New Zealand: All stories
Government incentives for green bonds may be necessary: Reserve Bank
3 Dec 2021
The Reserve Bank has suggested incentives such as tax breaks may be necessary to grow New Zealand’s green bond market at the pace required to combat climate change.
NZ ETS Look-Up tables should be altered to include planted native forests: Pure Advantage
3 Dec 2021
New research by environmental group Pure Advantage shows that the difference in carbon sequestration rates of pine and planted native forests is much less than previously thought.
Auckland leading the charge for city carbon taxes
2 Dec 2021
If Auckland Council adopts a proposal by mayor Phil Goff for a "Climate Action Targeted Rate" it will become one of the first cities in the world with a carbon tax.
ETS auction clears at $68
1 Dec 2021
THE final NZ ETS auction of the year cleared at a price of $68 today.
Luxon's climate change credentials
1 Dec 2021
The new leader of the National Party, Christopher Luxon, touted his climate change credentials in his maiden speech.
New book tells 1,001 firsthand stories of climate change from around the world
1 Dec 2021
‘1,001 Voices on Climate Change’ aims to humanize the issue and inspire action
Where to now for the price of carbon?
30 Nov 2021
In contrast to some offshore markets where carbon prices have surged to all time highs following COP26, in New Zealand they’ve plateaued at around $65.
James Shaw's response to Newsweek article
30 Nov 2021
Climate change minister James Shaw has responded to a Newsweek ranking that placed New Zealand 16th on a list of the 20 least ambitious countries in tackling the climate crises.
Experts, activists say health equity needs more emphasis in fight against climate change
30 Nov 2021
Nearly three decades after the world first came together to address climate change, its impact on human health was a focus of talks this month in Glasgow, Scotland.
Tightening NZU supply one of the strongest options for cutting emissions: Cabinet paper
29 Nov 2021
“A clearly-signalled and well-paced tightening” of the supply of NZUs is one of the strongest options available for cutting New Zealand’s emissions, according to a recently released Cabinet paper.
Newsweek ranks New Zealand among the 20 least ambitious countries on climate
29 Nov 2021
New Zealand has been ranked 16th worst – one place above Saudi Arabia – in a list of the 20 least ambitious countries on climate published by Newsweek yesterday.
Offsetting agricultural emissions through reforestation would cost Australian farmers 15% of farm profit
29 Nov 2021
Offsetting agricultural emissions through reforestation would cost 15% of farm profits, new research suggests.
The clean energy transitions enters hyperdrive
29 Nov 2021
After decades in which governments and industry groups have often assumed that the shift to renewable energy will be a financial burden, economists and analysts are increasingly making a case that the opposite is true: The transition will lead to cost-savings on a massive scale that will add to its momentum.
To win the new climate war, we need a new strategy: book review
29 Nov 2021
The well-known US climatologist Michael E. Mann is no pussyfooter. He likes to provoke, which makes his new book downright entertaining.
MBIE seeks feedback on making the display of clean vehicle information compulsory
26 Nov 2021
A consultation document outlining four options for how Clean Vehicle information should be displayed to consumers was released by The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) yesterday.
Housing group takes out top prize at Sustainable Business Awards
26 Nov 2021
Community Finance – a collaboration between philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, community housing provides and the Ministry for Housing – received the supreme award at the Sustainable Business Awards last night.
More ambition needed: green business leaders
25 Nov 2021
The Sustainable Business Council and Climate Leaders Coalition say urgent action is required to convert the country’s climate ambition to concrete action.
He Waka Eke Noa proposals will cut emissions by just 1%
24 Nov 2021
He Waka Eke Noa - a group of agriculture sector groups tasked with coming up with a plan to cut emissions – has released a draft discussion document that floats two possible pricing mechanisms that it admits would cut emissions by just 1%.
Government told to reform ETS to incentivise natives over pines
24 Nov 2021
A coalition of environmental groups and high-profile environmentalists is calling on the government to reform the Emissions Trading Scheme to prioritise the planting of native forests.
New Zealand’s climate change regulation is messy and complex – here’s how to improve it
24 Nov 2021
Waikato University associate professor of law Nathan Cooper says the Emissions Reduction Plan provides the perfect opportunity to align New Zealand's national and international climate targets.
Corporate net zero targets: Greenwashing or genuine climate action?
24 Nov 2021
From Big Oil to Big Tech, major companies are promising to go net zero and wash away their carbon sins. But critics say the corporate climate pledges are a smokescreen.
Closure of Marsden Point a disaster on every level: Social Credit
23 Nov 2021
The closure of the Marsden Point oil refinery is a disaster on every level and a missed opportunity to create a green energy hub, according to Social Credit leader Chris Leitch.
Forest & Bird takes aim at government’s climate policies
22 Nov 2021
Forest & Bird has launched a billboard campaign taking aim at the government’s track record on climate change and the environment.
Every battery is a treasure box
22 Nov 2021
Each wooden box is as big as a grand piano. Employees in gray T-shirts open the strong hinges, remove safety foils and loosen the fixings. Now they can lift the heavy battery system out with a crane and carefully maneuver it onto the forklift.
FMA sets a high bar for initial enforcement of climate related disclosures
19 Nov 2021
The Financial Market Authority says only acts of serious misconduct by climate reporting entities (CREs) are likely to result in enforcement in the initial stages of implementing the Climate Related Disclosures Bill.
Tipping point for Antarctic ice sheet may have been reached
19 Nov 2021
A new study published in Nature Communications adds to the growing body of evidence that recent ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet may signal the beginning of a prolonged period of ice sheet retreat and substantial global sea level rise.
Aussie biodiversity market a step closer
19 Nov 2021
Plans to pay farmers for the biodiversity benefits they deliver have progressed today with the Australian Government kicking off the legislation process.
Growing calls for fully subsidised public transport
18 Nov 2021
The Helen Clark Foundation has thrown its weight behind calls to make public transport free to young people and Community Service Card holders, in a discussion document released today.
$1 million in innovation funding up for grabs
17 Nov 2021
The Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund has announced a $1 million funding pool to drive innovation around financing and incentivising the decarbonisation of Aotearoa.
NZGIF pumps $40 million into solar
16 Nov 2021
The government-owned New Zealand Green Investment Finance bank is investing up to $40 million in commercial-scale solar installations.
Wellington makes list of top 7 most climate resilient cities
16 Nov 2021
Wellington has been ranked among the top seven cities in the world for climate resilience by Fodor's Travel.
Timber and pozzolans could slash construction emissions
12 Nov 2021
THE New Zealand Infrastructure Commission says the government should consider incentives to encourage the use of pozzolans – which include pumice – in concrete in its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Emissions up by 4.8% in June quarter
11 Nov 2021
An increase in the use of coal fired electricity is largely responsible for emissions in the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industry hitting an all time high in the June quarter.
NZ drops below China on Climate Change Performance Index
10 Nov 2021
New Zealand has dropped seven places – and is now ranked below the world’s biggest polluter, China – on the Climate Change Performance Index.
NZ’s biggest GHG emitters ranked
10 Nov 2021
For the first time the Environmental Protection Authority has published a list of the country’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters
Climate is the ‘biggest single opportunity’ the insurance industry has ever seen: Lloyd's
10 Nov 2021
CLIMATE is the “ultimate systemic risk” and represents “the biggest single opportunity the insurance industry has ever seen,” according to the CEO of the centuries-old insurance market Lloyd’s.
ClimCom looking into potential farm subsidies
9 Nov 2021
The Climate Change Commission is looking into what, if any, assistance should be provided to farmers to meet the costs of an agriculture pricing scheme.
Cabinet watered-down James Shaw’s proposal for revised NDC
8 Nov 2021
A leaked Cabinet paper has revealed climate change minister James Shaw failed to convince Cabinet to include agriculture in New Zealand’s net zero commitments, and that Treasury and MBIE both opposed more ambitious climate targets.
Government’s NDC to be challenged in court
5 Nov 2021
The legality of New Zealand’s recently announced nationally determined contribution will be tested in court next February.
Yet another consultation: tyres and batteries
5 Nov 2021
Critics of the government’s climate change policies tend to focus on the lack of results when it comes to emission reductions. But if success was measured in consultation documents the government would be doing somewhat better.
NZ cheers on methane reduction pledge from the sidelines
4 Nov 2021
The government has joined more than 100 countries in endorsing the Global Methane Pledge – with its commitment to a global reduction in methane emissions of at least 30% by 2030 - but isn’t budging on its own target of just 10%.
New Zealand’s new climate pledge is a step up, but not a ‘fair share’
2 Nov 2021
MASSEY UNIVERSITY professor in applied mathematics Robert McLachlan crunches the numbers behind New Zealand's new Nationally Determined Contribution and finds they fall short of what's required in terms of climate justice and the climate.
Government commits to halving NZ emissions with billions of dollars of offshore offsets
1 Nov 2021
The government yesterday announced a more ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution that will see the “the amount of pollution NZ is responsible for” halved by 2030.
More than $100bn in public investments to be climate friendly
29 Oct 2021
The government has announced a new “responsible investment framework” that will see the more than $100bn managed by Crown Financial Institutions required to be aligned with the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
First priority of COP26 ending exponential economic growth: Wise Response
29 Oct 2021
The Wise Response Society, a group of eminent New Zealanders that includes scientists, engineers, lawyers (former PM Sir Geoffrey Palmer among them), artists and sports people is calling on the government to promote the end of exponential economic growth at COP26.
Climate change most significant risk ever faced by financial system: Adrian Orr
27 Oct 2021
CLIMATE CHANGE poses the most significant risk ever confronted by the financial system - both locally and internationally, Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr told a media briefing yesterday.
Forests under attack from feral animals: Forest & Bird
27 Oct 2021
An out-of-control invasion of wild deer, pigs, and goats is destroying New Zealand’s future forests and carbon sinks, says Forest & Bird.
This concrete can eat carbon emissions
27 Oct 2021
Concrete is responsible for more than four percent of all global CO2 emissions. In the race to find alternatives, some companies are using it to sequester CO2 instead.
Aotearoa first country to pass climate reporting law
22 Oct 2021
AOTEAROA has become the first country in the world to pass a law requiring companies to disclose climate-related risks and opportunities.
NZ study finds airborne microplastics directly impact climate change
22 Oct 2021
New Zealand scientists recently found that microplastics – which are in our rivers, oceans, and land – are also in the air we breathe. Now local scientists have discovered airborne microplastic pollution is likely to directly affect climate change.
ETS a ‘broken paradigm’ undercutting biodiversity efforts
Mon 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.
Govt resilience plan 'dangerous fantasy' - thinktank
Fri 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.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
Wed 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
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
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.
Why climate strategy is now central to business success
Tue 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.
