New Zealand: All stories
EDITORIAL: All aboard!
14 May 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | Whangarei Engineering Company – better known as Weco – was once the country’s biggest shipyard.
Third of new Toyotas are hybrid, says company
14 May 2020
A third of new Toyota vehicles sold in New Zealand are hybrids, the company says.
Why Govt should put exisiting buildings first
14 May 2020
Improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings should be the country’s top energy priority, an insulation company says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
14 May 2020
It’s Budget Day; at 2pm, the Government will unveil its economic plans for the year, including what finance minister Grant Robertson says is the first stage of the national recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.
Wind might pass coal sooner than we thought
14 May 2020
A milestone in the clean energy transition may arrive earlier than expected, with renewables overtaking coal as a leading source of electricity by the end of this year.
Pandemic will permanently change car industry
14 May 2020
Plunging sales could force car factories to close and lead to takeovers and mergers, but also bolster sales of electric vehicles.
Industry blames Beehive for plant closure
13 May 2020
New Zealand’s only large biodiesel plant is being mothballed in a move the industry says is a direct result of the Government’s failure to plan for the future of the country’s energy production.
Ammonia no wonder-fuel, says NZ expert
13 May 2020
Ammonia is unlikely to become a wonder-fuel in the near future, a New Zealand energy expert says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
13 May 2020
Tomorrow is Budget Day, when the Government will, presumably, unveil some of its plans to help the economy recovery from the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic.
Bad soil fungi will welcome warmer weather
13 May 2020
Rising temperatures will increase crop losses as warmer soils encourage the growth of pathogenic soil fungi, scientists say.
New genetics regime will cut dairy herd emissions
12 May 2020
A new national regime for recording dairy genetics will help to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s herd, officials say.
Ammonia is the energy future, say scientists
12 May 2020
Forget hydrogen – the energy future is ammonia, Australia researchers say.
Don't force us to disclose, says business lobby
11 May 2020
Businesses should not be forced to disclose their exposure to risks from climate change, Business New Zealand says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
11 May 2020
The Government will announce this afternoon whether covid-19 pandemic restrictions will be eased, taking the country from level three to level two.
POLITICS AT PLAY: Get with the programme
8 May 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | It seems the old fracture lines in the politics of climate change are still there.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
8 May 2020
Parliament's Epidemic Response Select Committee hears submissions today from Business New Zealand and Local Government New Zealand – two organisations promoting a low-carbon pandemic recovery.
Why world cannot return to 'business as usual'
8 May 2020
Mayors from many of the world’s leading cities have warned there can be no return to “business as usual” in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis if humanity is to escape catastrophic climate breakdown.
Budget will move on emissions, hints Robertson
7 May 2020
Finance minister Grant Robertson has just given the strongest signal yet that next week’s Budget will include plans to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions as well as rescuing the economy from the impacts of the covid-19 crisis.
Small businesses get guide to cutting emissions
7 May 2020
Small businesses wanting to cut emissions have a new guide to show them how to do it.
Officials untangle emissions and planning consent
7 May 2020
Officials are working on national guidelines to help councils to deal with greenhouse gas emissions in planning processes and consents.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
7 May 2020
Parliament sits today, but is not expected to get to either of the climate change bills on the order paper – reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the Resource Management Act.
ABOUT DROUGHT: 2020 looks like one of worst
6 May 2020
This year is proving to be one of the worst on record in New Zealand for drought, adding weight to scientists’ projections about the impact climate change could have on the country.
Nats favour wider spread in covid recovery plan
6 May 2020
National says cutting carbon emissions should not be the only priority of the covid-19 recovery programme.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
6 May 2020
Today is a busy day for sustainable business leaders; the Sustainable Business Council’s Sustainability Leadership Programme kicks off and the Sustainable Business Network is holding discussions on New Zealand’s low-carbon future and a post-covid-19 sustainable economy.
ETS faces biggest overhaul in 10 years
5 May 2020
The biggest overhaul of the Emissions Trading Scheme since it was gutted in 2010 is back before Parliament.
Slow farmers might be forced into ETS
5 May 2020
Farmers might be forced into the Emissions Trading Scheme before 2025 if they fail to make sufficient progress towards cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Delay ETS changes for a year, say Nats
5 May 2020
The National Party wants changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme put on hold for a year, citing economic uncertainty caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
Big Investors show they're keen on green
5 May 2020
Major investors are backing calls to make the covid-19 economic recovery consistent with cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Nats don't like railway network plans
4 May 2020
National is resisting moves to run the country’s rail network on a less-than-purely-commercial footing.
Fast-track projects get nod from business and greenies
4 May 2020
Plans to fast-track some covid-19 recovery projects through the Resource Management Act are winning approval from business and environmentalists.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
4 May 2020
PARLIAMENT’S Environment Select Committee meets today for a briefing on the Government’s Estimates and to discuss the Urban Development Bill.
Big Business backs low-carbon recovery projects
1 May 2020
Big Business is pushing for low-carbon projects to be a priority for covid-19 pandemic recovery funding.
POLITICS: Re-birth of the ETS
1 May 2020
The Environment Select Committee’s report on planned changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme goes back to Parliament on Monday.
Emissions drop is not all good news
1 May 2020
Experts have cautioned that a drop of nearly 8 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions should not be seen as good news for efforts to tackle climate change.
Stand by for big blows in the Atlantic
1 May 2020
New forecasts show that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which will take place between June and November, is shaping up to be among the worst.
RMA welcomes back greenhouse gas emissions
30 Apr 2020
Greenhouse gas emissions are set to come back into the Resource Management Act, making it compulsory for councils to consider climate change in granting resource consents.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
30 Apr 2020
Today is the deadline for trade-exposed heavy emitters to apply for free carbon credits to offset a large portion (60 per cent or 90 per cent, depending on the sector) of last year’s greenhouse gas emissions.
EDS puts future tourism in the slow lane
29 Apr 2020
The covid-19 pandemic gives New Zealand a chance to switch to “slow” tourism that doesn’t threaten the country’s fragile landscapes, the Environmental Defence Society says.
Auckland plays hardball with RMA breaches
29 Apr 2020
Auckland Council is cracking down on people breaching the Resource Management Act, a new report says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
29 Apr 2020
Trade-exposed heavy emitters have only today and tomorrow to apply for free carbon credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
This year likely to be hottest since records began
29 Apr 2020
This year is on course to be the world’s hottest since measurements began, according to meteorologists.
Costs kill Mercedes dreams of hydrogen
29 Apr 2020
Mercedes-Benz is killing its programme to develop passenger cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
What we do now with the economy is crucial
28 Apr 2020
The actions governments take now to stimulate their economies in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic will either slow or exacerbate climate change, international experts say.
Govt cans changes to electricity factor
28 Apr 2020
The Government is shelving plans to review the way electricity costs are calculated in deciding how many free carbon credits should be given to industry.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
28 Apr 2020
It’s back to business for some today – including MPs – as the country moves from level four to level three of the covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Free credits could be lifeline for Marsden refinery
24 Apr 2020
Free carbon credits could be worth $18 million a year for the Marsden Point oil refinery and in some years be the difference between profit and loss, Treasury says.
‘Pathetic': experts slam govt’s approach to adaptation
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | The government has signalled it will step back from full property buyouts if assets are hit by climate disasters, a move adaptation experts say will condemn hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders to a “dismal” future.
Electricity Authority proposes doubling solar export limits to 10 kW
Today 11:00am
The Electricity Authority is proposing a default 10kW export limit for small-scale generation, saying new inverter standards and voltage settings allow homes and businesses to feed more power into local networks without compromising safety.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
Fri 17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Govt releases updated emissions projections
13 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Ministry for the Environment has released updated emissions projections to 2050, which show significant differences to the Climate Change Commission's recent projections for the same period.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Emails show forestry lobby fought Gisborne crackdown as slash clean-up drags on
26 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Sustainable land use advocates are accusing Eastland Wood Council of stonewalling efforts to tighten forestry rules, after correspondence between the group and the local council was released under the Official Information Act.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
