New Zealand: All stories
First supercritical geothermal site chosen
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Land within Rotokawa Geothermal Reservoir in the Taupō Volcanic Zone has been selected as a preferred site for New Zealand’s first supercritical geothermal exploration, with design work already underway to develop the first well, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says.
Polar geoengineering ideas 'dangerous'
10 Sep 2025
Geoengineering will not save the polar regions from catastrophic meltdown, according to an expert.
Contact tries again for Southland windfarm
10 Sep 2025
Contact Energy has reapplied for consent for its Southland wind-farm, lodging the project with the new fast-track regime after it was rejected earlier this year.
‘Pick up the phone’ on climate change action, Hipkins urges Luxon
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should reach out to the Labour Party if he wants get a political deal on methane reductions and the Paris agreement rather than his two coalition partners, Labour leader Chris Hipkins says.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Bleak future for skifields due to climate change - expert
8 Sep 2025
Winter snowfall was well below average for much of the country, with multiple skifields remaining closed due to a lack of snow, offering a glimpse into a "dire" future for snowsports in New Zealand, according to an expert.
Kawerau's new hope: Plan to replace coal with pine ramps up
8 Sep 2025
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Construction on a $300 million wood pellet plant in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is expected to start next month, with hopes it could cut the use of coal in New Zealand.
Corporate pollution and biodiversity conservation don't mix
8 Sep 2025
While companies near newly created protected areas cut their toxic emissions, they do so by cutting jobs and production rather than cleaning up their act, according to new research.
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
Growth, energy and climate in focus at Trans-Tasman bilateral talks
5 Sep 2025
Trans-Tasman climate cooperation was one of the themes at the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, with senior government officials and business leaders from both sides of the ditch meeting in Canberra this week.
New report calls for Cabinet overhaul
5 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A new report from The New Zealand Initiative argues that New Zealand’s “sprawling” Cabinet structure fragments climate responsibility and slows solutions, and proposes consolidating climate, environment and conservation portfolios.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
XRB consults on delaying climate reporting requirements
4 Sep 2025
The External Reporting Board is proposing a further two years relief for companies to adopt anticipated financial impacts reporting and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reporting and assurance.
Air NZ declares surprisingly low SAF prices
3 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Air New Zealand is able to source sustainable aviation fuel at between 1.5 and 2.5 times the price of conventional fossil fuels used for flying, all sourced from the US.
'Atrocious' and 'bizarre': experts slam Act Party's climate policy
3 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Act Party is promising to challenge New Zealand’s Paris Agreement climate target, while the coalition Government’s other minor partner, NZ First, also says it wants to reevaluate the country’s commitment to the international treaty.
Significant environmental law reform risks NZ going from leader to laggard
3 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New legislation must strengthen environmental safeguards and policy-makers must approach reform with extreme caution, according to Environmental Defence Society reform director Dr Greg Severinsen in a new report.
Meridian reports worst earnings in a decade
3 Sep 2025
Meridian Energy has posted its weakest result in 10 years, with earnings hit by a combination of droughts, low wind and declining gas supply.
Gisborne art show highlights weather impact on well-being
3 Sep 2025
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter|A Gisborne artist and community researcher is turning a study on how severe weather impacts health and wellbeing into an art exhibition.
Time for Methanex to go – expert
2 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's looming gas crisis means Methanex should move elsewhere, according to sustainable energy expert Ralph Sims.
Climate-friendly investment still lagging in NZ
2 Sep 2025
While local financial firms have made recent strides in climate governance and emissions reporting, New Zealand’s institutional investors are still missing in action when it comes to backing clean technologies and climate solutions, according to a new report.
Transpower on track to meet core emissions targets
1 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transpower’s total greenhouse gas footprint increased year-on-year due to higher emissions from its value chain, but the company says that making sure infrastructure is in place to enable the country's energy transition is the biggest contribution it can make to reducing emissions.
Mine will impact conservation values: Forest & Bird
1 Sep 2025
New Zealand’s largest environmental organisation says new mines shouldn’t be allowed on conservation land and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is urging caution, as OceanaGold's Waihi North mine advances through the controversial fast-track approvals process.
Residents call for huge solar farm consent to be notified
1 Sep 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | North Canterbury residents have called on their regional council to allow feedback on a proposed solar farm in their community.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | An independent thinktank, whose members include former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer and multiple academics, is warning that the government’s long-term resilience strategy ignores physical and energy realities and exposes Kiwi households and businesses to systemic failure.
Are New Zealanders anti-climate?
29 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A global study claims New Zealanders have relatively anti-climate attitudes due New Zealand's "stable" climate belief systems – but one expert argues Kiwis accept the reality of climate change.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
Proposal hikes Nelson landfill gate fees
29 Aug 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | The cost of recycling is driving up landfill dumping costs in Nelson where gate fees are proposed to be hiked by $45 per tonne.
Greenpeace to forge ahead with legal fight after Fonterra sale
28 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says its greenwashing lawsuit against Fonterra will continue, despite the dairy giant selling off its consumer brands.
New supercomputer 'critical' to tackling climate change impacts
28 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Earth Sciences New Zealand's new $35 million supercomputer will provide earlier and more frequent forecasts, as well as assess climate change impact to help understand New Zealand’s weather under long-term environmental shifts.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Profound shifts in our changing energy system – new data
27 Aug 2025
New Zealand’s energy system is undergoing a profound shift as falling gas production and a dry hydro year reshaped the electricity market in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Energy in New Zealand 2025.
Canterbury council's unique approach to rising sea level threat
27 Aug 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | A Canterbury council's bold plan to allow for the possible future relocation of Amberley Beach residents is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
NZ to host major conference on oceans and climate change
26 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is set to host the world’s premier gathering of marine climate change scientists next year.
Why climate strategy is now central to business success
26 Aug 2025
SPONSORED CONTENT: Ahead of next month’s Climate Change and Business Conference, New Zealand businesses are being urged to treat climate strategy not as a regulatory burden, but as a core driver of economic competitiveness.
Banking competition report steers clear of ‘woke’ farm lending
25 Aug 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | A report into banking competition has largely rejected arguments from some farming lobbyists that climate change considerations should play no part in bank lending decisions.
ETS a ‘broken paradigm’ undercutting biodiversity efforts
25 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Pure Advantage is calling on the government to reform the Emissions Trading Scheme, with a new policy briefing saying that New Zealand’s offset-heavy approach is a “broken paradigm” undermining biodiversity and shifting risk to communities.
Food waste plant proposed for Blenheim landfill
25 Aug 2025
By Kira Carrington, Local Democracy Reporter | Forget turning metal into gold, the Marlborough Research Centre thinks it can make millions turning the region’s food waste into fertiliser and animal feed.
Meridian Energy considers green bond offer
25 Aug 2025
Meridian Energy is considering making an offer of up to $250 million of 6.5 year unsecured, unsubordinated, fixed rate green bonds to institutional and New Zealand retail investors.
Coal mining company continuing with fast-track plans despite costly protest
22 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A marathon 23-day coal bucket occupation protesting Bathurst Resources' plan to mine the Denniston Plateau ended on Tuesday, when Climate Liberation Aotearoa activists Rachel Andrews and Tāmati Taptiklis climbed down from the 80-metre high Stockton mine ropeway and were taken into custody.
Media round-up
22 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The climate advice the government didn't want you to see; New Zealand's groundbreaking climate law has become ‘a shell’; and could the Electricity Authority be about to inadvertently increase power prices?
Strong NZ representation in upcoming global climate report
21 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Eighteen New Zealanders are among more than 600 experts appointed by the IPCC for its next painstaking scientific deep dive into the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks.
Dry winter pushed up Spark’s emissions
21 Aug 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Increased use of coal and natural gas to generate electricity in the last year caused a spike in scope 1 and 2 emissions reported by telecommunications operator Spark NZ.
'Not giving up' – Right to repair bill in doubt
21 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A bill that would make it easier for New Zealanders to access spare parts and the information to repair a product themselves while also cutting carbon emissions is looking unlikely to make it into law.
'Sam the Trap Man' on why he's running for council
21 Aug 2025
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | From the bush to Gisborne’s council chambers is what “Sam the Trap Man” hopes to achieve this October.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Cyclone Gabrielle’s intense rainfall made landslides inevitable
20 Aug 2025
Cyclone Gabrielle was one of the most extreme landslide-triggering events ever recorded globally.
Activists facing intimidation tactics at Bathurst mine
19 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Liberation Aotearoa activists suspended 80m high in a coal bucket at a the Stockton mine on the West Coast say coal mining company Bathurst Resources is using ‘hostile’ tactics to try and remove them.
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
Tue 21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says that recent moves to weaken methane targets and halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing show the Government has been captured by industry.
Electricity Authority proposes doubling solar export limits to 10 kW
Mon 20 Oct 2025
The Electricity Authority is proposing a default 10kW export limit for small-scale generation, saying new inverter standards and voltage settings allow homes and businesses to feed more power into local networks without compromising safety.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
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.
