New Zealand: All stories
Anger as IMO says shipping emissions can keep climbing
19 Nov 2020
Countries have agreed a package of energy-efficiency measures that will allow emissions from global shipping to continue to rise until 2030.
WORTH NOTING ...
19 Nov 2020
The annual Sustainable Business Awards will be held in Auckland tonight.
NZ's seas are heating up again, scientists say
18 Nov 2020
New Zealand is heading for another marine heatwave this summer – the third in four years, scientists are warning.
WORTH NOTING ...
18 Nov 2020
Consultation opens today on what rate the Government’s Energy Levy – the money it collects from the road transport, energy and gas sectors – should be set at this year.
Climate crisis finds ample answers in world’s trees
18 Nov 2020
The great climate change challenge should consider the world’s trees.
Upton, Parker - Nats stopped the ETS working
17 Nov 2020
New Zealand’s failure to seriously address its emissions problem through the 2010s has come under fire from two politicians whose attempts to effectively price carbon were thwarted by National Governments.
Cyclones could last longer in a warmer world
16 Nov 2020
Tropical cyclones weaken after they reach land. But it emerges that for the North Atlantic basin, storms are weakening more slowly as regional sea surface temperatures increase.
NZ needs to do more, says High Commissioner
13 Nov 2020
Britain wants New Zealand to do more on climate change, calling on companies to be carbon-neutral by 2040 and “welcoming” the country’s review of its 2030 emissions target.
Dry run: the wet farming experiment that could sow seeds for the future
13 Nov 2020
A project trialling plants that thrive in more extreme whether, including sphagnum moss and bulrushes, could offer farmers a future.
Greek island ditches fossil-fuel cars
13 Nov 2020
For one Greek island the future is green - it's switching from internal combustion-driven transport to electric vehicles.
Shaw talking tough on carbon budgets
12 Nov 2020
The Climate Change Commission could be given the ability to manage carbon prices if its carbon budget recommendations are not followed by politicians, the climate minister says.
Meridian looking good to carbon-averse Blackrock
12 Nov 2020
Blackrock has increased its stake in Meridian as part of its carbon-divestment strategy.
Climate protest is legit, says business
12 Nov 2020
Business leaders are, apparently, ready to embrace non-violent protest as a legitimate form of climate action.
New fund helps businesses ditch coal and gas
12 Nov 2020
Businesses wanting to stop using coal and gas for heat can tap into a new $70 million fund.
Collins appoints new climate spokesperson
12 Nov 2020
Kaikoura MP Stuart Smith is National’s new climate spokesperson, replacing Coromandel MP Scott Simpson.
WORTH NOTING ...
12 Nov 2020
Day two of the Climate Change and Business Conference is in Auckland today sees environment minister David Parker fronting up, as well as a discussion on what changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme mean for carbon prices.
'It's time,' Taylor says ahead of climate event
11 Nov 2020
Environmental Defence Society chief executive Gary Taylor is more optimistic about action on climate change than he has ever been.
Plant peas, Rabobank tells farmers
11 Nov 2020
New Zealand farmers wanting to take advantage of the growing demand for plant protein should be thinking peas.
Scientists’ oath pledges full climate crisis facts
11 Nov 2020
Scientists can now take a pledge committing them to tell the unvarnished facts: uncompromising public statements explaining how grave the reality is.
WORTH NOTING ...
11 Nov 2020
The Climate Change and Business Conference is on in Auckland and online today and tomorrow.
No miracle energy sources to replace fossil fuels, says scientist
10 Nov 2020
Radical decarbonisation in line with the Paris Agreement means getting used to living in a world without abundant supplies of energy, ecologist Dr Mike Joy is warning.
Where should be we use hydrogen?
10 Nov 2020
Is hydrogen the lifeblood of a low-carbon future, or an over-hyped distraction from real solutions?
WORTH NOTING ...
10 Nov 2020
It’s not too late to register for the Climate Change and Business Conference starting in Auckland tomorrow. The topic is redefining the future, and speakers include United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres, climate minister James Shaw and environment minister David Parker.
Tesla investor defends soaring share price
9 Nov 2020
One of the biggest investors in Tesla has defended the explosive growth in the US electric carmaker’s share price, arguing that it is “far from an aberration”.
Air travel’s date with sustainability draws nearer
9 Nov 2020
Aviation is gearing up for big changes in how the industry is regulated, as climate targets bite. The options available to decarbonise planes are plentiful and the challenge now is to invest enough resources in tech upgrades and regulatory tweaks to get the job done.
Scientists, doctors sound warning for farmers
6 Nov 2020
Emissions from food production alone could sink the world’s chances of meeting the Paris Agreement, scientists are warning in research with major implications for New Zealand.
How 'geothermal anywhere' can cut our emissions
6 Nov 2020
Large-scale geothermal energy has long been constrained to volcanic areas where heat can easily be captured and turned into electricity. Today, breakthroughs in drilling techniques are opening new horizons for the technology, offering the prospect of “geothermal anywhere”.
'Liquid window' harnesses light and heat
6 Nov 2020
Rising demand for cooling and heating in commercial buildings has pushed up their carbon emissions - could temperature-sensitive windows help?
Bentleys will be fully electric by 2030
6 Nov 2020
Bentley, the luxury carmaker, will stop making fossil-fuel cars by 2030 and aims to be completely carbon-neutral at the same time, in one of the most ambitious plans of any UK car manufacturer in the transition towards electric vehicles.
Emissions cuts from crossing milk and beef breeds
5 Nov 2020
Farmers could cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by two million tonnes a year by crossing beef and dairy cattle, scientists say.
Aotearoa Circle chooses new finance leaders
5 Nov 2020
Former Reserve Bank director Bridget Coates and Chapman Tripp partner Ross Pennington are the new co-chairs of The Aotearoa Circle's Sustainable Finance Forum.
Creative book-keeping helps carmarkers meet EU climate code
5 Nov 2020
Car manufacturers are shelling out millions of euros on so-called pooling agreements with rival firms in an attempt to avoid big EU fines for missing CO2 reduction targets. Fiat-Chrysler, Ford, Honda and others have so far brokered deals.
PLANET IN PERIL: Why we must change our financial system
4 Nov 2020
New Zealand can have a sustainable financial system by 2030, driving environmental, social and economic prosperity, a panel of public and private-sector heavyweights says.
Help for SMEs to cut emissions
4 Nov 2020
A new tool for measuring carbon emissions in small and medium-sized businesses will help decarbonise the country’s supply chain, says Toitû Envirocare.
Shell's climate tweet goes badly wrong
4 Nov 2020
A climate poll on Twitter posted by Shell has backfired spectacularly, with the oil company accused of gaslighting the public.
Why it's hard to cut aviation emissions
4 Nov 2020
A 1940s tax-exemption treaty designed to protect the fledgling aviation industry set airlines on a path to high emissions and low regulation.
Energy sector ripe for govt emissions targets
3 Nov 2020
The Government appears to have emissions from energy in its sights as it seeks to finally make real cuts in the country's emissions.
New method to measure fossil-fuel emissions
3 Nov 2020
Millions of stacks and tailpipes in cities around the world send up 70 per cent of the carbon dioxide ejected into the atmosphere by human beings.
You've got cheap data, how about cheap power too?
3 Nov 2020
The iPhone transformed mobile phones in just 10 years. Could green energy see a similar revolution?
Rewilded farmland can save money − and the Earth
3 Nov 2020
An international consortium of scientists has worked out − once again − how to conserve life on the planet and absorb dramatic quantities of the atmospheric carbon that is driving potentially calamitous climate change.
Govt looking again at reserve price for auctions
2 Nov 2020
Climate minister James Shaw is seeking new advice from officials on including a technical reserve price in the new carbon-auctioning regime.
New Govt unlikely to cut farmers more slack
2 Nov 2020
Speculation the Government may go soft on agricultural emissions without the Green Party in Cabinet ignores Labour’s track record on the issue.
Bank to ban companies using coal
30 Oct 2020
The ANZ Bank says it will not take on any new customers using coal, and that by 2030 it will finance gas and renewable power generation only.
FRIDAY POLITICS: We'll know by Sunday
30 Oct 2020
We should know on Sunday whether James Shaw will remain the country’s climate minister.
Aviation joins the electric age
30 Oct 2020
New Zealand’s first electric plane will take to the skies today.
Ford and GM knew about climate change - and covered it up
30 Oct 2020
Exxon knew, Shell knew, coal knew — is it any surprise that top auto manufacturers knew, too?
How to boost the hydrogen market
30 Oct 2020
Step by step, hydrogen has worked its way into the heart of the energy transition: as a storage medium for renewable energy; a fuel of the future for ships and planes; and a replacement for fossil fuels in homes, power and industry.
ORR: Pacific adaptability a lesson for the world
29 Oct 2020
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr is invoking his own Pacific heritage in a new call for collective action on 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.
