New Zealand: All stories
Slow train coming: only a genuine shift to rail will put NZ on track to reduce emissions
23 Aug 2023
Both the Labour government and the opposition National Party have now released major transport polices that put the emphasis on maintaining and expanding roads.
RMA comes to an end - but for how long?
22 Aug 2023
Thirty years of the Resource Management Act has come to and with the passage of two reform bills, but how long they will last and what they could be replaced with will depend on the outcome of the election.
Govt delays agricultural emissions reporting and pricing
21 Aug 2023
The government has announced farm-level emissions reporting won’t start until the end of 2024, and emissions pricing won’t start until a year later.
Greens slam govt’s transport plan as prioritising roads over climate
18 Aug 2023
The Green Party has slammed the government’s $20 billion transport plan, announced yesterday, saying the decision to prioritise new roads shows the Labour Party is not serious about climate change.
Renewables at record high - MBIE
18 Aug 2023
Eighty-seven per cent of electricity generated over 2022 came from renewable sources, while total energy supply from renewables reached 44% - a record high according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
Best by the rest...
18 Aug 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: An ecologist’s perspective on the inevitability of degrowth economics; National’s concerning lack of climate policies; and the inside story on how NZ failed to regulate its worst climate polluter.
Updated bill “big win” for climate
17 Aug 2023
Activists are claiming a climate bill update as a significant win against big polluters - with 800,000 tonnes of subsidised carbon dioxide pollution now cut from free allocations.
National suggests a different path for RMA reform
17 Aug 2023
A senior National MP has suggested that if the Government had sent the resource management law reform bills back to select committee, it may have been possible to get cross-party agreement with tweaks.
Volcanic eruption may be boosting global heat wave
17 Aug 2023
A climate science debate is simmering over how much of 2023's record warmth is due to human-caused factors, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, and the role of other influences.
Shaw calls for inquiry and cross-party consensus on community-led retreat
16 Aug 2023
Climate Change minister James Shaw has called for a select committee inquiry into community-led retreat and adaptation funding in the face of climate-fuelled disasters.
Govt co-funding $33 million to cut industrial emissions
16 Aug 2023
The government has announced its latest round of co-funding for industry to cut emissions, with a $33.3 million investment aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 67,300 tonnes every year.
Canterbury regional council chair slams govt inaction on climate adaptation
15 Aug 2023
Ecan chair Peter Scott says central government needs to do more to protect Canterbury from “real and ongoing risks” exacerbated by the climate crisis.
Hydrogen summit coming to Wellington
15 Aug 2023
New Zealand’s second international hydrogen summit, in Wellington next month, will feature international speakers representing global shipping and aviation.
Green Party announces new policy to slash energy bills and carbon emissions
14 Aug 2023
The Green Party has announced a new policy it says will save households up to $1,200 on energy bills every year and slash carbon emissions.
NZ-style 'sponge cities' needed to tackle climate-fuelled urban flood risk
14 Aug 2023
Urban areas need to urgently look at ‘sponge city’ approaches to stormwater management to help the country prepare for climate impacts and reduce flood risk, according to recent research.
Electricity markets paper brings back some old ideas
14 Aug 2023
Radical electricity market reforms including the separation of the major gentailers and the creation of a single buyer are two of the many, many options put forward in one of the Government's Energy Strategy consultation papers.
Farmers welcome EPA approval of first methane inhibitor in New Zealand
11 Aug 2023
The Environmental Protection Authority has approved a feed additive that could reduce methane emissions from livestock by 30%.
Carbon tariffs - what are the implications for NZ?
11 Aug 2023
A senior public sector consultant has suggested that New Zealand might want to consider being a fast follower of the European Union’s moves to implement a carbon tariff.
Best by the rest...
11 Aug 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: What does the hottest month in human history mean for Aotearoa? Planning for the worst from climate change; and the Lake Onslow Battery Project's uncertain future.
Govt launches consultation on five areas of energy transition policy
10 Aug 2023
The Government has launched consultation on New Zealand's transition towards a low emissions economy, with five streams of energy policy out for feedback.
ETS needs to incentivise gross emissions reductions: Consultations close tomorrow
10 Aug 2023
By Ann Smith | Although New Zealand has updated its international commitment to reduce emissions, it is still ranked as “Highly Insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker.
Meeting the long-term climate threat takes more than private investment – 10 ways NZ can be smart and strategic
10 Aug 2023
By Kevin Trenberth | The announcement of a partnership between the government and the world’s biggest investment manager BlackRock in a NZ$2 billion climate infrastructure fund suggests the company is expecting renewable energy in New Zealand to increase its own profitability.
$2 billion climate fund to back 100% renewable electricity
9 Aug 2023
Investment giant BlackRock has announced a $2 billion climate infrastructure fund in New Zealand to unlock investment to support 100% renewable electricity generation.
What would it look like for the NZ ETS to be aligned with 1.5C?
9 Aug 2023
By Christina Hood | The government needs to prioritise gross reductions in long-lived gases much faster to be consistent with 1.5C of warming - with a 90% reduction in gross emissions needed by 2050.
Investment positive - but still hurdles to overcome to reach renewable electricity target
9 Aug 2023
By Ralph Sims | It’s been a good week for encouraging the uptake of renewable electricity generation in order to get closer to the Government’s 100% target by 2030.
Sustainable tourism plan "short on detail": Environment commissioner
8 Aug 2023
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has criticised the government’s draft plan for sustainable tourism, saying it is short on detail, particularly around plans for decarbonisation.
NZ First would reverse ‘treasonous’ refinery closure
8 Aug 2023
New Zealand First would reopen the refinery at Marsden Point as the closure was “economic treason”, Party leader Winston Peters said.
Govt refers wind and solar developments for fast-tracked consenting
8 Aug 2023
The government is fast-tracking nine solar power projects and three wind farm projects, with the combined projects potentially generating nearly four times the output of the Clyde Dam.
Māori forestry lobby welcomes Nat’s commitment to leave ETS unchanged
7 Aug 2023
Māori forestry group Te Taumata has welcomed a National Party statement that they would not make major changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme if voted into government at the upcoming election.
Climate change court cases on the rise
4 Aug 2023
Court cases focussing on climate change have more than doubled since 2017, with the number of cases growing in New Zealand as well as globally, according to a new report.
Best by the rest...
4 Aug 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Experts say the ETS emphasising indigenous forests would benefit public health; Is carbon capture an option for Huntly? And does National’s transport plan add up?
NZ needs better emissions data: research
3 Aug 2023
New research shows that New Zealand isn't doing enough to keep track of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation, with lacking data and modelling capacity in some sectors.
Auckland researchers get funding to test "cool roofs" in climate hot spots
3 Aug 2023
A trial led by Auckland scientists to test "cool roofs" in countries vulnerable to climate heating has received a massive boost, with funding from a $37 million pool.
Cost pressures “intensifying” for Environment Commission
2 Aug 2023
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, says his office will likely need more funding soon.
National’s transport policy slammed for overlooking carbon emissions
1 Aug 2023
Environmentalists have slammed National’s plan to spend almost $25 billion over 10 years building roads across the country, including four lanes all the way from Whangārei to Tauranga.
Bill to amend forestry provisions of Climate Change Response Act
1 Aug 2023
The government has introduced a “tidy-up bill” to Parliament, to change the Climate Change Response Act 2002 administered by the Ministry for the Environment.
Energy Council releases wish list for the next govt
31 Jul 2023
The BusinessNZ Energy Council says the next government should set long-term energy goals and stick to them - without reactive kneejerk policy changes.
Z’s parent company predicts “robust” fossil fuel demand for next 10 years
31 Jul 2023
Demand for petrol retailers will remain high into the 2030s in New Zealand – years after some countries have banned the sale of fossil fuel vehicles, an energy giant predicts.
Forest & Bird accused of promoting “greenwashing” at centennial conference
28 Jul 2023
A talk planned for Forest & Bird’s centennial conference tomorrow has ruffled feathers among environmentalists, with some supporters threatening to cancel longstanding memberships, and even debating whether to protest with placards at the event.
Best by the rest...
28 Jul 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Do we need a Ministry for the Ocean? Are pine trees good or bad in the climate fight? And what are the implications for NZ of a former UNFCCC executive secretary losing faith in the oil and gas industry?
Foresters welcome ETS reset
27 Jul 2023
Foresters have welcomed the government’s reset of Emissions Trading Scheme auction settings, saying it should incentivise forestry and wood processing investors for the embattled industry.
Labour votes down bill to stop new mines on conservation land
27 Jul 2023
The Government has voted down a Green Party’s members’ bill to stop new mining on conservation land.
Forestry consultations
27 Jul 2023
The Ministry for Primary Industries is consulting on two forestry-related issues, with the deadline for one just a week away.
Open letter: To Forest & Bird from Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan
27 Jul 2023
Paul Callister, a climate change policy researcher at Victoria University’s Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, and Massey University mathematician Robert McLachlan - both long-time supporters of Forest & Bird - say they are “deeply concerned” that the organisation is giving the aviation industry a platform for greenwashing at the upcoming conference.
Climate extremes make NZ’s supply chains highly vulnerable – it’s time to rethink how we grow and ship food
26 Jul 2023
By Alan Renwick | Supermarket customers around New Zealand are noticing gaps in the grocery aisles that have nothing to do with the global pandemic or Ukraine war.
The ETS works just fine, but unaffordable, ideological reforms will set us back
25 Jul 2023
By Andrew Cushen | OPINION: We are seeing a lot of noise about the Emissions Trading Scheme at the moment. If you listen to the likes of Climate Change Minister James Shaw, and previous Carbon News correspondent, Deirdre Kent, you may be thinking the scheme is a failure and in desperate need of reform.
Additional funding for energy centre
25 Jul 2023
The government has announced an additional $70 million of funding for Ara Ake future energy centre over ten years.
Greens and NZ First launch election campaigns
24 Jul 2023
The Greens and NZ First were the first parties to officially launch their election campaigns over the weekend, with the climate crisis a core part of the Greens campaign - while it got only a passing mention at the NZ First launch.
RMA reform bill makes progress in Parliament
24 Jul 2023
Resource management law reform bills completed their second readings in Parliament last week with Labour on track to pass them with Green Party support and National and Act adamant they will repeal them before Christmas if elected to government.
ETS reforms puts $16 billion of potential Māori forestry earnings at risk, UN told
21 Jul 2023
By Jeremy Rose | A representative of Māori forestry interests in the Far North this week told a United Nations hearing in Geneva that the government’s ETS reforms were putting a $16 billion economic opportunity at risk
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
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.
