New Zealand: All stories
Vegan marketing expert shocked at NZ's campaign against "plant-based" diet
11 Apr 2022
By Liz Kivi | The creator of a vegan online guide is disappointed that New Zealand was instrumental in removing a call for “plant-based” diets from the summary of the latest IPCC report.
New directory to help businesses slash carbon
11 Apr 2022
A business directory launching tomorrow aims to reduce carbon emissions and waste by helping businesses transition to a circular economy.
World is at one minute to midnight on the climate clock
8 Apr 2022
When it comes to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees the clock is at one minute to midnight, a Dutch expert told a Primary Production select committee briefing on biogenic methane yesterday.
Best by the rest…
8 Apr 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media, the Supreme Court agrees to hear a landmark climate case, and the Climate Commissioner says Aotearoa must take urgent action to lower emissions.
$1.5 billion urgently needed for flood protection: local government group
7 Apr 2022
Te Uru Kahika - Regional and Unitary Councils Aotearoa’s Chief Executive Officers Group is calling on the government to commit $1.5 billion over the next decade for flood protection.
Home-grown almonds promise to lower nuts' carbon footprint
7 Apr 2022
Promoters of a local almond industry claim it will produce nuts with a lower carbon footprint than the imported competition.
New Zealand’s 150 million tonne carbon headache
6 Apr 2022
How to best reduce New Zealand’s stockpile of more than 150 million carbon credits is one of the conundrums being worked through by the Climate Change Commission as it prepares its recommendations to government on future unit limits and price controls.
New Zealand shouldn't rule out nuclear power: IPCC review editor
5 Apr 2022
By Liz Kivi | Massey University Emeritus Professor Ralph Sims says New Zealand shouldn’t rule out nuclear power as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Kiwi climate expert says civil disobedience not enough
5 Apr 2022
Massey University's Professor Bruce Glavovic, a former IPCC lead author, says a campaign of civil disobedience being waged by scientists around the world demanding urgent action on climate change doesn’t go far enough. “It’s necessary but not sufficient.”
He Waka Eke Noa documents seriously flawed: experts
4 Apr 2022
Three leading agriculture experts say the He Waka Eke Noa documents are seriously flawed and need to be reworked to ensure any greenhouse gas levies in the agriculture sector are used for research and development relating to methane and nitrous oxide mitigation.
ACT takes aim at National's climate policies
4 Apr 2022
The ACT Party is using National's recruitment of the NZ Initiative's former senior economist and leading proponent of the "leave it to the ETS" school of thought, Matt Burgess, to criticise the opposition party's climate policies.
Government to set up advisory group on decarbonising aviation
1 Apr 2022
The New Zealand government is set to follow the UK’s example and set up a public – private advisory body focussed on decarbonising aviation.
Best by the rest...
1 Apr 2022
Our weekly roundup of notable climate change stories featured in the local media is back. Stuff’s Forever Project released the March/April issue of its magazine this week, a climate change commissioner on climate adaption, and why New Zealand shouldn’t be closing its railways.
Climate change policy adding to farmers' worries
31 Mar 2022
Worries about climate change policy impacting their business are adding to farmers’ stress, with the latest Rabobank survey finding 68% of farmers were “very concerned” about future climate change policy.
Time for cryptocurrency regulations: academics
31 Mar 2022
Aotearoa needs a future-facing regulatory framework to limit the use of energy-hungry cryptocurrencies, academics Nathan Cooper and Michael Dizon write in The Conversation.
Greenpeace calls on ECan to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser
30 Mar 2022
Greenpeace has launched a petition to push Environment Canterbury (ECan) to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, saying it is directly responsible for rising bowel cancer rates in the region as well as increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Aotearoa and Fiji commit to combatting climate change
30 Mar 2022
Fiji prime minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama and New Zealand minister of foreign affairs Nanaia Mahuta yesterday signed a document pledging their countries to combatting climate change.
Canada lays out C$9.1 billion roadmap to meet 2030 climate targets
30 Mar 2022
Canada released its first real roadmap to meeting 2030 climate targets on Tuesday, laying out detailed plans and C$9.1 billion in new spending to cut planet-warming carbon emissions after years failing to meet its goals.
Super Fund teams up with Danes to explore massive offshore wind project
29 Mar 2022
The NZ Super Fund and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners have formed a joint company to explore the feasibility of an offshore windfarm in Taranaki that could supply 11% of New Zealand's current electricity demand.
Windfarm upgrade on path to fast-tracked consent process
29 Mar 2022
Environment minister David Parker has accepted NZ Windfarms' application to refer the Te Rere Hau wind farm repowering project to an expert consenting panel for consideration under the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Act (FTCA).
A bold idea to stall climate crisis - build better trees
29 Mar 2022
Changing the genetic makeup of trees could supercharge their ability to suck up carbon dioxide. But are forests of frankentrees really a good idea?
NZ ETS could be a model for the world: Matt Burgess
28 Mar 2022
Last Friday was Matt Burgess’s last day as a senior economist at the NZ Initiative. His final report for the thinktank, Pretence of Necessity, is a strident argument for leaving all of the heavy lifting in reducing New Zealand’s emissions to the ETS.
The impact of deforestation goes beyond carbon emissions: new study
28 Mar 2022
The deforestation of tropical areas is even more impactful on the climate cycle than previously thought, according to a March 2022 study published in
Government slashes Tiwai smelter’s carbon allocation
25 Mar 2022
Cabinet has approved a decision to remove part of the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter’s free allocation of carbon credits – costing the owners at least $60 million a year.
Minister responds to PCE hydrogen letter
25 Mar 2022
Minister for the environment Megan Woods has thanked the parliamentary commissioner for the environment, Simon Upton, for his letter highlighting concerns about the development of a green hydrogen industry but says the government sees real potential for the gas in New Zealand's energy mix.
Apple using carbon-free aluminium
25 Mar 2022
Apple has announced that it will be using carbon-free aluminum in future products, with the latest iPhone SE in line to take advantage of the new environmentally friendly manufacturing process.
Taihoa on hydrogen plans: Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment
24 Mar 2022
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, has warned the government that the opportunity costs of developing a green hydrogen industry are likely to outweigh the benefits.
No carless days on horizon
23 Mar 2022
Minister of energy Megan Woods has ruled out an International Energy Agency (IEA) proposal for car free Sundays.
A third of drivers eyeing up EVs and hybrids as fuel prices skyrocket
22 Mar 2022
One third of respondents to a Consumer poll said they were considering switching to a hybrid or EV in response to increasing fuel prices.
Free public transport for Simplicity Kiwisaver employees
21 Mar 2022
Simplicity Kiwisaver has given its staff free public transport in an effort to cut the company’s carbon footprint.
Discounting our grandchildren’s wellbeing
18 Mar 2022
New Zealand’s current approach to evaluating the long-term environmental impacts of investments is sacrificing the wellbeing of our grandchildren for the benefit of those alive today, a select committee heard this week.
ETS auction spurs demand on spotmarket
17 Mar 2022
Buyers were out in force following yesterday’s ETS auction, with the CommTrade and Carbon Match platforms trading in excess of 600,000 NZUs before the close of trade.
Public consultation opens on climate-related disclosures
17 Mar 2022
The External Reporting Board (XRB) yesterday released part-two of the climate-related disclosure standards for public consultation.
ETS auction clears at $70.00
16 Mar 2022
THE first NZ ETS auction of the year cleared at $70.00 today.
Is the government sacrificing planetary gain to ease pump pain?
15 Mar 2022
If there’s a positive side to the skyrocketing price of fuel it’s that it will speed up the transition to a decarbonised transport sector, right? One of the country’s leading experts isn’t convinced petrol at $3 a litre was ever going to make much difference.
Back to the future: bottle drives on the horizon
14 Mar 2022
The government has announced plans for the reintroduction of a refundable deposit on drink containers – something not seen since the 1980s.
Renewable electricity generation hits 26-year high
11 Mar 2022
The share of electricity generated from renewable sources hit a 26-year high in the final quarter of 2021 after sizeable increases hydro and wind generation, according to data published today by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Wellington to roll out 166km of cycleways
11 Mar 2022
The Wellington City Council yesterday voted to proceed with a 166km connected cycleway network.
Cutting carbon from the daily commute
11 Mar 2022
A New Zealand company has developed the first digital tool to help reduce carbon emissions generated by the country’s commuters.
Ukraine invasion sees NZ carbon price nose-dive
10 Mar 2022
The price of carbon on the New Zealand spot market has nose-dived from a high of $86.25 last month to just $70.25 at the close of trading yesterday
NZ Green Investment Finance confident it’s not funding muscle cars
9 Mar 2022
The chief executive of the NZ Green Investment Finance told the Finance and Infrastructure Committee, this morning, that the green bank had sufficient safeguards in place to ensure it didn’t end up funding muscle cars instead of EVs.
10 YEARS AGO...
9 Mar 2022
Ten years ago, GlobalData was predicting huge growth in wind power markets.
Time will tell whether lawyers had a knockout blow in climate case
8 Mar 2022
If there’s a cliché that defines how New Zealand likes to see itself on the world stage, it’s “punching above our weight”. A group of lawyers spent much of last week arguing that when it comes to climate change not only do we not punch above our weight we’ve cooked the books to relegate ourselves to the featherweight division.
Number of cars de-registered almost doubled in 2021
7 Mar 2022
A total of 424,328 vehicles weren’t re-registered in 2021 up from 217,610 in 2020.
Marine heatwaves getting longer and hotter: NIWA
7 Mar 2022
A new report by NIWA scientists is warning New Zealand could experience very long and "very severe" marine heatwaves by the end of the century.
Tariffs on 290 environmentally beneficial goods flushed down the loo
4 Mar 2022
A 5% tariff on composting toilets is one of more than 290 tariffs on environmentally beneficial goods flushed down the loo in the recently announced free trade agreement between the UK and New Zealand – but will it really make any difference?
Govt proposes excluding permanent exotic forests from ETS
3 Mar 2022
The government has released a discussion document that proposes removing exotic forests – such as pinus radiata – from being registered under the permanent post-1989 category of New Zealand’s Emission Trading Scheme
Southern Hemisphere's first electric ferry cuts emissions by 80+%
2 Mar 2022
The Ika Rere, the Southern Hemisphere's only electric ferry, carried its first paying customers yesterday and initial indications are it will cut carbon emissions by up to 85%.
Kiwi climate scientist's call for strike makes New York Times
2 Mar 2022
Massey University's Bruce Glavovic was in the news yesterday as one of the authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest assessment. Today's he's in the New York Times making the case for a climate scientists strike.
Need to focus on coastal cities: Bruce Glavovic
2 Mar 2022
Dr Bruce Glavovic may be calling for climate scientist strike but he's still doing his utmost to alert the public to the dire consequences of climate change. In his latest piece for The Conversation he argues that coastal cities are where transformative climate-resilient development can happen.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
