New Zealand: All stories
Mining more coal will help pay for climate change journey: Shane Jones
17 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Resources minister Shane Jones told RNZ this morning that digging up more coal would help deliver the economic surplus required to meet the country’s climate change commitments.
Highly productive land decreasing as agricultural land use intensifies, carbon forestry set to increase
17 Apr 2024
The latest environmental report outlines the pressure on land and soil from changes in use and invasive species.
Five reasons why the Fast-track Approvals Bill threatens NZ’s already fragile ecosystems
17 Apr 2024
By Margaret Stanley | Conservation “good news” stories – the release of native birds into new habitats, for example – are always welcome.
Proposed RMA changes to boost coal mining met with incredulity
16 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Resources minister Shane Jones’ announcement of changes to the Resource Management Act to facilitate more coal mining have been met with incredulity by climate change activists.
Treasury looks at framework to assess economic impacts of climate change
16 Apr 2024
The Treasury has published new analysis on climate change and the economy.
Seabed miners chastised over fast-track letter
16 Apr 2024
Two would-be seabed miners have been chastised for overstating the implications of letters from the government concerning fast-track consent applications.
Cuts to science and environment funding will hinder NZ’s climate response - scientists
15 Apr 2024
By Liz Kivi | New Zealander of the Year Jim Salinger says government cuts to science funding will put Aotearoa even further behind other countries in terms of economic well-being and tackling climate change.
Unions Wellington launches campaign to stop airport sale
15 Apr 2024
The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is opposing Wellington City Council’s proposal to sell its 34% share in Wellington Airport.
Commission’s advice ‘not gospel’ - Willis
12 Apr 2024
The finance minister and associate Climate Change minister told a business gathering that the Climate Change Commission is not “a deity” and its Emissions Trading Scheme advice was “not gospel”.
Emissions down slightly for December 2023 quarter - but gross annual emissions up slightly for the year
12 Apr 2024
Seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions for industry and households went down 0.5% in the December 2023 quarter, according to the latest figures released from Stats NZ.
Govt votes down Bill of Rights change drafted by climate lawyers
11 Apr 2024
The government has voted down legislation that would add the right to a sustainable environment to the Bill of Rights Act.
Additional $18 million to reduce agricultural emissions
10 Apr 2024
The government and businesses are committing an additional $18 million to a public-private joint venture to reduce agricultural emissions.
When will the NZ ETS surplus reach zero? Revisiting the implications of forestry forecasts
10 Apr 2024
By Kristen Green | Different methods of forestry forecasting can lead to very different conclusions about the drawdown rates needed for surplus carbon units under the Emissions Trading Scheme - and better analysis is needed for auction volume settings.
DOC faces tough decisions about funding
10 Apr 2024
A select committee review of the Department of Conservation has outlined the problems it faces and the tough decisions ahead about funding operations.
Net zero emissions target may need strengthening: Climate Change Commission
9 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | New Zealand’s current Net Zero 2050 emissions reduction target may need to be strengthened, the Climate Change Commission says in a discussion document released yesterday.
Commission rejects basis for review of methane targets - but methane vaccines could be good news for ag sector
9 Apr 2024
The Climate Change Commission has rejected the basis of a new, separate review of Aotearoa’s methane target in its advice released yesterday.
NZ needs to electrify faster - gentailers
9 Apr 2024
MPs have agreed with concerns that if New Zealand does move faster to electrify the economy there will be consequences - including the cost of not meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
Govt review of methane targets controversial with experts
8 Apr 2024
The government’s plan for an independent review of agricultural methane targets consistent with no additional warming represents “dangerous thinking” according to an expert.
BYD warned road user charges would collapse EV market
8 Apr 2024
BYD – the manufacturer of one of New Zealand’s bestselling EVs – warned a select committee hearing submissions on the introduction of road user charges for electric vehicles that the way it was being done would collapse the country’s EV market.
Tens of thousands expected at today’s climate strikes
5 Apr 2024
Climate strike organisers are hoping today’s nationwide event will be their biggest yet, with tens of thousands of people expected to take to the streets.
Waste reduction advocates slam plastic recycling feasibility study
5 Apr 2024
Supporters of a new collaboration between businesses and government say a feasibility study into a local recycling industry is the first step towards a circular economy for soft plastic packaging.
Best by the rest...
5 Apr 2024
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: How to avoid a billion climate deaths? Why pressure must increase to cut emissions; and the Maōri king and other indigenous Pacific leaders sign up to granting whales legal personhood.
National rules out support for EV perks tax exemption
4 Apr 2024
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has ruled out supporting a member's Bill that would exempt EVs from fringe benefit tax.
New forestry fees unfairly impact Māori
4 Apr 2024
By Liz Kivi | Recently implemented fees for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme are having a disproportionate impact on Māori, and the government didn’t consult adequately on the changes, according to the National Māori Forestry Association.
New govt plan falls short on climate action
3 Apr 2024
The Green Party has slammed the government’s new 36-point action plan for ignoring the climate crisis.
Fast-Track Approvals Bill risks increased GHG emissions: public health experts
3 Apr 2024
The Coalition Government’s proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill risks rapid environmental degradation and increased greenhouse gas emission, an expert briefing says.
Transport policy threatens climate targets
2 Apr 2024
By Robert McLachlan | OPINION: The government’s move to drop climate considerations from land transport policy constitutes climate denial - and puts Aotearoa’s first emissions reduction plan at risk.
New $100m ‘green’ industrial development for Auckland
2 Apr 2024
A $100 million industrial complex under construction in Auckland will incorporate low-carbon concrete and rainwater harvesting as well as generating its own solar electricity.
Half of Tairāwhiti at risk of erosion - new data
28 Mar 2024
An estimated 182 million tonnes of eroded soil entered New Zealand's rivers in 2022, according to new research.
Mountain species at risk of extinction due to climate change
28 Mar 2024
Experts say an international study that has found species in mountain regions are at risk of extinction due to rapidly rising temperatures has worrying implications for New Zealand.
Global carbon market expert to speak at Christchurch conference
28 Mar 2024
The chair of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM), Annette Nazareth, will give a keynote speech at the Carbon and Energy Professionals Conference in Christchurch in May.
Best by the rest...
28 Mar 2024
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: How do subsidies for one of our most popular trains compare to roads? Chloe Swarbrick wants to build a mass climate movement; and is power-hungry AI set to upend every aspect of our society?
Exempting EVs from fringe benefit tax could slash cost by more than $6000 annually
27 Mar 2024
The annual cost to a business of owning an EV could drop by thousands of dollars a year, if a member's bill drawn from the parliamentary ballot last week is successful.
Reserve Bank releases guidance for managing climate-related risks
27 Mar 2024
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua has published guidance for its regulated entities on managing climate-related risks.
Govt looking at reopening refinery - but it’s an extreme longshot
27 Mar 2024
New Zealand First has won through on its election pledge to look at reopening Marsden Point Oil Refinery, but the likelihood of it actually happening is so close to zero that is difficult to measure.
Minister maps out RMA reform
26 Mar 2024
The government is planning several ‘quick fixes’ to the Resource Management Act before a full reform which it intends to complete in this term of Parliament.
Govt working on classification system for sustainable finance
26 Mar 2024
The government is setting up a specialised group to advise on a classification system for sustainable finance.
Ecological overshoot is a ‘behavioural crisis’ and marketing is a solution: Study
26 Mar 2024
The current ecological crises facing our planet are extensively the result of a human behavioral crisis, according to a 2023 paper appearing in the journal Science Progress.
Paving over polarisation
25 Mar 2024
OPINION: In a sequel to Paving Over Paradise – can we choose RMA reform and a wider political landscape that gives us smooth pavement and stunning outlooks over craters and chaos?
Is govt planning to mothball national rail network?
22 Mar 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Rail advocates are warning the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS) could be the nail in the coffin of a national rail network.
City should include cruise ship emissions in targets - campaigners
22 Mar 2024
Climate activists are urging Christchurch City Council to include cruise ship emissions in the city’s emissions reduction plan.
Best by the rest...
22 Mar 2024
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Councils are frustrated as government refers flood protection to bureaucrats; fast-track approvals are bad news for biodiversity; and School Strike 4 Climate plans their biggest strike yet.
Is the Climate Change Commission setting the NZ ETS up for a bumpy ride in the 2020s?
21 Mar 2024
By Kristen Green | With this article, I seek to examine the Climate Change Commission’s advice published last week setting out new recommendations for auction unit supply and price control settings for the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS).
NZU price has greater impact on cost of electricity than petrol
21 Mar 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Counter-intuitively an increase in the price of carbon adds more to a household’s electricity bill in percentage terms than its petrol one.
UK's TP ICAP to acquire New Zealand energy and carbon brokerage
21 Mar 2024
Broker TP ICAP, will acquire New Zealand-based gas, power and carbon brokerage firm Aotearea Energy, to give clients access to the New Zealand emissions trading market.
Offshore wind could create 10,000 jobs and add nearly $50b to GDP - study
20 Mar 2024
Developing an offshore wind energy industry will play a critical role in helping Aotearoa meet rising demand for clean energy as well as net zero commitments, according to a new study released today.
First direct air carbon capture pilot announced for NZ
19 Mar 2024
A carbon capture company and Ara Ake, New Zealand’s Future Energy Centre, are partnering to pilot the first direct air capture project in Aotearoa, aiming to demonstrate a containerised and relocatable operation.
Emissions down overall - but we're still burning too much oil
19 Mar 2024
By Robert McLachlan | OPINION: New Zealand is making progress on meeting its renewable electricity targets but failing to come close to what’s required when it comes to decarbonising transport.
Edict by press release a ‘misunderstanding’
19 Mar 2024
A rather bumbling attempt to govern by press release edict has resulted in a backdown which leaves many councils confused about how they should proceed when it comes to aspects of environmental and planning law.
IKEA and New Zealand: “It’s like another kind of colonisation”
19 Mar 2024
IKEA has a target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030, compared to a baseline year of 2016.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
