New Zealand: All stories
Number of NZUs surrendered drops
15 Jul 2021
The net number of NZUs surrendered in the year ending June dropped from $40.24 million last year to $38.87 million.
Biogas proposals risk locking in unsustainable agriculture: groups claim
15 Jul 2021
Proposals in a recent biogas report, part-funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), risks locking in agricultural practices that harm the country’s soils and waters and contribute to climate change, a coalition of zero waste and regenerative horticulture groups say.
Parliament investigating cryptocurrencies' environmental impact
14 Jul 2021
Bitcoin consumes significantly more electricity each year than New Zealand, leading many environmentalists to say the cryptocurrency is unsustainable. Now the New Zealand Parliament is investigating.
Significant number of Kiwis overestimate sea-level rise
14 Jul 2021
The Conversation - Following a recent storm surge in Wellington, some media coverage expressed surprise that 30cm of sea-level rise – an unavoidable amount projected to happen by the middle of this century – would turn a one-in-100-year coastal flood into an annual event.
Weather events shown to be climate change related in record time
14 Jul 2021
Scientists linked June's North American heat wave to climate change in nine days. Their work could revolutionize how we talk about climate, according to Time Magazine.
Politicians take to podcasting to tackle climate change
13 Jul 2021
In the first episode of his new podcast, the Backroom of Politics, National’s Gerry Brownlee accuses the Climate Change Commission of activism. In the second he’ll be interviewing the Commission’s chair Dr Rod Carr.
Further onshore gas exploration possible
12 Jul 2021
Iwi Maori will be consulted before a decision is made on whether any new onshore, gas exploration permits are issued, the Minister of Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, told Parliament last week.
Are the days of fireworks numbered?
12 Jul 2021
The sky over Wellington harbour exploded into a brilliant, 10 minute long, shower of fireworks on Saturday night. A wonderous display that will have left more than a few people pondering the future of pyrotechnics during a climate emergency.
Excrement to crypto in a single flush
12 Jul 2021
Students in a South Korean college are earning crypto mined from the energy generated from their excrement.
Limits could be placed on NZU stockpiles
9 Jul 2021
Participants in the NZ ETS could have limits set on the number NZUs they are holding and be required to disclose their stockpiles under proposals being considered by the Government.
NZ emissions continue to climb
9 Jul 2021
New Zealand’s emissions have continued their upward trend according to data released by Stats NZ yesterday.
NZUs continue to climb
8 Jul 2021
The price of NZUs have increased by more than 24% since the beginning of last month – hitting $46 on both the Commtrade and Carbon Match platforms yesterday.
Strong case for biogas generation: Professor Ralph Sims
8 Jul 2021
EMERITUS Professor Ralph Sims, who co-wrote an NZ Standard on biogas in the 1980s, responds to the Biogas and Biomethane Report released yesterday.
The Conversation: Climate Change Commission legal challenge
8 Jul 2021
New Zealand’s Climate Change Commission is facing its first legal hurdle, as a group of 300 climate-concerned lawyers seek judicial review of the processes it used to calculate carbon budgets in its recently released advice to government.
Just transition a top priority: Shaw
7 Jul 2021
Climate Change Minister James Shaw has told an audience in Wellington that a just transition will be a top priority in the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan
Biogas could meet 20% of NZ’s needs by 2050
7 Jul 2021
A joint study by engineering consultancy Beca, Firstgas and Fonterra claims renewable gas could replace close to 20% of New Zealand’s total gas usage by 2050.
Warmest June on record
6 Jul 2021
Winter got off to a very warm start in New Zealand – it was the country’s warmest June on record.
Shuttering NZUs 'wouldn't hurt': Shaw
5 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says buying NZUs with the intention of lowering New Zealand's total emissions 'wouldn't hurt,' in part two of his interview with Carbon News.
Voluntary NZ carbon credit drought
2 Jul 2021
Local businesses wanting to claim zero-carbon status are finding it difficult to obtain verified, voluntary New Zealand carbon credits, the Environment Select Committee heard yesterday.
Lawyers file court proceeding against Climate Change Commission
2 Jul 2021
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ (LCANZI) today filed High Court proceedings seeking judicial review of the Climate Change Commission’s advice to the Minister for Climate Change.
Feebate could see ETS cap reduce: Shaw
1 Jul 2021
Minister for Climate Change James Shaw says policies like the feebate scheme will allow the government to reduce the ETS cap quicker than would otherwise be the case.
Climate risk critical to investment decisions: Orr
30 Jun 2021
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr urged attendees at yesterday’s Mindful Money Awards to incorporate climate risk into how they invest and allocate capital.
Greater Wellington aims to be carbon positive by 2035
29 Jun 2021
The Greater Wellington Regional Council is this morning expected to approve a long-term plan committing it to being climate positive by 2035.
No plans for halogen ban
29 Jun 2021
The Government has no plans to follow Britain, The EU and Australia’s lead in banning halogen lightbulbs.
Could halogen lightbulbs be next?
28 Jun 2021
With the Government announcement that single-use plastic packaging is to be phased out, could a British-style ban on halogen lightbulbs be next?
Calls for disclosure Bill to be widened
25 Jun 2021
In its current form the Financial Sector (Climate-related Disclosures and Other Matters) Amendment Bill would see the Ports of Napier required to disclose its climate risks but not the Ports of Otago, a select committee heard yesterday.
NZU price keeps climbing
25 Jun 2021
NZUs are trading at all-time highs of more than $43 on both CommTrade and Carbon Match today
Carbon dividend would be “socially progressive”: Shaw
24 Jun 2021
Climate Change Minister James Shaw told this morning’s Environment Select Committee that using revenues from ETS auctions to pay a carbon dividend would be “socially progressive.”
ETS auction clears at $41.70
23 Jun 2021
The second NZ ETS auction cleared at a price of $41.70 today.
Some towns and communities won’t survive climate change: Andrew Little
23 Jun 2021
Health Minister Andrew told a public health conference in Wellington yesterday that some towns and communities won't survive the effects of climate change.
Submission pile-up at congestion hearings
22 Jun 2021
Anyone wanting to wade their way through the written submissions to the Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee’s hearings on congestion pricing in Auckland will need to set aside a day or two… there’s 435 of them.
Universities’ GHG emissions plummet due to Covid
21 Jun 2021
With carbon emissions from academic travel plummeting by close to 90 per cent, New Zealand universities are looking at how they can lock-in some of those reductions in a post-Covid world.
Billions of dollars of benefits overlooked by ClimCom
21 Jun 2021
The Climate Change Commission has failed to fully take into account billions of dollars in potential savings from climate change mitigation, according to some of Zealand's leading epidemiologists.
Pests a major contributor to climate change: Forest & Bird
18 Jun 2021
THE West Coast’s kamahi-podocarp forests are bleeding 3.4 million tonnes of stored carbon annually because of browsing deer, goats, chamois and possums, a Forest and Bird Report, released today, reveals.
Do sport and climate change mix?
17 Jun 2021
The All Black’s current sponsor, AIG, and the company tipped to replace it, INEOS, are both under fire for their climate change records.
Discounted loans for sustainable farming
17 Jun 2021
ASB has taken advantage of the Reserve Bank’s Funding for Lending scheme to offer discounted lending to farmers adopting sustainable practices.
Climate Change Commission faces possible legal challenge
15 Jun 2021
Lawyers for Climate Action NZ are considering bringing a judicial review against the Climate Change Commission on the grounds that its recently released final advice to the government is incompatible with keeping global warming to 1.5c.
Getting people out of their cars a top priority
14 Jun 2021
The lead author of a 2016 Royal Society report that recommended a feebate scheme says yesterday’s announcement is welcome news but getting people out of their cars remains a top priority.
ETS needs strengthening: ClimCom
11 Jun 2021
The Climate Change Commission has recommended that the ETS be amended to further tilt incentives towards emission reduction and away from the planting of exotic forests.
Coal's share of electricity generation doubles in March quarter
11 Jun 2021
The first three months of this year saw the percentage of carbon spewing, coal-generated electricity double compared to the same period last year.
Children of the poor likely to be hit hardest by climate change
11 Jun 2021
The Climate Change Commission has warned that the poor, Maori, Pasifika and those with disabilities could shoulder a disproportionate amount of any financial pain caused by the transition to a zero-carbon economy.
Responses to ClimCom final advice divides along usual lines
10 Jun 2021
An avalanche of press releases in response to yesterday’s release of the Climate Change Commission’s final advice to the government sees interest groups dividing along familiar lines.
Inaia tonu nei – the time is now
9 Jun 2021
Inaia tonu nei – the time is now: a low emissions future for Aotearoa – the Climate Commission’s final advice to the Government, released to the public today, says a revision of the New Zealand’s baseline emissions has made the task ahead “slightly more difficult.”
Offsetting beer's environmental hangover
8 Jun 2021
Next time you take a swig of Steinlager you can rest easy knowing that Lion has paid one cent to offset the carbon emitted during its brewing.
NZU price on the up
8 Jun 2021
After dropping from a high of $39.60 in February to $36.25 last month, the price of NZUs is on the way up, crossing the $38 mark today.
E-bike sales up 300 per cent – SUV sales skyrocket
4 Jun 2021
In mixed news for the climate, e-bike sales are going through the roof – but so are those of double cab utes and SUVs.
Government commits more money to cars and bikes
4 Jun 2021
And in more mixed news for the climate, the Government today announced plans for a new cycle and pedestrian harbour bridge for Auckland and confirmed the $1.5 billion dollar Otaki to Levin expressway will go ahead.
Reserve Bank to commit puutea to climate change
3 Jun 2021
The Reserve Bank will use part of its $85 billion balance sheet to help deal with the challenges of climate change, the bank’s head of financial markets Vanessa Rayner said in a speech released yesterday.
Structural problems standing in the way of farming innovators
2 Jun 2021
Structural problems in the agriculture sector are preventing a new generation of farmers committed to dealing with climate change from putting their ideas into practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor told the NZ Agriculture and Climate Change conference in Wellington this morning.
Lawyers for Climate Action call on Govt to walk the talk
1 Jun 2021
Lawyers for Climate Action have told the Government that exempting government agencies from financial disclosure requirements would be a fundamental failure by government to lead by example.
Greens promise to take forestry out of the ETS
Mon 27 Jul 2026
The Green Party launched its election manifesto at its AGM yesterday, promising action to reduce climate pollution and boost resilience, with an emphasis on Emissions Trading Scheme reform.
Contact: New biodiversity goal may be 'highly problematic' for renewable projects
Fri 24 Jul 2026
By Oli Lewis | The goal of no net loss of indigenous biodiversity in the new resource management system may be highly problematic for renewable energy developments, Contact Energy says.
Study outlines methane-cutting options for NZ livestock
21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Breeding, feed and forage strategies could play a key role in reducing methane emissions from New Zealand's grazing livestock, with researchers concluding that a combination of approaches will be needed to achieve meaningful cuts.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Weakening Clean Car Standard would hurt EV uptake, industry warns
7 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Electric vehicle advocates say weakening the Clean Car Standard would reduce access to new EV models, undermining New Zealand's place in global supply chains and slowing the country's transition to lower-emissions transport.
National deer management strategy urgently needed to halt 'catastrophe' for native forests
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Scientists are calling for an urgent national deer management strategy, with deer numbers now at unsustainable levels and decimating native forests.
Business leaders say climate report ‘wake-up call’ for NZ
Thu 23 Jul 2026
By Liz Kivi | CEO-led organisations representing 42% of GDP are calling the Climate Change Commission’s latest report “a significant wake-up call for New Zealand.”
