New Zealand: All stories
Window to avoid 1.5°C of warming will close before 2030 if emissions are not reduced
31 Oct 2023
Without rapid carbon dioxide emission reductions, the world has a 50% chance of locking in 1.5°C of warming before 2030, according to a study led by Imperial College London researchers.
New govt funding for climate research
30 Oct 2023
One third of this year’s Rutherford Fellowships are for climate research, with four of the 12 researchers tackling climate-related projects with $800,000 each from the fund over five years.
Energy companies team up on windfarm ventures
27 Oct 2023
Manawa Energy is teaming up with Pioneer Energy on plans for a new 300 MW wind farm in South Otago, expected to cost $750m to $900m. And Meridian Energy and NZ Windfarms have agreed to a 50-50 joint venture to repower and extend the Te Rere Hau wind farm in Tararua.
Profitability of status quo standing in the way of renewable energy transition
27 Oct 2023
Lack of political leadership and an industry that profits from the status quo are standing in the way of the transition to renewable electricity, according to Octopus Energy chief operating officer Margaret Cooney.
Best by the rest...
27 Oct 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Is a $90m project to cool cow burps working? an East Coast leader argues that indigenous reforestation is a Treaty right; and MetService defends its inability to forecast the extreme rainfall that led to Auckland’s deadly floods.
Kiwi carbon capture company wins place in Bill Gates’ climate tech programme
26 Oct 2023
Christchurch carbon capture company Aspiring Materials has scored a place in Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ climate tech programme.
Demand growth and batteries surge
26 Oct 2023
A significant pipeline of new customer load connections is likely to boost electricity demand following flat demand growth in recent years, according to a new report from Transpower.
Proposal to include non-forestry land in NDC calculation
25 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | A Cabinet minute from July of this year agreed in principle to include non-forest land in New Zealand’s nationally determined contribution.
Over a quarter of a million new plantings in Hawke's Bay
25 Oct 2023
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has overseen more than 268,000 new plantings of trees, shrubs, flaxes and grasses this financial year.
Environment Commissioner suggests forestry levy to tackle wilding pines
24 Oct 2023
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has suggested a levy on forestry companies to fund efforts to combat wilding pines.
Fossil fuels drag down Genesis Energy share price
24 Oct 2023
Genesis Energy told shareholders that its involvement with fossil fuels was a drag on its share price, but the market was slowly realising the role gas had in backing up renewable electricity for a long time to come.
Battle lines drawn over future of fossil fuel exploration
20 Oct 2023
On one side, the oil and gas industry maintains - counter-intuitively - that to continue to electrify transport we need new gas and oil wells. On the other, Greenpeace and the wider environmental movement say that starting oil and gas exploration in a climate crisis is a crime against life on Earth.
Total GHG emissions increase 0.2% in June quarter
20 Oct 2023
New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions increased 0.2% (33 kilotonnes) in the June 2023 quarter, after a 0.1% increase (26 kilotonnes) in the March 2023 quarter, according to figures from Stats NZ.
Best by the rest...
20 Oct 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Is climate change feeding a new round of trade protectionism? The methane target debate heats up; and the founder of School Strike 4 Climate calls for a unified vision to meet climate challenges.
NZ climate-related disasters hit record high in 2023
19 Oct 2023
New Zealand authorities have declared a record 17 weather-related states of emergency so far this year, with insurance payments for climate-related disasters already topping $3.5 billion.
PPA market needed to accelerate decarbonisation - Transpower
19 Oct 2023
Power Purchase Agreements between corporate energy users and renewable energy developers should enable investment in lower cost renewable electricity generation and drive faster electrification, according to Transpower.
NZ needs urgent immigration reform for Pacific climate migrants - researcher
18 Oct 2023
Immigration reforms are urgently needed to allow climate migrants from Tuvalu and Kiribati into New Zealand, according to a researcher.
MBIE proposes energy and emissions reporting scheme
18 Oct 2023
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is proposing that stationary energy users with annual emissions of 2000 tonnes of CO2 or more be required to report on their energy use.
Climate change increases risk of earthquake damage
17 Oct 2023
Climate change not only worsens storms, but also increases the risk of landslides and flooding after earthquakes, according to researchers.
Meridian looks at offshore wind - warns about ETS
17 Oct 2023
Meridian Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with European-based Parkwind to explore offshore potential focused principally on the Taranaki coast and is still optimistic about getting its hydrogen project over the line.
What will new government mean for climate policy?
16 Oct 2023
The National Party has won the election, with a coalition with the ACT Party giving it just enough seats for a slim majority, which it may look to New Zealand First to increase.
National's offshore wind policy
16 Oct 2023
National has pledged to introduce an offshore wind regime that largely builds on work underway in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, but with a few nuances.
Salt CO2 fund continues to acquire its own units
16 Oct 2023
The Salt CO2 fund is continuing to purchase its own units but is undecided how it will dispose of its growing stockpile of treasury stock.
In NZ, increasingly severe crackdowns on environmental protesters fail to deter climate activists
16 Oct 2023
State and federal governments from the U.S. to Australia have enacted legislation punishing disruptive demonstrators, but many have been emboldened by the repression.
Former IPCC lead author calls for a “Go Slow” campaign
13 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Former IPCC lead author and internationally recognised transport emissions expert, emeritus professor Ralph Sims, is calling on Waka Kotahi to start a “Go Slow” campaign.
Best by the rest...
13 Oct 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: As Kiwis go to the polls, pundits ask what happened to the climate debate during the campaign? experts worry carbon cutting policies are under threat; while others say climate policies are key to reducing the cost of living.
Biodiversity credit market could encourage sustainable land use - new research
12 Oct 2023
A biodiversity credit market could help farmers make their businesses more resilient as well as helping them to meet environmental targets, according to a new study.
Mainfreight releases climate related risks report
12 Oct 2023
Transport company Mainfreight has released its first climate related risks report, saying its position is “net positive” in terms of climate risks and opportunities.
“Aotearoa IS warming: It’s us. It’s bad” - new report
11 Oct 2023
It is clear that Aotearoa is warming, according to a new report on the state of our atmosphere and climate. But experts say we can still do something about it.
Generators worry about thermal transition
11 Oct 2023
A number of major generators have taken issue with the Electricity Authority’s view that the risks around the thermal generation transition and managing dry years are low.
Foresters take legal action against new ETS fees
10 Oct 2023
Foresters have filed a judicial review aiming to stop the government’s new fee system for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme, which they say will increase costs by several thousand percent.
NZ still has a long way to go to meet emission reduction targets: "This ship can sink"
10 Oct 2023
By Robert McLachlan | COMMENT: The 2016 Paris Agreement contains a built-in feedback mechanism to help ensure that its goals are met: the Global Stocktake. Every five years all pledges and progress are assessed and compared to the targets on warming, adaptation, and financing.
Shifting gears on transport emissions
10 Oct 2023
Business vehicle fleets are still lagging on emission reductions, EROAD’s latest Sustainability Survey shows.
Recloaking Papatūānuku: proposal for massive planting of native forests
9 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | By one measure New Zealand has emitted more CO2 per capita since the beginning of the industrial revolution than any other country.
Christchurch to host UN climate adaptation conference
9 Oct 2023
Ōtautahi Christchurch will host the world’s top scientists, Indigenous scholars, and policymakers at a UN climate adaptation conference planned for 2025.
New marine reserves good first step: environmentalists
6 Oct 2023
The government’s announcement yesterday of six new marine reserves in the south-east of the South Island has been universally welcomed. But environmentalists say more needs to be done and to meet the country’s obligations around marine protection, and Māori are calling for a law change.
Workers say employers aren't doing enough for the planet - survey
6 Oct 2023
More than two-thirds of Kiwi workers say their employers aren’t doing enough for the environment, with 54% saying none of their expectations are being met when it comes to their employer’s sustainability practices.
Best by the rest...
6 Oct 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: A layperson’s guide to the climate change policies on offer this election; NZ cancels final 21.5m Kyoto-era carbon credits; and the battle for NZ’s farming heartland.
Little appetite for European-style climate interventions
5 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Outdoor heaters are banned in France and many German cities where critics argue that using fossil fuels to literally heat the planet is unacceptable.
Govt releases Cabinet papers on ETS forestry charges
5 Oct 2023
The government has proactively released cabinet papers on controversial new charges for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Foresters say new rules will lead to less planting
4 Oct 2023
A group that petitioned for a Ministerial inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti has welcomed new rules for exotic tree planting, however foresters say that the regulations will lead to less forest planting and could compromise climate change targets.
The bumpy road to transport carbon neutrality
3 Oct 2023
By Jeremy Rose | The road to climate hell is a brand spanking new, asphalt paved motorway.
Govt defends new charges for forestry in ETS
3 Oct 2023
The government is defending new charges in the Emissions Trading Scheme, which foresters say will discourage planting, and some say could be open to legal challenges.
Guides to the ‘climate election’
2 Oct 2023
This might not be the ‘climate election’ many were calling for, but plenty of advocates are trying to steer voters towards thinking about the climate when they decide which boxes to tick on polling day.
Kaipara District Council cancels climate policy
2 Oct 2023
Kaipara District Council has canned key climate work, with the decision to stop development of a climate change policy and cancel its emissions accounting contract.
E-scooters get another five years of regulation exemption
2 Oct 2023
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has extended the legal exemption for e-scooters as they say their contribution to the transport system outweighs the complaints about them.
Wildfire conditions could be worst for 25 years
29 Sep 2023
By Liz Kivi | A wildfire expert says that New Zealand could be heading for the worst wildfire conditions for 25 years this summer, with El Niño and climate change combining to bring dry spells, high temperatures and high winds.
Likely ETS auction failure will eat into stockpile
29 Sep 2023
The likely failure of the final ETS auction of the year in December would result in a significant chunk of the current stockpile evaporating.
Climate action could boost Auckland economy by $22 billion by 2050
29 Sep 2023
Decisive climate action could deliver $22 billion to Auckland’s regional economy by 2050, while lack of action could cost the region $800 million over the same period.
CO2 fund gobbling up its own product
28 Sep 2023
Salt Management's Carbon Fund spent more than $1.2 million buying units in its own fund over the last month.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
Mon 23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
