New Zealand: All stories
Opposition parties welcome on-farm sequestration policy
2 Dec 2022
Opposition parties have welcomed the government’s plan to credit all on-farm carbon sequestration, rather than only riparian planting.
MFAT building “digital-diplomacy suite” to cut air travel
2 Dec 2022
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has cut its air travel by more than half since 2018-19 and is launching a “custom-built digital-diplomacy suite” with high quality video conference facilities to lock in air travel emissions reductions.
Best by the rest...
2 Dec 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Hapū and Greenpeace head back to court for stricter hydrogen rules; the moral problem with turning passenger rail into an exclusive luxury; and is cutting transport emissions by 64% still a priority for Auckland under the new mayor?
Climate change amplifies risk of ‘insect apocalypse’
2 Dec 2022
For most of us, the world’s insects are doubly vital to our well-being, a growing body of research is finding. But warnings by scientists of a probable insect apocalypse are steadily growing more frequent and urgent.
Satellites detect no real climate benefit from 10 years of forest carbon offsets in California
2 Dec 2022
Many of the companies promising “net-zero” emissions to protect the climate are relying on vast swaths of forests and what are known as carbon offsets to meet that goal.
Govt announces changes to on-farm sequestration strategy
1 Dec 2022
The government has announced it will work with the primary sector to develop an on-farm carbon sequestration strategy.
PMs confirm commitment to 1.5 degrees
1 Dec 2022
Prime ministers Sanna Marin, of Finland, and Aotearoa’s Jacinda Ardern yesterday issued a joint statement stressing the need for “rapid, deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions” and the importance of pursuing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Local government must now consider Emissions Reduction Plan when making decisions
1 Dec 2022
Local bodies are now required by law to consider the National Adaptation Plan and Emissions Reduction Plan when preparing or changing regional policy statements, regional plans, and district plans under the Resource Management Act.
Earth Is “unequivocally” in midst of climate emergency: scientists
1 Dec 2022
The Earth’s vital signs have deteriorated to the point that “humanity is unequivocally facing a climate emergency,” according to a study recently released by a worldwide coalition of scientists.
Research into low-carbon, earthquake-safe homes
30 Nov 2022
New research is looking at how to reduce the hefty embodied carbon of new housing, while still ensuring it stands up to earthquake shocks in our shaky isles.
Zespri releases climate change adaptation plan
30 Nov 2022
Kiwifruit growers’ association Zespri released its first ever climate change adaptation plan today, entitled Adapting to Thrive in a Changing Climate.
An ecological rule breaker shows the effects of climate change on body size
30 Nov 2022
The Northern Treeshrew, a small, bushy-tailed mammal native to South and Southeast Asia, defies two of the most widely tested ecological “rules” of body size variation within species, according to a new study coauthored by Yale anthropologist Eric J. Sargis.
Land use change could improve climate, health, and food insecurity: research
29 Nov 2022
Growing more grains and vegetables could decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase water quality, and solve looming food insecurity and health problems for millions of New Zealanders, according to new research from two National Science Challenges.
More flash floods set to hit Greater Wellington due to climate change
29 Nov 2022
A new report paints an alarming picture of climate impacts for Greater Wellington, with damaging downpours and potential floods becoming increasingly frequent, and seasonal rainfall likely to increase by up to 16% in some areas.
Water as part of the climate solution
29 Nov 2022
The intersection of freshwater and climate is a frequently ignored but critical element of the climate problem, according to a new study from Sweden that explores the link and offers solutions that will help lower emissions.
Climate change significant threat to our wellbeing: Treasury
28 Nov 2022
Treasury has identified climate change as “perhaps the most significant threat to the sustainability of our wellbeing,” in the first of its four-yearly wellbeing reports.
Parker stands up for Onslow
28 Nov 2022
There are few public defenders of the Government’s consideration of the Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme, but minister David Parker remains a strong advocate.
Cannabis plants could help in the fight against climate change
28 Nov 2022
A team of scientists from Hudson Carbon – a research center based in New York which studies carbon storage – cannabis plants could be the missing player in humanity’s fight against climate change, as hemp can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more than twice as effectively as trees.
New Zealand’s climate goals “highly insufficient”
25 Nov 2022
New Zealand’s climate goals have rated poorly again in comparison with other G20 countries, with international organisation Climate Action Tracker rating the country’s emissions reduction efforts "highly insufficient".
1.5 degrees not just aspirational: Shaw
25 Nov 2022
Climate change minister James Shaw says New Zealand’s commitment to 1.5 degrees is “absolutely essential.”
Best by the rest...
25 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Why NZ can't lecture other countries on being "climate smart"; going fully electric for your car and appliances will be the cheapest option in four years; and concerns around the environmental impact of The Rings of Power.
Changes to Crown Minerals Act welcomed by environmentalists; slammed by industry
24 Nov 2022
Environmental groups have welcomed changes the government is proposing to the Crown Minerals Act “to support more environmentally conscious management of resources.”
Lawyers call on government to amend law to commit it to 1.5 degrees pathway
24 Nov 2022
Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand say that if the government is serious about its commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees it has no choice but to amend the Climate Change Response Act.
Kāpiti residents campaign to restore peat wetlands
24 Nov 2022
Kāpiti residents are campaigning to restore a 28 hectare site to wetlands, saying it has the potential to prevent tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere.
What “longtermism” gets wrong about climate change
24 Nov 2022
In his new book What We Owe the Future, William MacAskill outlines the case for what he calls “longtermism.” That’s not just another word for long-term thinking. It’s an ideology and movement founded on some highly controversial ideas in ethics.
Court finds Climate Change Commission was correct in its NDC calculations
23 Nov 2022
In a long-awaited decision, the High Court has ruled against a claim by Lawyers for Climate Action NZ (LCANZ) that the Climate Change Commission made a mathematical error leading it to over-estimate the amount of C02 New Zealand could emit in its Nationally Determined Contribution.
Clean car standards phased in from next week
23 Nov 2022
The government is bringing in new regulations around vehicle imports from next week, which are intended to significantly reduce New Zealand’s light vehicles’ CO2 emissions.
Take climate-changing aerosols seriously, scientists say
23 Nov 2022
The dangerous impacts of aerosol changes on vulnerable regions should have been a priority at COP27 after climate policymakers agreed a breakthrough deal to support these parts of the world, scientists have claimed.
Govt calls for submissions on Sustainable Biofuel Obligation Bill
22 Nov 2022
The government is calling for submissions on the Sustainable Biofuel Obligation Bill, which is intended to simplify the transition from liquid fossil fuels to low-emissions fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
Regenerative growing workshops launch next month
22 Nov 2022
A series of regenerative growing workshops starts next month, aiming to help Kiwis make positive changes to their land and gardens.
What climate change is already doing to children's brains
22 Nov 2022
It’s true: the data on the spiraling planetary crisis, the cascading health effects, and widening inequality due to climate change are extremely daunting. In fact, they can cause us to look away, paralyzed by the enormity of the problem. But what if our refusal to change our ways has ripple effects to future generations? Will we pay attention, then?
A climate scientist’s personal reckoning
22 Nov 2022
By Adam Sobel - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists | A decade ago, Hurricane Sandy changed New York City, forever. New Yorkers now viscerally understand our vulnerability in a way we didn’t before, and the barriers being built to protect us from future storms and sea level rise will reshape the city’s topography. But for me—a scientist who studies hurricanes and climate change, a New Yorker, and a human being—Sandy was a different kind of watershed moment.
National tells biofuels sector—invest at your own risk
21 Nov 2022
The Sustainable Biofuel Obligation Bill completed its first reading in Parliament with National making clear that any investors looking to build up a biofuels industry on the back of a mandate would be putting their money at risk.
Edendale Primary first to go solarZero
21 Nov 2022
Auckland’s Edendale Primary School is the first to tap into solarZero’s energy service, with funding from New Zealand Green Investment Finance.
NZ’s international offsets likely to come from “bespoke” Asia Pacific deals: Shaw
18 Nov 2022
The approximately 100 million offshore carbon credit offsets required to meet New Zealand’s Nationally Determined Contribution are likely to come from “bespoke” bilateral arrangements with countries in the Asia Pacific, climate change minister James Shaw has told an international climate change publication.
Ngāti Whātua to pilot carshare scheme
18 Nov 2022
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei plans to pilot a carshare service with three EV cars and an EV van in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Best by the rest...
18 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Dairy land is being converted to other uses at a rate of 1% a year; more of our last remaining wetlands are at risk of wildfire due to climate change; and forestry is once again at the heart of discussions surrounding New Zealand's future.
Government consultation on low emissions future
17 Nov 2022
The government is asking for public input to inform a “fair and inclusive” transition to a low emissions New Zealand.
Hamilton harnesses worm power to divert landfill waste
16 Nov 2022
Hamilton’s Waste Management has launched a pilot project using worm farms to reduce its landfill waste.
Carbon price hits all time high
15 Nov 2022
The price of carbon has hit new heights on the secondary market this week.
Environmental groups call to scrap biofuels obligation
15 Nov 2022
Environmental groups are calling on the government to scrap its proposed biofuels mandate, saying it will damage the environment and displace indigenous people and animals, as well as increasing carbon emissions and the cost of fuel and food.
Consultation on reducing the environmental impact of fluorinated gases
15 Nov 2022
The Ministry for the Environment is consulting on steps to reduce emissions caused by potent greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products.
Electricity system delivers unsustainable returns, low investment in renewables: unions
14 Nov 2022
The current electricity system disincentivises investment in renewables while delivering unsustainable dividends to shareholders in the four big electricity companies, a new report claims.
Govt considering setting up its own secondary carbon market
14 Nov 2022
By Ian Llewellyn - Energy & Environment | The government has asked for thoughts on it running a centrally-cleared secondary carbon market as another option to existing markets.
Global carbon emissions at record levels with no signs of shrinking, new data shows
14 Nov 2022
Global carbon dioxide emissions from all human activities remain at record highs in 2022, and fossil fuel emissions have risen above pre-pandemic levels, according to a new analysis by an international body of scientists.
Belching lakes, mystery craters, ‘zombie fires’: How the climate crisis is transforming the Arctic permafrost
14 Nov 2022
Four years ago, Morris J. Alexie had to move out of the house his father built in Alaska in 1969 because it was sinking into the ground and water was beginning to seep into his home.
Co-chair of new Māori ministerial committee compares climate change battle to fight against fascism
11 Nov 2022
Iwi leader and environmentalist Mike Smith – who has said climate change demands sacrifices like those made to defeat fascism – has been appointed a co-chair on a new Interim Māori ministerial advisory committee on climate change
Climate change front and centre in government tourism innovation fund
11 Nov 2022
Cutting carbon emissions, improving sustainability, and climate change mitigation and adaptation are all in the mix in a $54 million dollar tourism innovation fund, announced by the government yesterday.
Best by the rest...
11 Nov 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: The National Party say they will repeal the offshore oil and gas exploration ban if elected next year; concerns raised on environmental impacts of international productions filmed in New Zealand; and should Australia be hosting UN climate talks with Pacific Nations in 2026?
Campaigners launch petition for half-price public transport
10 Nov 2022
Public transport campaigners have launched a petition calling on the government to permanently halve public transport prices.
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.
