New Zealand: All stories
Study finds that media's climate crisis coverage sparks fear and favours avoidance
24 Apr 2023
A study has revealed that the media's coverage of climate research is, to a large extent, carried out in a way that doesn't provoke action.
Panamanian tribe to be relocated from coastal island due to climate change: "There's no other option"
24 Apr 2023
For hundreds of years, the ocean has protected the Guna Yala culture on Cardi Sugdub, or Crab Island, located off the coast of Panama.
Who's going to pay for the Government’s climate sweeteners now?
21 Apr 2023
The government has announced the latest round of its decarbonisation of industry fund, despite the very real possibility that the revenues from the Emissions Trading Scheme that pay for it could be non-existent this year.
Electrification on target for net zero carbon 2050 - Transpower
21 Apr 2023
Aotearoa is on track to meet its net zero emissions goal, with sufficient renewable energy supply and a shift to low carbon technologies, but peak demand is still a challenge, says Transpower.
Best by the rest...
21 Apr 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate reporting in local media: how the Environment Minister failed to stop a major polluter getting ahead of a climate law change; why the Climate Change Commission’s advice could increase costs for Kiwis; and crowdsourcing for Papatūānuku - Te Tairāwhiti style.
California researchers attempt ocean climate solution
21 Apr 2023
Atop a 100-foot barge tied up at the Port of Los Angeles, engineers have built a kind of floating laboratory to answer a simple question: Is there a way to cleanse seawater of carbon dioxide and then return it to the ocean so it can suck more of the greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere to slow global warming?
World's climate plans make for a worrying read
21 Apr 2023
According to the climate plans submitted to the UN by 50 countries, 12 gigatons of CO2 per year will continue to be emitted by 2050 -- and need to be removed from the atmosphere.
Govt plans to speed up consenting of renewable energy projects
20 Apr 2023
UPDATED: The government is proposing changes to the RMA to fast-track renewable electricity projects.
NZ Post electric truck trial slashes emissions
20 Apr 2023
NZ Post says its six-month trial of a light electric truck cut carbon emissions significantly, as well as saving fuel costs.
National to ban overseas investment to convert farms into carbon forestry
19 Apr 2023
The National Party will ban foreign investment in farms to convert them to forestry for carbon farming.
Today is Aotearoa’s overshoot day
19 Apr 2023
If the whole world’s population consumed resources at the rate of New Zealanders, today marks the day we would overshoot the planet’s yearly bio-capacity.
Solar energy projects to get fast-track consenting
18 Apr 2023
Two solar farms with the potential to cut over 200 million kilograms of carbon pollution a year are having their consenting processes fast tracked.
New renewable generation policy close
18 Apr 2023
Energy minister Megan Woods says the national policy statement intended to make resource consenting for renewable electricity generation projects easier is near completion.
NZ gives $15 million to Solomon Islands climate fund
18 Apr 2023
The government has committed $15 million dollars to a Solomon Island climate adaptation fund.
Restaurant menu labels could help fight climate change: new research
18 Apr 2023
If people had more information about the carbon footprint generated by the food they eat, would they make different decisions when ordering in restaurants?
Haiku writing IPCC author strikes again
17 Apr 2023
IPCC author and New Zealand Climate Change Commissioner, Andy Reisinger, has once again put pen to paper and condensed the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s synthesis report into 35 haiku.
At long last, CO2 turns the corner
17 Apr 2023
By Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | Two years ago I wrote a post called “Why did New Zealand’s CO2 emissions blow out so spectacularly in 2019?” I ran the numbers and found that fossil CO2 emissions had risen 10% in just three years, to reach a record high.
Drastic cut in climate pollution is best path to economic growth: study
17 Apr 2023
Early and stringent action to rapidly and dramatically cut climate pollution is the best path for the global economy, according to a new working paper by American scientists.
Tiny decrease in gross emissions, net emissions up slightly
14 Apr 2023
New Zealand’s net emissions increased slightly in 2021 - by 3% - while gross emissions were down a tiny 0.7% on the previous year, a slight reduction in gross emissions for the second consecutive year.
Uber to give customers option of electric ride
14 Apr 2023
Uber has become the latest ride-share company to entice New Zealand customers with the promise of an environmentally friendly ride.
Best by the rest...
14 Apr 2023
In our weekly round up of the best climate coverage in local media: how a carbon dividend could help make the Emissions Trading Scheme bulletproof; why government decisions on the carbon price cost taxpayers half a billion dollars; and analysis of the Climate Change Commission’s latest advice.
Climate change causes strong declines in ecosystem services provided by tropical forests: study
14 Apr 2023
Tropical forests provide a variety of ecosystem services that are also of great global relevance, such as climate regulation and the provision of habitat for animals and plants.
Climate Change Commission doubles-down on ETS advice
13 Apr 2023
The Climate Change Commission has doubled-down in its latest advice to government on the need to increase the trigger price for the emission trading scheme’s cost containment reserve.
NZ farmers would benefit from playing long game
13 Apr 2023
The Conversation - Anita Wreford, John Tobias Saunder, Meike Guenther | The recent report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the urgency of emissions reductions.
Agribusiness and govt investment fund gives $1.8m to methane inhibiting start-up
12 Apr 2023
The Centre for Climate Action, the new agribusiness and government joint venture, has made its first investment of almost $1.8 million in a start-up aiming to reduce methane emissions from dairy and beef cattle.
NZ might face $24 billion pricetag for offshore carbon credits to 2030: Treasury
11 Apr 2023
New Zealand might be facing a $24 billion bill to meet its international obligations for carbon emission reductions to 2030, according to a new report.
Toitū removes offset options from online calculators
11 Apr 2023
Toitū Envirocare - the government-owned carbon zero certification company - has removed the option to offset emissions from its online calculator.
Big returns on retrofitting houses - but not necessarily in terms of reduced CO2 emissions
6 Apr 2023
A study by BERL economic consultants has found that investing between $26 and $58 billion in retrofitting the country’s poor quality housing stock would have benefits upwards of $116 billion.
Solving electricity’s dry year problem will cost $13 - $16 billion: Woods
6 Apr 2023
Energy and Resources minister Megan Woods says solving New Zealand’s dry year problem will cost between $13 to $16 billion.
Best by the rest...
6 Apr 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: The finance minister seeks advice on the ETS as carbon prices plummet; National’s climate policy is under scrutiny; and kaitiakitanga as climate action.
Growing rice and raising animals together creates a synergistic ecosystem
6 Apr 2023
A traditional Southeast Asian rice farming technique of raising fish and other aquatic livestock in paddies has potential to meet global food demands, improve the health of both people and the environment and earn producers an additional $150 billion a year worldwide, a new study finds.
Govt's proposed changes will dish out millions more free carbon credits
5 Apr 2023
By Liz Kivi | Proposed changes to the Climate Change Response Act would give millions more free carbon credits to big polluters and contradict Aotearoa’s emissions reduction goals, according to an expert.
Emissions down 3.5% in September
5 Apr 2023
Total greenhouse gas emission fell by 3.5% in the September quarter following increases in the previous three quarters.
Political leadership needed to halt extinctions: Forest & Bird
4 Apr 2023
Forest & Bird says a whole-of-government approach is needed to reverse New Zealand’s status as the extinction capital of the world, after Stats NZ released new data showing more than 75% of indigenous reptiles, birds, bats, and freshwater fish are under threat.
Parker says RMA reforms will proceed
4 Apr 2023
Environment Minister David Parker appears confident he can get through resource management reform ahead of the election.
AI can spread climate misinformation ‘much cheaper and faster,’ study warns
4 Apr 2023
A team of researchers is ringing new alarm bells over the potential dangers artificial intelligence poses to the already fraught landscape of online misinformation, including when it comes to spreading conspiracy theories and misleading claims about climate change.
CFCs are back on the rise following an international ban: study
4 Apr 2023
Emissions of a small group of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), man-made chemicals that destroy Earth’s protective ozone layer and fuel global warming, are back on the rise after their production was all but banned more than a decade ago, a new study concludes.
Geoengineering is not a quick fix for the climate crisis, new analysis shows
4 Apr 2023
A controversial idea for cooling the earth’s climate through artificial means would likely require a much longer global commitment than policymakers and the public understand, according to a recent study that raises new questions about the potential for using solar geoengineering.
Commission consults on reduction targets, budgets, and international transport emissions
3 Apr 2023
The Climate Change Commission is calling for evidence to support its work on Aotearoa New Zealand’s emissions reduction targets and emissions budgets.
Build Aotearoa’s circular marine bioeconomy for sustainable growth: expert
3 Apr 2023
New Zealand should be building a circular marine bioeconomy to leverage the country's abundant marine resources for sustainable economic growth, according to the project lead for the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge.
The oceans just reached their hottest temperature on record
3 Apr 2023
Scientists have watched in astonishment as ocean temperatures have steadily risen over the past several years – even as the cooling La Niña phenomenon had a firm grip on the Pacific.
National Party promises to double renewables
31 Mar 2023
The National Party today announced a new energy policy that it says will double renewable energy growth.
British author and climate activist accuses Silver Fern Farms of greenwashing
31 Mar 2023
British author and climate activist George Monbiot has hit out at what he calls “meatwashing” by New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms.
Best by the rest...
31 Mar 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Stuff’s Forever Project magazine looks at climate progress from some of our biggest emitters; the government’s approval of new oil and gas exploration conflicts with goals to limit warming; and Auckland harbour crossing options explained.
Govt announces new waste strategy will cut emissions
30 Mar 2023
The government announced a new waste strategy yesterday that it says will cut tens of thousands of CO2-equivalent emissions with kerbside food scrap collection.
Reserve Bank seeks feedback on managing climate-related risks
30 Mar 2023
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is seeking feedback on proposed new guidance for the financial sector on managing climate-related risks.
Price of NZUs at 18-month low
29 Mar 2023
The price of NZUs has dropped to an 18-month low after a short-lived jump following the failed carbon auction on March 15.
Methane cools even as it heats
29 Mar 2023
Most climate models do not yet account for a new UC Riverside discovery: methane traps a great deal of heat in Earth's atmosphere, but also creates cooling clouds that offset 30% of the heat.
Trees grow for extra month as planet warms: study
29 Mar 2023
Researchers studying hardwoods in northwest Ohio say a century of warming has extended their annual growing season by a month on average.
Nearly a quarter of Auckland’s mortgaged homes at risk from 1-in-100 year floods
28 Mar 2023
Nearly a quarter of New Zealand banks’ residential mortgage exposures in Auckland are ‘at-risk’ to a 1-in-100 year rainfall flood event, according to new data from the Reserve Bank.
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.
