New Zealand: All stories
Hall of shame: Missing the green recovery
11 Mar 2021
The world’s governments are failing to “build back better” from the covid-19 economic slump, the UN Environment Programme warns in a new report.
Shipping industry proposes ‘moonshot’ fossil fuel levy
11 Mar 2021
Shipping industry representatives, backed by several countries, have submitted a proposal to the UN to charge a climate-related levy on fossil fuels used by international shipping for the first time.
World’s first low-carbon ship is low on gas
11 Mar 2021
When shipping giant Maersk announced last month it would operate a “carbon-neutral” vessel by 2023, the Danish company committed to using a fuel that’s made from renewable sources, is free of soot-forming pollutants — and is currently in scarce supply.
Parliament passes reserve price provision
10 Mar 2021
The first Government auction of carbon credits will go ahead next week with a confidential reserve price in place.
GENESIS: Reserve price will distort the market
9 Mar 2021
Including a confidential reserve price in next week’s Government auction of carbon credits could distort the carbon market, says one of the country’s largest emitters.
Carbon emissions slow, but not nearly fast enough
9 Mar 2021
Five years after a planet-wide vow to reduce carbon emissions, it happened; in 2020, the world’s nations pumped only 34 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a drop of 2.6 billion tonnes on the previous year.
Land worth more if left to nature
9 Mar 2021
Nature-rich sites such as woods and wetlands could be more valuable than farming because of the ecosystem services they provide, scientists say.
Reserve-price bill back before Parliament
8 Mar 2021
The Environment Committee has sent a bill to include a confidential reserve price in the upcoming carbon auction back to Parliament without an amendment asked for by several major market players.
NZUs should be more than $100, MPs told
8 Mar 2021
An umbrella group representing more than 50 environmental organisations says NZUs would trading at more than $100 if the Government set more environmentally realistic limits on the number of units available.
Economists, minister debate climate report
5 Mar 2021
Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the ClimCom draft advice on climate change is the most significant report in his lifetime.
Central bank turns eye to carbon in investments
4 Mar 2021
The Reserve Bank is reviewing the carbon footprint of its sovereign investments.
Big Food eyeing China's growing flexitarian market
4 Mar 2021
The alternative protein market in China is positioned to continue its rapid growth in the coming years, driven by the rise of flexitarianism in the country.
Fund stays away from fossil fuels, despite covid
3 Mar 2021
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has bounced back from a covid-crisis slump – and without investing a cent in fossil fuels.
Fertiliser execs position ammonia as a battery for hydrogen
3 Mar 2021
Ammonia has until now been used chiefly in the fertiliser industry as a way to return nitrogen to the soil. But it also has potential in boosting renewables – both as a replacement for hydrogen in long-haul shipping and as a way of storing and transporting hydrogen.
Get rid of coal by 2030, Guterres tells nations
3 Mar 2021
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on wealthy nations to end coal use by 2030 so the world can meet its goals to curb global warming, urging G7 nations to make that commitment before or at a leaders' summit in June.
Lower rates if you're sustainable, says bank
2 Mar 2021
The BNZ has signalled today that businesses taking their environmental footprint seriously can expect to pay a lower interest rate on their loans.
Beef & Lamb: Bring on the carbon credits
2 Mar 2021
The sheep-and-beef industry says a Government report recognising carbon storage on farms is significant – especially if it opens the door to collecting carbon credits from mature native forests.
Report: Drystock farms nowhere near net-zero
1 Mar 2021
Sheep and beef farms are sequestering much less carbon than the drystock sector claims, officials say.
Study reveals Airbus' huge emissions legacy
1 Mar 2021
Planes sold by Airbus in 2019 and 2020 will produce well over a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide during their lifetimes, according to landmark first estimates of the aerospace manufacturer’s emissions.
FRIDAY POLITICS: Collins embraces the ETS
26 Feb 2021
National Party leader Judith Collins seems to have abandoned her dismissal of the need for urgent action on climate change – and found a love for the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Businesses join hands to find 'right recipe' for zero-carbon industries
26 Feb 2021
Despite the pandemic slamming the brakes on flying, UK-based engineering firm Rolls-Royce - whose main clients include the aviation industry - has not backed away from its work to slash planet-heating emissions, according to its technology director.
Fiercer, more frequent fires may reduce carbon capture by forests
26 Feb 2021
More fierce and frequent fires are reducing forest density and tree size and may damage forests’ ability to capture carbon in the future, according to a global study.
ClimCom in the hotseat over cost models
25 Feb 2021
The Climate Change Commission’s failure to release all aspects of the models underlying its draft budget dominated Parliament’s Environment Committee this morning.
Gas firms target industrial ‘clusters’ for hydrogen
25 Feb 2021
Gas companies in Europe and America are looking at using the existing gas network to serve industrial “clusters” of hydrogen users in sectors like chemicals, cement and steelmaking, adopting a “phased approach” endorsed by the European Commission.
'Science-based' targets are no such thing - former adviser
25 Feb 2021
One of the instigators of an influential climate initiative for big business has gone public with criticism of its target-setting process, saying it does not measure up to its ambition.
Three technologies that will change food production
25 Feb 2021
Agriculture’s impact on the planet is massive and relentless. Roughly 40 per cent of the Earth’s suitable land surface is used for cropland and grazing.
Don't get this wrong, Contact tells Government
24 Feb 2021
A major emitter wants the country’s first carbon auction delayed, warning that a botched auction could leave the market scrambling for credits.
Power generators quiet about emissions
24 Feb 2021
Electricity generator Mercury noted in its financial update yesterday that the ClimCom draft report is good news for the renewable electricity sector.
ClimCom extends submission deadline
24 Feb 2021
The deadline for submissions on the Climate Change Commission’s draft recommendations is being extended.
India’s energy policy is key to the planet’s future
23 Feb 2021
Here’s the bad news: Unless India opts for a totally new energy policy - a revolutionary switch to a clean future - the world has no chance of avoiding dangerous climate change.
Sustainable tourism report goes before Nats
19 Feb 2021
A call for a departure tax covering emissions generated by passengers flying from New Zealand will be up for discussion at a National Party gathering this weekend.
Tax aviation to raise funds for poor countries
19 Feb 2021
Taxes on international transport could provide finance to help developing countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, a group of climate finance experts say.
Leveraging AI to fight climate change
19 Feb 2021
International organisations, researchers and data scientists say artificial intelligence and big data are critical to combat years of promises but inadequate action on the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises.
Oil and gas get emojis, why not wind power?
19 Feb 2021
Scroll through all the emojis on your phone, and you’ll find a gas pump, an oil drum, and … zero sign of clean energy.
Proving that taking care of forest pays carbon dividends
18 Feb 2021
New Zealand’s vast native forests may yet help the country meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Europe pulls ahead in global hydrogen race
18 Feb 2021
Most of the world’s planned hydrogen projects and the biggest chunk of related investments this decade are expected to be in Europe, a new industry report says.
Proof it's business-as-usual for emissions
17 Feb 2021
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions shot back to pre-lockdown levels as soon as restrictions were lifted last year, new data shows.
Emissions 'return to normal', says Fletcher Building
17 Feb 2021
The country’s largest building company says emissions have returned to normal in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic shutdown.
Aviation charts path to carbon neutrality by 2050
16 Feb 2021
The European airline industry has launched a sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation sector by 2050.
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.
Green Party calls for national electrification plan
Mon 20 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a national plan to electrify homes, transport and industry using renewable energy, to reduce fossil fuel dependence in response to the Middle East crisis.
Going concern status flags depth of Methanex NZ's gas crisis
Tue 21 Apr 2026
Methanex's New Zealand operation is relying on financial support from its Canadian parent to remain a going concern after a second consecutive year of asset impairments left the business with negative equity.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Climate pollution static but NZ still on track for first emissions budget, says MfE
Fri 17 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is still on track to meet its first emissions budget, according to the Ministry for the Environment, despite the pace of emissions reductions slowing to a standstill.
NZ’s latest push to roll out more EV chargers is a good thing – but can it go the distance?
14 Apr 2026
A $50 million plan to expand New Zealand’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network marks another step toward a lower-emissions transport system.
Wilding conifers continue to plague Southland
Fri 17 Apr 2026
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Fast-spreading conifer trees are causing headaches in Southland as inconsistent funding continues to hinder control efforts.
Victoria Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
