New Zealand: All stories
Foresters seek time; end to using ETS as a land use tool
16 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Production and carbon forestry owners have begged the environment select committee to at least give the sector more time to come up with workable rules for legislation intended to cap forest planting on farmland.
Reforms 'ignore root causes' of catastrophic slash discharges
16 Jul 2025
The government's proposed slash and forestry management changes ignore the root causes of "illegal and catastrophic discharges" from clear-felling sites on erosion-susceptible land, according to an expert.
Govt announces $600k package for flood-affected farmers in Nelson Tasman
16 Jul 2025
The government has announced a $600,000 support package for flood-affected farmers in the Nelson Tasman Region, a move Federated Farmers says is a lifeline.
Debanking bill 'financially dangerous'
15 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A private member’s bill aiming to stop financial institutions from considering ESG factors has been slammed by leading investment groups, legal experts, and climate finance advocates as misguided, financially dangerous, and legislative overreach.
4000 hectares of forest uprooted by extreme winds in Nelson-Tasman storms
15 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | Foresters are facing a massive clean-up and tens of millions of dollars worth of damage from recent climate change-fuelled storms at the top of the South Island, with initial reports of 4000 hectares of wind-thrown production forestry.
As the sea level rises, who will pay? Councils seek answers
15 Jul 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | North Canterbury's councils are seeking guidance from Government over who pays for protections from sea level rise, flooding and weather events.
Govt urged to make moves on electricity market
15 Jul 2025
Lobbying is increasing ahead of the release of the Frontier Economics report and the Government’s decisions on electricity market reforms.
‘Weaponised timber torpedoes’ – call for forestry changes after flooding
14 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | A climate scientist is calling for changes to forestry practices, after the second ‘one-in-one-hundred-year’ climate-fuelled flash flood to hit the top of the South Island in two weeks unleashed a torrent of pine forest waste, wiping out homes and a campground.
Researchers unveil new tools to accurately track methane emissions
14 Jul 2025
Breakthrough methane monitoring tools developed by Earth Sciences New Zealand are set to transform how farmers, landfill operators, and wastewater facilities track and tackle their methane emissions.
'Back-to-basics' approach for councils ignores climate risk
11 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While ACT is standing local government candidates to oppose councils' attempts to manage emissions and ministers are calling for local authorities to 'get back to basics' - or even suggesting scrapping regional councils altogether - one expert says this narrative is putting communities at risk in the face of climate change.
Emissions Trading Scheme needs deep reform - commissioner
11 Jul 2025
The government’s attempt to limit forestry conversions on rural land is unlikely to lead to meaningful change, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
‘Significant gaps’ in proposed approach to climate adaptation
10 Jul 2025
A new report into climate adaptation doesn’t suggest how development in high-risk areas should be avoided - an issue that needs urgent action with thousands of homes still being built in hazardous areas, according to the Environmental Defence Society.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
North Canterbury locals get say over huge solar farm
10 Jul 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | North Canterbury residents are being encouraged to have their say on a proposed 180 hectare solar farm on a property near their village.
Markets aren't going to save us – Carr
9 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Consumerism is reaching its ecological and economic limits, and only systemic change - not market tweaks - can steer us away from climate catastrophe, according to former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Climate backtracking could impact trade relationships: Labour
9 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | Labour Party Energy spokesperson Megan Woods says the government needs to be upfront about how its energy policies will impact trade relationships, following revelations New Zealand was warned by other governments that backtracking on climate policies jeopardised its membership of an international alliance.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Nelson adopts ambitious target to slash emissions
8 Jul 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | After some of the most passionate debate seen in the chamber this triennium, Nelson City Council has adopted the more ambitious of two community greenhouse gas targets.
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Open letter warns against Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill
4 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A group of prominent New Zealanders are speaking out against the Regulatory Standards Bill, with top climate scientist Jim Salinger warning it will have a chilling effect on future climate change and adaptation policy.
Kiwi ‘smart panel’ startup aiming to reduce energy bills and emissions
4 Jul 2025
NZ start-up Basis this week launched an ‘intelligent’ panel to replace traditional electrical switchboards in homes, which it says can save the average home $1,200 NZD annually on bills and lead to lower emissions.
Media round-up
4 Jul 2025
In our weekly round-up of climate coverage in local media: Proposed changes to forestry rules won’t solve the ‘slash’ problem; New Plymouth District Council officially opposes seabed mining; and is local media coverage of climate change lacking when reporting extreme weather events?
International group urges PM to strengthen climate targets
3 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | An international group of New Zealanders working on climate change issues has written to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon warning him against weakening climate targets.
MethaneSAT loss ‘a tragedy’
3 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The disappearance of a methane-tracking satellite, which was backed by $29 million of government funding, is a tragic loss according to one astrophysicist, who is calling for a review to understand how New Zealand blew past multiple red flags about its operation.
Electricity Authority maps out battery storage boost to back up renewables
3 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Electricity Authority has released a draft roadmap outlining how it plans to accelerate the rollout of battery energy storage systems over the next two years, in a bid to future proof New Zealand’s electricity grid as the country shifts to more intermittent renewable energy sources.
Offshore renewable energy bill reported back
3 Jul 2025
The Offshore Renewable Energy Bill has been reported back from select committee with a few changes and the prospect of further amendment on some issues.
Methane-detecting satellite lost in space
2 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | A multi-million dollar satellite to detect methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, financed by the New Zealand government and others including billionaire Jeff Bezos, has been lost in space.
NZ urgently needs to change approach to flood management - experts
2 Jul 2025
Experts say climate change is squarely to blame for flooding in Nelson - but isn’t getting the media attention it deserves - and the country urgently needs to change its approach to flood management in the face of climate change.
McClay shrugs off legal warning in push for oil and gas
2 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has dismissed legal advice warning that its plan to co-invest in oil and gas exploration could breach international treaty obligations, sparking fresh criticism from the Greens in Parliament.
Debanking debate heats up as deadline looms for submissions on NZ First bill
1 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The debate over so-called “woke banking” is back in the spotlight as the deadline approaches for public input on NZ First’s Debanking Bill.
Govt policy going backwards on protecting communities from climate-fuelled flooding, say campaigners
1 Jul 2025
Extreme flooding at the top of the South Island demonstrates the dangers of the government’s ‘growth at any cost’ agenda, according to freshwater campaigners.
SolarZero liquidation complex - but sale possible
1 Jul 2025
It will likely take a long time to sort out the complexities around the liquidation of SolarZero, with a series of claims against the company adding to the myriad complexities in arrangements set up to manage its contracts and obligations.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
Bill to limit farm-to-forest conversions passes first reading
27 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's bill aiming to limit farm-to-forestry conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme passed its first reading in Parliament this week, however concerns were raised over rushing it through under urgency, with less than two weeks allowed for public submissions.
IRD will stop using wetland destruction in ‘how-to’ for claiming expenses
27 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Environmental organisation Forest & Bird has welcomed the Inland Revenue’s decision to stop using wetland destruction as an example of a tax-deductible agricultural expense in future guidance.
Council land banks to prepare for future disasters
27 Jun 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | In a "uniquely Hurunui" move, a North Canterbury council is land banking to prepare for future natural disasters and the threat of climate change.
Pre-trial skirmishes kick off in groundbreaking climate case
26 Jun 2025
By Vernon Rive | The Supreme Court’s February 2024 ruling clearing the way for Māori climate spokesperson Mike Smith’s tort claims against a group of New Zealand ‘carbon majors’ to proceed to trial has set the stage for years of protracted, contentious litigation.
NZ climate reports must shift from compliance to strategy as Scope 3 disclosures loom
26 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s largest climate-reporting entities are being urged to evolve their mandatory disclosures from checklist-style compliance to strategic, risk-focused documents, or risk falling behind.
NZ quits Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance
25 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The New Zealand government has quietly withdrawn from an ambitious coalition to phase out fossil fuels, with a $200 million publicly-funded subsidy for new gas fields the latest policy in conflict with that goal.
Govt undermining its own climate tool – expert
25 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme is at risk of becoming useless as a tool to cut emissions, partly because of dubious forecasting about emissions, according to a climate policy expert.
Govt’s $200m fossil fuel handout breaches trade agreement – Greens
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's $200 million dollar investment fund for local gas exploration is a "clear breach" of the Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability agreement, according to legal advice commissioned by the Green Party.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Huntly deal closer
24 Jun 2025
The major electricity companies’ latest steps to secure the future of the Rankine units at Huntly power station are a major step forward in cooperation to ensure energy security.
Could an unexplained carbon forest sink solve govt’s billion-dollar climate woes?
23 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | A groundbreaking study shows that New Zealand’s native forests are absorbing far more carbon dioxide than previously thought.
90% of NZers expect more extreme weather disasters because of climate change
23 Jun 2025
A new climate change poll from AMI, State, and NZI shows New Zealanders are expecting more extreme weather events as a result of climate change.
‘Whether they want us or not’: Seabed mine boss calls Māori to work for him
23 Jun 2025
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | The Australian company applying to mine the South Taranaki seabed wants iwi to jump on board and get to work keeping an eye on the environment.
Concerns with govt climate policy – expert
19 Jun 2025
By Shannon-Morris Williams |The government's latest emissions reduction plan is incoherent and vastly understates the urgency needed to help users transition off gas, according to an expert.
Forestry the missing piece in Fieldays climate change discussions
19 Jun 2025
By Elizabeth Heeg | OPINION: Fieldays was packed with climate change announcements from the government last week, but none about the sector with arguably the most important role: Forestry.
Environmental Protection Authority in court over glyphosate risk
19 Jun 2025
The Environmental Protection Authority has been taken to court over its decision not to re-assess the herbicide glyphosate.
Mercury on future and reforms
19 Jun 2025
Mercury said in presentation to investors that it has the potential to develop 5 terawatt hours of geothermal electricity generation post 2030.
Govt weakens climate legislation, strips CCC’s powers
Today 12:00pm
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced sweeping changes to key climate legislation, including stripping the independent Climate Change Commission of one of its core roles, and removing the requirement that Emissions Trading Scheme settings align with international climate targets.
Here comes the sun: solar surge gathers pace
Tue 4 Nov 2025
More than $700 million of new solar investment advanced last week, underscoring the pace of the renewable buildout.
AgriZero backs Aussie IVF innovator
Mon 3 Nov 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The NZ government-led low carbon agriculture consortium AgriZero has invested A$1.5 million (NZ$1.7m) in a Queensland-based start-up looking to bring down the cost of inserting fertilised embryos into livestock.
Emissions down slightly - Stats NZ
24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.5% in the June 2025 quarter, although the decline seems to reflect the economy continuing to contract rather than Aoteoroa inching towards decarbonisation goals.
Christchurch Airport boasts world-first liquid-hydrogen refuelling for test aircraft
Thu 30 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Local companies working on hydrogen-electric flight have made ‘a significant step forward’ in successfully filling aviation tanks with liquid hydrogen produced and stored on-site at an international airport for the first time.
From pines to natives: Nelson's forestry reset begins
29 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson City Council’s transition away from clear-fell pine forestry is well underway with around 74,000 trees planted in the Maitai and Marsden Valleys this winter.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
