New Zealand: All stories
Sustainable aviation fuel funding is govt “greenwash”: fuel expert
10 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | A former senior oil executive says that the government and Air New Zealand investing more than $2 million in research into sustainable aviation fuel is a blatant greenwashing tactic.
New Zealand signs trade agreement with EU with “ambitious” climate commitments
10 Jul 2023
New Zealand and the European Union signed a Free Trade Agreement last night that includes “ambitious” climate commitments, with sanctions if targets are not met.
Major energy policy papers delayed
10 Jul 2023
Clashes between different streams of advice and political imperatives have been blamed for the delay in the release of four important energy policy papers last week.
Govt launches consultation on biodiversity credits
7 Jul 2023
The government has launched consultation on a national biodiversity credit system, which it says could address “the gap” between exotic and native forests under the emissions trading scheme.
Best by the rest...
7 Jul 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Public investment to make NZ a ‘first mover’ in synthetic jet fuel; govt holds another meeting with He Waka Eke Noa and; how lowering the voting age might fix the climate crisis.
Foresters launch campaign to stop their carbon credits losing value
6 Jul 2023
The climate change minister says a new campaign entitled “Halt the NZU Grab” is spreading misleading information.
NZ has "unique opportunity" to decarbonise with rail
5 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | An international rail expert says New Zealand has a unique opportunity to become a frontrunner in transport decarbonisation with electric rail.
Parties disagree on RMA reform
5 Jul 2023
Political reactions to the resource management reform bills dispelled what little chance there was of a bipartisan way forward.
More than $200 billion of NZ housing at risk from floods
5 Jul 2023
More than 12% of the country’s national housing value - worth more than $200 billion - is in a flood hazard area.
Forestry investment at risk, along with climate targets
4 Jul 2023
By Liz Kivi | Foresters may lose their businesses if the carbon price stays low, with contractors already losing their jobs.
Govt funds research into microalgae as low carbon protein
4 Jul 2023
The government is funding research into native microalgae as a low-carbon protein, which it hopes could lead the way for an entirely new food industry at the same time as capturing carbon.
Govt moves to phase out coal boilers
3 Jul 2023
The government is following through on its promise to ban new coal boilers and to phase out existing ones by 2037.
Next stage of RMA reform met with virtual silence
3 Jul 2023
The release of the select committee report on the resource management reform bills last week was noticeable for the near silence that greeted it.
Should climate scientists fly?
3 Jul 2023
By Robert McLachlan | COMMENT: Have you ever thought a climate scientist hypocritical for flying to a climate change conference?
Food-waste rescue saves food and carbon emissions
30 Jun 2023
A Wellington food-waste service has served up 10 million meals worth of kai and saved the equivalent of 90 tonnes of carbon emissions since it opened in 2008.
Best by the rest...
30 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Kiwi investment in planet-damaging fossil fuels nearly doubles; exotic tree crops established for carbon credits 'morally corrupt'; and regional council needs hybrid utes to cut emissions.
NZU spot price drops further
29 Jun 2023
The price of NZUs on the secondary market is in freefall following the government’s consultation announcement on ETS settings and restrictions on permanent forestry.
Polluters aiming to meet ETS obligations at auction: report
29 Jun 2023
Nearly half the bidders in June’s declined carbon auction were polluters aiming to meet ETS obligations, and their bids would have been successful if the auction had cleared.
Emissions down 9% in Wellington region
28 Jun 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions in the Wellington region fell by 9% since 2019, according to a new report.
Petition to stop oil and gas exploration in Taranaki
28 Jun 2023
A petition to stop the government from handing out oil and gas permits for onshore drilling in Taranaki has reached nearly 3000 signatures in its first few weeks.
NZ’s geothermal wells offer a cheap way of storing carbon permanently – equivalent to taking 600,000 cars off the road
28 Jun 2023
By David Dempsey, Karan Titus, Rebecca Peer | We know putting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere is bad for the climate. But should we be reversing some of the damage by removing greenhouse gases that were emitted decades ago?
Marine heatwaves worsening: new research
27 Jun 2023
Researchers are calling for better monitoring of Aotearoa’s near-shore coastal ecosystems, with marine heatwaves growing more extreme, leading to more severe impacts.
Auckland Council digs into scope 3 emissions
27 Jun 2023
Auckland Council’s stormwater team is trialling an electric digger in its maintenance operations, which it says is a first in the southern hemisphere.
FMA releases draft guidance on climate-related reporting
26 Jun 2023
The Financial Markets Authority is consulting on draft guidance for climate-related reporting.
NZ failing international commitments to protect marine environment
26 Jun 2023
The Conservation Authority says there is “no hope” of New Zealand meeting its international commitments to protect the marine environment with the current tools available.
Forestry Institute's open letter warns NZ may fail to meet climate commitments
23 Jun 2023
The New Zealand Forestry Institute has penned an open letter to MPs and the media outlining “deep concerns” about the future of forests and forest investment, with climate commitments at stake.
Carbon credits: how do you know if you’re buying quality?
23 Jun 2023
By Ann Smith | COMMENT: It doesn’t matter whether carbon credits originate in New Zealand or from overseas, they can be credible or they can be questionable. So how do you tell the difference between high quality carbon credits and those of questionable origin?
Best by the rest...
23 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: major risks to NZ’s climate plan; experts argue that the ETS shouldn't be our only weapon against the climate crisis; and the Forever Project’s quarterly magazine looks at future farms.
Carbon price plummets: what does ETS review mean for future prices?
22 Jun 2023
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price on the secondary market has slumped to its lowest point since 2021 in the wake of the government’s ETS announcement, after rallying briefly following last week’s failed Emissions Trading Scheme auction.
Climate disaster payouts already top $1 billion for 2023
22 Jun 2023
Insurers have so far paid out $1.08 billion of an estimated $3.18 billion over 107,569 claims caused by the twin climate disasters of the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle.
First government passive house development to cut emissions by 35%
21 Jun 2023
A Kāinga Ora development in Auckland will cut operational carbon emissions by about 35% and reduce the heating bill to about $1 a day.
ETS forestry review critical to achieving emissions goals
20 Jun 2023
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: The government’s review of the Emissions Trading Scheme is critical and long overdue, with the potential to drive much deeper gross emission cuts and set up forestry as the long-term carbon sink New Zealand needs for net-negative emissions. But if done badly, the review risks trading off these separate but important goals and achieving neither.
ETS review options will take too long to implement: expert
20 Jun 2023
Proposed changes to the ETS will take too long to come into effect and do not go far enough to solve the core issues, according to an expert.
ETS review looks at reducing NZUs at auction
19 Jun 2023
The government has opened public consultation on the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme as well as consultation on redesigning its Permanent Forest Category.
NZ fails to sign up to energy efficiency goals
19 Jun 2023
New Zealand was not among the governments that signed up for higher energy efficiency goals at an International Energy Agency conference.
Lake Onslow pumped hydro could cut consumers' power bills: report from Environment Commissioner
16 Jun 2023
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is calling for a more “robust debate” on how we decarbonise New Zealand’s electricity system, which is set to cost the country billions.
Best by the rest...
16 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Antarctic tipping points: the irreversible changes to come if we fail to keep warming below 2℃, climate change minister says NZ must pick a team; and warming seas threaten Māori food sources.
Drastic emission reductions from coal, gas, and electricity
15 Jun 2023
Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation are at multi-decade lows, while emissions from oil, gas, and coal are all down from 2019 highs.
Govt invests millions in agriculture emissions research
15 Jun 2023
The Government is investing millions to support farmers to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, while striving to remain globally competitive.
New research looks at methane-munching microorganisms in forest soils
15 Jun 2023
Scientists are working on new research into how much methane is consumed by microorganisms in New Zealand’s planted forest soils - and what potential these soils have to counteract the country’s outsized agricultural emissions.
ETS auction fails to clear
14 Jun 2023
Today’s ETS auction has been declined because the clearing price did not meet the minimum price settings. As a result, there are no winning bids.
Award for carbon tracking software exporter
14 Jun 2023
Carbon tracking software company Cogo was awarded exporter of the year at the ExportNZ ASB Wellington Export Awards last week.
National vows to keep agricultural emissions out of the ETS, restrict forestry planting
13 Jun 2023
By Liz Kivi | The NZ Institute of Forestry says the National Party’s newly unveiled climate and agricultural policy will hinder the country’s climate goals.
Could a rail link help Queenstown decarbonise?
13 Jun 2023
By Paul Callister and Michael van Drogenbroek | Queenstown Airport has recently released its masterplan. While other sectors of the economy are facing up to the need to decarbonise, Aotearoa New Zealand airports, including Queenstown, are proposing another growth spurt.
Govt invests in biomass research and bioenergy plant for Tairāwhiti
12 Jun 2023
The government is investing in a bioenergy plant, as well as research into biomass and better forestry practices, with the aim of making the forestry industry more sustainable.
Fuel bills get differing responses
12 Jun 2023
Two fuels sector bills made progress in Parliament last week.
Blue carbon: could a solution to the climate challenge be buried in the depths of fiords?
12 Jun 2023
The Conversation - Cyclone Gabrielle has highlighted forestry slash as a problematic aspect of relying on plantation forests to draw down carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere.
Global energy crisis and the impact on NZ
9 Jun 2023
A worldwide study into the impacts of the global energy crisis says New Zealand can lead global energy transition – if barriers to renewables are unlocked.
Failure is not an auction
9 Jun 2023
By Nigel Brunel | COMMENT: All eyes will be on the second auction on Wednesday, 14th June, when almost nine million tonnes are up for grabs, including eight million NZUs in the Cost Containment Reserve (CCR). The CCR can only be triggered at $80.64 if all the auction volume is exhausted.
Best by the rest...
9 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Climate scientist James Renwick says, on a finite planet, never-ending growth of anything is unsustainable; National says He Waka Eke Noa is “dead”; and Taranaki council wants seabed mining banned.
Govt brushes off 'damning' assessment of stalled emissions reductions
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is downplaying the Climate Change Commission’s “damning” report on the country’s stalled emission reductions, while experts say policy changes since the Coalition Government came into power are squarely to blame.
Businesses told to plan ahead as energy risks mount
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Switching to electricity and improving energy efficiency are becoming increasingly attractive investments in the face of rising costs – and companies can no longer afford a "business as usual" attitude to energy, according to a new report.
Study outlines methane-cutting options for NZ livestock
Tue 21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Breeding, feed and forage strategies could play a key role in reducing methane emissions from New Zealand's grazing livestock, with researchers concluding that a combination of approaches will be needed to achieve meaningful cuts.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Weakening Clean Car Standard would hurt EV uptake, industry warns
7 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Electric vehicle advocates say weakening the Clean Car Standard would reduce access to new EV models, undermining New Zealand's place in global supply chains and slowing the country's transition to lower-emissions transport.
Seymour ‘imploring’ council to go easy on foresters is abuse of authority: EDS
7 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Environmental Defence Society says that Regulation Minister David Seymour’s attempt to influence Gisborne District Council to ‘go easy’ on forestry companies in enforcing environmental laws is a clear abuse of ministerial authority.
Business leaders say climate report ‘wake-up call’ for NZ
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | CEO-led organisations representing 42% of GDP are calling the Climate Change Commission’s latest report “a significant wake-up call for New Zealand.”
