New Zealand: All stories
Bill Gates warns that manufacturing could challenge climate goals
16 Feb 2021
Bill Gates exudes optimism in discussing the world's ability to tackle climate change – until he hits on manufacturing. About that, he is worried.
Genesis puts another fossil-fuel unit on standby
15 Feb 2021
Genesis Energy says it is advancing plans for more renewable electricity generation – but is also preparing to fire up an extra fossil-fuel turbine at Huntly this winter if needed.
Solar power’s future could soon be overshadowed
15 Feb 2021
As more households and industries have opted to harness the sun’s energy, a small but definite shadow is nagging at the many manufacturers who have put their faith in solar power’s future.
Bitcoin uses more energy than all of Argentina
15 Feb 2021
Bitcoin is a huge energy hog. And Tesla's recent announcement that it had bought $1.5 billion bitcoin — and will soon accept the cryptocurrency as payment for its cars — will only encourage more energy usage.
Ardern takes charge on climate change
12 Feb 2021
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will lead a special ministerial group that will oversee New Zealand’s climate change response.
Shell expanding gas business despite net-zero pledge
12 Feb 2021
Shell has set new carbon emissions goals to become a net zero carbon energy company by 2050, but will continue to grow its gas business by more than 20 per cent in the next few years.
Action on auction bill
11 Feb 2021
Carbon market participants have 10 days to have a say on plans to include a confidential price reserve in the country’s new auctioning regime.
Denmark to build 'first energy island' in North Sea
11 Feb 2021
A project to build a giant island providing enough energy for three million households has been given the green light by Denmark's politicians.
Nats to Shaw: Why the late change, Minister?
10 Feb 2021
The National Party says it will support sending a law to stop gaming of the carbon markets to a select committee, but wants to know how the Government got itself in such a pickle.
New climate adaptation law a goer, say Parker
10 Feb 2021
The Government says it will act on the Randerson Report’s recommendation to establish a Climate Change Adaptation Act.
Projects to tackle our transport emissions headache
10 Feb 2021
The latest round of Government funding to help cut the country’s traffic emissions has gone to projects including hydrogen trucks, EV charging and car-and-bike-sharing schemes.
Scientists warn over misuse of climate models in financial markets
10 Feb 2021
Misuse of climate models could pose a growing risk to financial markets by giving investors a false sense of certainty over how the physical impacts of climate change will play out, according to the authors of a new paper.
Finance minister says we will 'build back better'
9 Feb 2021
Cutting carbon emissions will be at the forefront of this year’s Budget, the finance minister says.
Technical reserve law before Parliament
5 Feb 2021
A law change to stop carbon credits being sold in Government auctions at well below secondary-market prices has made it into Parliament.
Will planes be flying on air?
5 Feb 2021
Scientists are working on recovering atmospheric carbon to conjure aviation jet fuel from thin air.
How steel might finally kick its coal habit
5 Feb 2021
An American company is experimenting with replacing coal with electrons to produce emissions-free steel.
Study puts Dunedin on most-at-risk airports list
4 Feb 2021
Dunedin airport is on a new international list of airports most vulnerable to climate change.
Let's think about what's possible
4 Feb 2021
We need more than electric cars to save us - it's time to think about a whole new transport system, says applied mathematician Professor Robert McLachlan.
Plant-based diets crucial to saving wildlife, says UN report
4 Feb 2021
The global food system is the biggest driver of destruction of the natural world, and a shift to predominantly plant-based diets is crucial in halting the damage, according to a report.
Confusion over ETS rules is holding us back, says farmer
3 Feb 2021
Wairarapa farmer Mike Ashby feels the Government’s 2025 deadline for bringing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme hanging over his head like a Sword of Damocles.
Scania says no to hydrogen power
3 Feb 2021
Where will hydrogen fit in the clean transport mix? Not in trucking, says one of the world's largest heavy-duty-vehicle manufacturers.
Shell targets power trading and hydrogen
2 Feb 2021
Royal Dutch Shell is betting on its expertise in power trading and rapid growth in hydrogen and biofuels markets as it shifts away from oil, rather than joining rivals in a scramble for renewable power assets, company sources say.
UPDATE: Climate commission's proposals for the ETS
31 Jan 2021
Price controls in New Zealand’s new carbon-auctioning regime could rise sharply next year if the Government acts on draft recommendations from the Climate Change Commission.
NEWS FLASH: NZ will increase its Paris target
31 Jan 2021
New Zealand will increase its 2030 emissions reduction target, the Government has just announced.
FRIDAY POLITICS: Government in a flurry
29 Jan 2021
It’s been a busy week for our politicians, with lots of behind-the-scenes flurrying over the looming release of the Climate Change Commission’s first report.
Govt moves on transport ahead of ClimCom report
28 Jan 2021
The Government is pre-empting likely criticism from the Climate Change Commission by today announcing a suite of policies tackling greenhouse gas emissions from transport.
COLLINS: climate change not in top 5
27 Jan 2021
National Party leader Judith Collins says climate change is important, but it’s not in her list of top-five priorities.
WORTH NOTING ...
27 Jan 2021
The country’s new carbon-auctioning regime is being put through its paces today and tomorrow with a simulated auction. The first real auction will be on March 17.
BlackRock threatens to sell shares in worst climate polluters
27 Jan 2021
BlackRock, the world’s biggest investment fund manager, has threatened to sell shares in the worst corporate polluters in a bid to support the goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Energy efficiency boosts jobs, says IEA
27 Jan 2021
Improving energy efficiency creates far more jobs than generating it, and at the same time provides a way out of the covid crisis by bringing prosperity.
EDITORIAL: It's about to get real
26 Jan 2021
Welcome to 2021 – the year in which we will get our first hard look at the size of the job in front of us.
WORTH NOTING ...
26 Jan 2021
Simulated auctions of NZUs to test the new regime will be held tomorrow and on Thursday.
2020 one of the hottest and driest years we've had
12 Jan 2021
New Zealand’s average temperatures continue to climb, with latest climate data showing 2020 was one of the country’s warmest years on record.
Govt reverses decision on technical reserve
21 Dec 2020
The first Government auction of carbon credits, scheduled for March 17, will take place with a technical reserve price in place after all.
Holiday publishing
21 Dec 2020
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all our readers. Carbon News publishes daily market updates over the summer break and will cover any major breaking stories. We will return to full production in late January.
EDITORIAL: 202O - the year we got serious?
14 Dec 2020
Believe it or not, a 54 per cent rise in the price of NZUs this year does not make 2020 the year of the biggest gains.
WORTH NOTING ...
14 Dec 2020
A training course on how to take part in the first Government auction of carbon credits will be held on Thursday.
Help us make Marsden a renewables hub, says Z
11 Dec 2020
A major shareholder in New Zealand’s only oil refinery says it should be converted to producing renewable fuels.
Our sustainability - ranked!
11 Dec 2020
New Zealand has again come in at 11th place overall in an international ranking of the environmental and social sustainability of countries.
WORTH NOTING ...
11 Dec 2020
The Government is expected to update Southland today on talks to stop – or at least delay – the closing of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.
WELLINGTON: Give us carbon credits for our wetlands
10 Dec 2020
A second regional authority is calling for non-forestry carbon sequestration like wetland restoration to earn carbon credits.
Global emissions at new record
10 Dec 2020
Greenhouse gas emissions reached a new high last year, putting the world on track for an average temperature rise of 3deg, a new United Nations report shows.
Research spending doesn't match priorities - report
10 Dec 2020
There’s a serious mismatch between what New Zealand’s Government identifies as the most pressing environmental issues, including climate change and freshwater quality, and the investments in environmental research it actually makes.
WORTH NOTING ...
10 Dec 2020
A training course on how to take part in the first Government auction of carbon credits will be held next Thursday.
Genesis says it will slash emissions
9 Dec 2020
The operator of the Huntly coal-and-gas-fired power station says it will cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
Z tells Govt how to cut transport emissions
9 Dec 2020
Z Energy is sticking with its dream of selling low-emissions biodiesel, albeit with an Australian product because its own production plant has been mothballed.
SYNLAIT: Food giants ready to pay for sustainable products
9 Dec 2020
New Zealand dairy producers and food processors have a great opportunity to benefit from recent emission-reduction pledges by global brands, Synlait Milk said.
WORTH NOTING ...
9 Dec 2020
Today is the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change – an event being marked by the group Parents for Climate Aotearoa (formerly Millions of Mothers) with a lunchtime toy picnic at Parliament.
WELLINGTON: Should we hold 'em?
8 Dec 2020
Greater Wellington Regional Council will debate today whether it should sell millions of dollars worth of carbon credits or hold them and wait for prices to go higher.
Sage heads new environment committee
8 Dec 2020
Former conservation and associate environment minister Eugenie Sage will chair Parliament’s environment committee.
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.
