New Zealand: All stories
Hawke's Bay to develop emissions reduction plan
5 Oct 2022
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has voted to develop the region’s first emissions reduction plan, aiming to reach net zero by 2050.
Climate crisis will impact lake water quality and colour
5 Oct 2022
Global heating could see Aotearoa New Zealand’s iconic lakes lose their blue hue, as well as reducing fish and water quality, according to new research.
The world should fast track green energy. But not because of climate change
5 Oct 2022
A rapid transition to green energy is likely to save the world trillions of dollars compared to sticking with the current fossil fuel-based energy system, according to a new analysis.
NZUs down more than 10% on last month’s record high
4 Oct 2022
The price of NZUs on the secondary market have fallen more than 10% since hitting a high of $87.30 on the CommTrade platform in the lead up to last month’s ETS auction.
NIWA predicts strengthening marine heatwave
4 Oct 2022
Climate change is continuing to influence Aotearoa New Zealand’s weather, with NIWA warning the coming marine heatwave could rival last year’s high temperatures, and the marine sector “should monitor the system closely”.
Insurance Council urges local governments to focus on climate resilience
3 Oct 2022
As Kiwis cast their votes in local elections, the Insurance Council is calling on incoming councils to invest in climate resilience.
Labour confirms opposition to mining ban bill
3 Oct 2022
Labour has confirmed its caucus has agreed that MPs will not support a member’s bill banning new mines on the conservation estate and new coal mining anywhere.
Scientists hopeful tiny ocean zooplankton will help tell if climate change targets are met
3 Oct 2022
Scientists have found some of the smallest animals in the ocean are having a big impact in the fight against climate change.
How do you decide which candidates are truly climate friendly?
30 Sep 2022
By Jeremy Rose | Last month, Dunedin mayoral candidate Pamela Taylor declared herself in favour of increasing carbon emissions on the grounds it would stimulate plant growth.
South Canterbury waste-to-energy plant applies for consent
30 Sep 2022
The company planning a controversial waste-to-energy plant near Waimate in South Canterbury has lodged its consent application with Environment Canterbury and Waimate District Council.
Best by the rest...
30 Sep 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: A former petrolhead in Dunedin is converting gas guzzling vehicles to electric; children in Vanuatu are taking to the streets to protest climate change; and Keith Woodford dives deep into the how voluntary schemes surrounding carbon sequestration are regulated in the ETS.
Bitcoin climate impact greater than gold mining, study shows
30 Sep 2022
Bitcoin is less “digital gold” and more “digital beef”, according to a study that suggests the cryptocurrency has a climate impact greater than that of gold mining and on the level of natural gas extraction or rearing cattle for meat.
More than 90% of economists in survey support carbon dividend
29 Sep 2022
More than 90% of economists who took part in a New Zealand Association of Economists survey support redistributing the proceeds from the Emission Trading Scheme auctions through a dividend to household rather than the current policy of using the money for targeted decarbonisation projects.
Fiji’s traditional houses more likely to withstand cyclones
29 Sep 2022
Traditional Fijian knowledge could be key to helping the islands adapt to extreme weather caused by climate change, as traditional dwellings are more likely to withstand tropical cyclones, according to Massey University research.
CTU proposes a Ministry of Green Works
28 Sep 2022
The Council of Combined Trade Unions is proposing a Ministry of Green Works to ensure a just transition to a zero carbon economy.
Christchurch residents want action on climate change
28 Sep 2022
Most Christchurch residents see climate change as a significant issue, according to a recent survey, and this is reflected in election promises as candidates vie for local government positions.
Termite invasion could eat into NZ economy and environment
28 Sep 2022
As the planet heats, termites could move further out of the tropics, decaying more wood and releasing more carbon dioxide like "tiny cows", according to a new study in the journal Science.
Scientists urge top publisher to withdraw faulty climate study
28 Sep 2022
A fundamentally flawed study claiming that scientific evidence of a climate crisis is lacking should be withdrawn from the peer-reviewed journal in which it was published, top climate scientists have told AFP.
First projects announced for $50 million fund to cut plastic waste
27 Sep 2022
Recycling old plumbing pipes to make new ones, and turning waste polystyrene into innovative building products, are among the first projects earmarked for the government’s $50 million Plastics Innovation Fund.
Onslow and the energy trilemma
27 Sep 2022
Mercury New Zealand chair Prue Flacks said she hopes the Government considers all parts of the energy trilemma when it comes to making decisions following the work of the NZ Battery project.
Southland iwi combatting climate crisis with native plants
23 Sep 2022
A Southland iwi-led environmental charity is gearing up to plant 300,000 natives on iconic Paharaaki/Coronet Peak in a bid to combat climate change.
NZ's first refrigerant gas destruction plant planned for Kawerau
23 Sep 2022
Aotearoa New Zealand’s first waste management facility to break down climate-damaging refrigerant gases could be operational as soon as 2024.
Best by the rest...
23 Sep 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: A biofuel mandate prompts economic and environmental criticism; new research in Australia reveals conservative voters care just as much about the environment as climate change activists; and slow lawmaking is making it difficult to act on environmental regulation in time.
How could positive 'tipping points' accelerate climate action?
23 Sep 2022
As catastrophic climate change tipping points loom, could positive shifts toward green action also be speeding up?
Christchurch City Council registers for ETS credits
22 Sep 2022
Christchurch City Council has made its first application for carbon credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme, voting last week to register about 300 hectares of regenerating native forest in Te Oka Reserve on Banks Peninsula.
Logistics company plans methanol-capable vessel
22 Sep 2022
Freight and logistics company MOVE is hoping to make its coastal operation greener with plans for a new methanol-capable vessel.
How colonialism spawned and continues to exacerbate the climate crisis
22 Sep 2022
We currently live in an epoch that geologists call the Holocene, which began soon after the last major ice age ended around 11,700 years ago. But for over two decades, some scientists have argued that the label is far too antiquated. In 2000, the term “Anthropocene” — ‘anthropo’ for human and ‘cene’ for new — gained prominence. It highlights how human activities dominate the Earth’s land, atmosphere, and oceans, significantly impacting its climate and natural ecosystems.
Price of NZUs at bottom end of what’s required to keep global warming below 2 degrees: World Bank
21 Sep 2022
NZUs are trading at the bottom end of what’s required by 2030 if the world is to keep global warming below 2 degrees, according to the World Bank’s State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2022 report.
Micromobility users want ICE vehicles phased out
21 Sep 2022
Nearly 90% of Kiwi micromobility users want petrol and diesel cars phased out, according to e-scooter and e-bike hire company Beam.
Zero Carbon Act might be tightened: Shaw
20 Sep 2022
Climate change minister James Shaw told a conference in Auckland, yesterday, that “based on recent court cases” the government might need to strengthen the Zero Carbon Act.
Forestry could crash the ETS
20 Sep 2022
Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says, if left alone, the planting of pine trees purely for carbon credits will prevent the ETS from playing the part it should in reducing carbon emissions.
Blackrock moves into NZ energy sector
20 Sep 2022
The acquisition of solarZero by BlackRock Real Assets opens up the possibility of considerable investment in distributed solar in New Zealand and also the potential to expand the company’s model overseas.
California's dairy farm methane capture scheme may have "unintended consequences"
20 Sep 2022
Scientists and environmentalists say more data is needed on ammonia emissions resulting from California's dairy farm methane capture scheme.
Air NZ’s sustainable fuel anything but: experts
19 Sep 2022
Climate change experts are questioning the sustainability of 1.2 million litres of biofuel Air New Zealand is importing this week.
Climate in your hands: Extinction Rebellion
19 Sep 2022
Attendees of the Climate Change and Business conference, which kicked off at the Aotea Centre in Auckland this morning, were welcomed with banners declaring “Climate is in your hands.”
Is government move to protect productive land too little, too late?
19 Sep 2022
The government has released a National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land, aiming to enhance protection for the country’s most productive land and provide security for domestic food supply and primary exports.
China lost its Yangtze River dolphin. Climate change is coming for other species next
19 Sep 2022
They called it the "Goddess of the Yangtze" -- a creature so rare that it was believed to bring fortune and protection to local fishermen and all those lucky enough to spot it.
NZ played no part in deep sea mining decision: MFAT
16 Sep 2022
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says New Zealand played no part in an International Seabed Authority (ISA) decision to grant a permit for deep sea mining near Kiribati.
Aotearoa's biggest EV expo set to electrify the garden city
16 Sep 2022
Christchurch residents will have new inspiration to ditch fossil fuels, with the country’s biggest public display of new battery electric vehicles set to hit the city this weekend.
Best by the rest...
16 Sep 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Keith Woodford investigates the carbon offset process in New Zealand; data shows that as petrol prices soared this year, sales dipped; and parent-organised 'bike chains' are helping Kiwi kids jump on their wheels to get to school.
Climate ‘points of no return’ may be much closer than we thought
16 Sep 2022
In climatology, a tipping point is defined as a rise in global temperature past which a localized climate system, or "tipping element" — such as the Amazonrainforest or the Greenland ice sheet — starts to irreversibly decline. Once a tipping point has been reached, that tipping element will experience runaway effects that essentially doom it forever, even if global temperatures retreat below the tipping point.
Eat more fish: when switching to seafood helps — and when it doesn’t
16 Sep 2022
Replacing meat with certain types of sustainably sourced seafood could help people to reduce their carbon footprints without compromising on nutrition, finds an analysis of dozens of marine species that are consumed worldwide.
Super Fund shifts $25 billion to low carbon indices
15 Sep 2022
The New Zealand Super Fund (NZSF) has shifted about 40% of its overall investment portfolio, worth about $25 billion, to market indices aligned with the Paris Agreement, the global treaty which aims to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Tropical wetlands emit more methane than previously thought
15 Sep 2022
Since 2007, the world's atmospheric methane concentration has risen at an accelerated rate, but scientists aren't exactly sure why.
Fonterra bill threat to climate change targets: Upton
14 Sep 2022
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, has written to the government warning an amendment to the Dairy Industry Act, currently before parliament, is likely to result in increased greenhouse gas emissions and more pressure on freshwater resources.
Low carbon homes could boost economy by $150 billion, slash emissions by 30 million tonnes
13 Sep 2022
Changes to the construction sector could give the economy a $150 billion boost, as well as slashing 30 million tonnes of CO2-e by 2050, a new study has found.
Consultation on proposals to update ETS unit settings
13 Sep 2022
The government is consulting on proposals to update the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) unit settings for the period 2023 to 2027.
Courier vans left idling cause up to 3.1 tonnes of CO2 emissions per van annually
12 Sep 2022
Unnecessary idling by courier vans is resulting in between 2.6 and 3.1 tonnes of emissions of CO2 per van, per year, a former sustainability adviser to the German government told the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council transport committee on Friday.
Government promises favourable consent regime for renewable energy
12 Sep 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | Energy minister Megan Woods says a new regulatory framework for the development of offshore wind should be in place by 2024 and a discussion document was being put together on strengthening national direction for renewable electricity generation and transmission.
Climate change projects prominent among scientific grants
9 Sep 2022
Projects dealing with climate change are prominent among the 71 grants, worth a total of $236 million, announced by the Endeavour Fund yesterday.
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.
