New Zealand: All stories
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
3 Apr 2020
International climate negotiations – including the COP26 talks in Glasgow – have been postponed because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Carbon News still coming your way
3 Apr 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
Blue energy revolution comes of age
3 Apr 2020
The amount of energy generated by tides and waves in the past decade has increased 10-fold. Now governments around the world are planning to scale up these ventures to tap into the oceans’ vast store of blue energy.
Lift RMA emissions ban, says select committee
2 Apr 2020
A 2004 ban on considering greenhouse gas emissions in resource consents should be overturned, the Environment Select Committee has told Parliament.
Government aims to put planning on fast-track
2 Apr 2020
The Government is looking at ways to fast-track through the planning process projects under its covid-19 recovery package.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
2 Apr 2020
The Environmental Defence Society has cancelled its August summit but hopes to go ahead with the annual Climate Change and Business Conference in October.
Carbon News still coming your way
2 Apr 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
Hydrogen not the answer for transport, says study
2 Apr 2020
Renewable hydrogen has the potential to slash the global greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel power generation by more than one-third, but it’s not the answer for low-carbon automotive transport, says a new report.
We'll favour job-producing projects, says Jones
1 Apr 2020
The Government will back low-carbon projects in its post-covid-19 infrastructure spend-up – but only if they create jobs, says infrastructure minister Shane Jones.
Wind turbines might fit the bill for new projects
1 Apr 2020
New wind turbines are among the projects the Government’s Infrastructure Industry Reference Group is looking for to help to boost employment in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
1 Apr 2020
Infrastructure minister Shane Jones says he wants to hear directly from people with ideas for “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects.
Carbon News still coming your way
1 Apr 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
ETS reform still a top job, says minister
31 Mar 2020
Reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme remains a priority for the Government, despite disruption caused by the covid-19 pandemic, says climate minister James Shaw.
Pandemic clears the air
31 Mar 2020
The covid-19 pandemic shutdown is improving New Zealand’s air quality.
Carbon News still coming your way
31 Mar 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
Offshore windfarms have future, say experts
30 Mar 2020
Offshore windfarms could stack up financially in New Zealand from the middle of the century, experts say.
Scientists cut short climate cruise
30 Mar 2020
Research off the east coast of New Zealand into the link between clouds, phytoplankton and climate change has been cut short because of the covid-19 state of emergency.
Carbon News still coming your way
30 Mar 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
30 Mar 2020
Tomorrow is the last day to file emissions returns or apply for a 20-day extension because of the effect the covid-19 pandemic lockdown is having on businesses.
Stage set for surge in sustainable investing
30 Mar 2020
The coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout will trigger a skyward surge in sustainable, responsible and impactful investing over the next 12 months, says the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations.
Coronavirus hinders climate science
30 Mar 2020
The global response to the coronavirus pandemic is disrupting climate science.
Deadline nears for emissions return extensions
27 Mar 2020
Businesses struggling to complete a 2019 emissions return because of the state of emergency in New Zealand must apply for an extension before Tuesday.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
27 Mar 2020
Submissions on the use of nitrogen inhibitors in agriculture which were due to be with the Ministry of Primary Industries today now close on April 5.
Carbon News still coming your way
27 Mar 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
OPINION: Science makes a comeback
26 Mar 2020
By JIM SALINGER | This has been a strange period and I have been reflecting on the uptake of scientific facts and advice with the covid-19 pandemic.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
26 Mar 2020
The Environment Select Committee’s report-back on proposed changes to the Resource Management Act, scheduled for today, has been postponed until the end of next month.
Carbon News still coming your way
26 Mar 2020
New Zealand is under a state of emergency, with all non-essential movement and contact banned.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
25 Mar 2020
Parliament meets today to pass legislation putting the country into a state of emergency.
It's official, e-cars produce less CO2
25 Mar 2020
Electric vehicles produce less carbon dioxide than petrol cars across the vast majority of the globe – contrary to the claims of some detractors, who have alleged that the CO2 emitted in the production of electricity and their manufacture outweighs the benefits.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
24 Mar 2020
Parliament’s select committees will continue working during the covid-19 shutdown but will be holding virtual instead of physical meetings.
Carbon News in the time of covid
24 Mar 2020
With the world’s attention on the covid-19 pandemic, little attention is being given just now to the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare ourselves for inevitable levels of global warming.
New carbon trading platform causes a stir
23 Mar 2020
Political questions are being asked about the appropriateness of a State-owned company providing services in the carbon market.
Otaki sets up solar farm to power the town
23 Mar 2020
A new solar farm in Otaki will power the town’s wastewater plant and power the local high school, with profits being used for more community energy projects.
Carbon News in the time of covid
23 Mar 2020
With the world’s attention on the covid-19 pandemic, little attention is being given just now to the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare ourselves for inevitable levels of global warming.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
23 Mar 2020
A meeting of Greater Wellington Regional Council’s climate committee scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Poor water systems greater risk than virus, says UN
23 Mar 2020
Decades of chronic underfunding of water infrastructure is putting many countries at worse risk in the coronavirus crisis, experts said as the UN marked World Water Day.
MPs put 1.5 million reasons to stop wasting food
20 Mar 2020
New Zealand could cut 1.5 million tonnes from its annual greenhouse gas emissions if it stopped wasting food, MPs say.
POLITICS: Sorry, we're a bit busy
20 Mar 2020
CLIMATE change received only the briefest of attention in Parliament this week.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
20 Mar 2020
Covid-19-related cancellations continue, with the Agricultural Climate Change Conference scheduled for Palmerston North on April 1 and 2 the latest casualty.
General Motors wants to go big on EVs
20 Mar 2020
General Motors' Bolt and Volt models never sold well, but now the company is touting a battery that has more range than Tesla’s.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
19 Mar 2020
Parliament’s Environment Select Committee is hearing submissions on the Urban Development Bill today.
Scientists back soil sequestration
18 Mar 2020
Soil sequestration could remove billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the atmosphere, scientists say.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
18 Mar 2020
Workshops with businesses affected by changes to the way in which the allocation of free credits to heavy emitters is calculated are being cancelled.
Big emitters get pandemic warning
17 Mar 2020
Allowing emitters to use the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to slow action on climate change would be a mistake, environmental organisations are warning.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
17 Mar 2020
Restrictions on travel and public gatherings as a result of the spread of the Covid-19 virus are affecting climate-change events.
Global heat closing in on Paris Agreement target
16 Mar 2020
Global average temperatures so far this year are 1.4deg above pre-Industrial levels – just 0.1deg below the Paris Agreement target.
Super fund dumps big emitters - and fills pockets
16 Mar 2020
New Zealand’s national superannuation fund is hundreds of millions of dollars off because it has shed high-carbon investments, says chief executive Matt Whineray.
ClimCom opens doors to carbon-budget ideas
16 Mar 2020
Energy, transport, farming and forestry businesses are the first sectors to put their vision of a carbon-neutral New Zealand to the body charged with developing the country’s carbon budgets.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
16 Mar 2020
This week’s energy sector conference in Wellington is going ahead, although the coronavirus pandemic means not everyone will be there in person.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
