 2008
A trial programme to help small and medium-sized businesses to cut their energy consumption is under way in Auckland.
Hemp (not the smoking kind) might be next wonder crop
12 Sep 2008
Former Green MP Nandor Tanczos could see his long campaign to have hemp made legal vindicated.
Forest owners: Problems have not gone away
12 Sep 2008
The treatment of pre-1990 forests under the emissions trading scheme will emerge again as a major issue, warns the New Zealand Forest Owners’ Association.
Garrett: Don't tinker with your new ETS law
12 Sep 2008
Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett has warned New Zealand not to “go tinkering” with its new emissions trading law.
LETTER: Bad news for Ngai Tahu
12 Sep 2008
In Carbon News (5 Sept 2008) Willie Te Aho was quoted as saying that the deforestation liability for Ngai Tahu would be around $15,000 per hectare for changing the use of its 80,000 hectare pre-1990 forest estate.
LETTER: Crests' Poutu power project
12 Sep 2008
Noting the Northland Regional Council decision to allow the Crest Energy tidal power scheme at Poutu, on the Kaipara Harbour.
Businesses, wake up and smell the carbon
11 Sep 2008
New Zealand business woke up to a new reality today – it’s time to start counting carbon.
Forest owners first to feel effects of ETS
11 Sep 2008
Forest owners will be the first New Zealanders into the emissions trading scheme - with the first entering within 10 weeks.
New world of emissions - what happens and when
11 Sep 2008
The mandatory reporting period for pre-1990 forests starts this year, with ETS obligations and entitlements accruing all year, and a surrender date of December 31 next year.
ETS leaves treaty settlements in doubt, says Harawira
11 Sep 2008
The validity of final Treaty of Waitangi settlements is in doubt in the wake of the passing of the emissions trading scheme, says the Maori Party.
REACTION: Good work on ETS, now get on with it, says business council
11 Sep 2008
Business leaders are welcoming the passage of emissions trading law as an essential step for New Zealand to preserve its exporting and tourism future.
FORUM: Biochar holds many of the answers for climate change
11 Sep 2008
Biochar technology is an environmental triple-whammy, so why is it under attack? By Dr Peter Read.
Parker hails party leaders for 'great victory' on climate change bill
9 Sep 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark, Finance Minister Michael Cullen and Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton have played pivotal parts in getting New Zealand’s emissions trading scheme passed, Climate Change Minister David Parker says.
National promises ETS by 2010 - but fails to answer question on cap
9 Sep 2008
National is promising to have an emissions trading scheme in force by 2010.
Govt all talk and no action, says vehicle emissions group
9 Sep 2008
The Government needs to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to lowering vehicle emissions, says a high-powered lobby group.
NZ scientists unrecognised for work behind the scenes
9 Sep 2008
Political parties are so anxious to play down some energy issues that valuable work by the government’s own energy and scientific agencies is receiving little recognition
Ecology group wants NZ ban on Brazilian biofuel
9 Sep 2008
The Pacific Institute of Resource Management - the New Zealand watchdog sponsored by Ecologist founder Teddy Goldsmith - is challenging the EECA’s claim that biofuels from Brazil are even remotely sustainable.
Labour wants to switch climate change focus to making money
5 Sep 2008
The Government is gearing up to switch its climate change focus from costing money to making money.
Parker: Not the time to move on offset planting
5 Sep 2008
Allowing land-owners to transfer forestry blocks to marginal land now would shoot New Zealand’s long-term international interests in the foot, says Climate Change Minister David Parker
Garnaut delivers carbon targets today
5 Sep 2008
Australians will find out today what their carbon reduction targets are likely to be.
Iwi leaders doubt ETS forest land dispute will spread
5 Sep 2008
The Iwi Leadership Group is playing down concerns that the Government’s emissions trading scheme will lead to a raft of other iwi revisting their treaty settlements.
Govt: ETS forestry compo benefits large number of iwi
5 Sep 2008
The Government claims a large number of iwi believe the compensation package under the emissions trading scheme gives them a net benefit rather than a net cost.
Tribal group challenges Parker's ETS support claim
5 Sep 2008
A major iwi is challenging Climate Change Minister David Parker’s claim that most tribes support the emissions trading bill.
National’s ETS changes: devilish cost in the detail
5 Sep 2008
ANALYSIS - The further glimpses of National Party emissions trading policy “detail” in the past few days show it might take some risks with the taxpayers’ purse.
Rare glimpse of National's post-election ETS policy detail
5 Sep 2008
National may have pointed to its possible course on emissions trading law if it forms the government after this year’s election.
US speculation regulator includes NZ among targets
5 Sep 2008
The American Commodity Futures Trading Commission is targeting United Kingdom and Commonwealth traders involved in no-limit speculative oil trades.
Dunne's eggs crack
5 Sep 2008
United Future leader Peter Dunne has called for household assistance to cover emissions charges.
Meet Major Holmes, our forgotten father of oil
5 Sep 2008
In the oil-producing Gulf states, he is still known as Abu Naft, the father of oil.
Last-minute Ngai Tahu treaty claim unlikely to stall ETS
2 Sep 2008
A late Treaty of Waitangi claim by Ngai Tahu, which says the emissions trading scheme could cost it tens of millions of dollars, is unlikely to stop the scheme becoming law.
We've done the hard yards, say frustrated farmers
2 Sep 2008
A new non-binding emissions reduction target for agriculture shows there is little official understanding of hard work farmers have already done to reduce their emissions, says Federated Farmers.
Crammed capital to put its faith in new-look car pooling
2 Sep 2008
Incentives to make it easier for people to car pool will be offered to all workplaces in the Wellington region early next year.
Fishing industry questions new ETS free-units allocation
2 Sep 2008
The fishing sector is relieved that amendments to the Government’s climate change legislation include a major concession to the industry.
Mobil closes in on carbon dioxide breathrough
2 Sep 2008
Mobil is close to a technology which will literally absorb the problem of greenhouse gases from natural gas.
Maori Party against ETS bill: concern over subsidies, impacts on Maori land owners
2 Sep 2008
The Maori Party says in EST bill debate that it is "opposed to the concept of paying the polluters; of rewarding the corporate lobbyists with huge exemptions; and the very nature of trading rather than reducing emissions."
Wholesale electricity index up 9.79 points on a year ago
2 Sep 2008
The M-Co Wholesale Electricity Price Index for August was up 9.79 points on a year ago.
Parliament to have power over free credits
29 Aug 2008
Parliament is to have the power to reject allocation plans for free carbon credits – a move which could expose heavy emitters to having to purchase 100 per cent of their credits at times.
Emissions scheme passes second reading
29 Aug 2008
The ETS bill has passed its second reading and will go into committee stages on Tuesday.
ETS agreement blocks trade in 'black' hot-air credits
29 Aug 2008
AAU credits will not be automatically redeemable under the New Zealand emissions trading scheme.
Big businesses might flee NZ, warn heavy emitters
29 Aug 2008
New Zealand’s heavy emitters say that sharing some of their free carbon credits with smaller emitters could see companies leave the country.
Wind energy developers keep keen eye on new approvals process
29 Aug 2008
The wind energy sector is waiting with bated breath to see how the new “calling in” approvals process works.
Carbon credit sharing fails to impress wood processors
29 Aug 2008
Sharing carbon credits around is not enough of a remedy for wood processors bracing themselves for the introduction of an emissions trading scheme.
Council sees reluctance to accept change to water usage system
29 Aug 2008
New Zealand’s current water allocation system plays favourites for some and they are unlikely to want it to change, says Business Council for Sustainable Development chief Peter Neilson.
ETS DEALS: What the Greens and NZ First got changed
29 Aug 2008
Changes to the ETS bill, negotiated in return for the support of the Green and New Zealand First parties, are:
MAF excited at finding cellulose perennial solution to biofuels
29 Aug 2008
A MAF report indicates that using 12 per cent of the nation’s pastoral land to grow herbaceous feed-stocks for bioethanol production would provide equivalent energy to that “derived from current total petrol usage.”
BREAKING NEWS: ETS bill has the numbers
27 Aug 2008
The Government has got the numbers to pass the emissions trading scheme.
ETS ball now in Winston's court
26 Aug 2008
All eyes are now on New Zealand First as the country waits to see whether the Government has the numbers to get its emissions trading scheme passed before the election.
Govt unveils National Adaptation Framework
Thu 16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Minister of Climate Change Simon Watts has revealed the first actions under New Zealand’s National Adaptation Framework, which sets out the Government's approach to the rising risks from natural hazards such as floods and storms.
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.
SPECIAL BULLETIN: Govt weakens methane target
Sun 12 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has ignored the Climate Change Commission’s advice to strengthen methane targets and has instead weakened them significantly.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
Mon 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.
