New Zealand: All stories
Government can order ACC to quit fossil fuels
22 Nov 2019
The Government has the power to instruct its largest institutional investor, the Accident Compensation Corporation, to pull out of fossil fuel investments, a select committee says.
Carbon footprints not on Government agenda
22 Nov 2019
The Government is not considering the carbon footprint of imported goods.
The little windfarm that could ...
22 Nov 2019
It might not be on the scale of Mercury’s Turitea project, but New Zealand’s newest windfarm, on Stewart Island, will make a dent in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
We need to find ways to store extra energy
22 Nov 2019
When the grid depends on clean but sporadic natural resources like wind and the sun, we’re going to need ways to capture any extra energy they produce so we can use it later.
Northport move will up emissions, says report
21 Nov 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions from freight currently shipped through Auckland will increase 400 per cent if the port’s operations are shifted to Northland, a new critique says.
Bill Gates backs startup using sunlight to make 1000deg heat
21 Nov 2019
Bill Gates is backing a venture which aims to turn sunlight into a source of heat exceeding 1000degC that could help to replace fossil fuels.
Can carbon offsets tackle airlines’ emissions problem?
21 Nov 2019
Not everyone is convinced that climate sins can be absolved through projects based on simple carbon accounting.
Bathurst boadsides Goverment's green agenda
20 Nov 2019
The Government’s environmental agenda is threatening the country’s mining industry and an orderly transition to a low-carbon economy, Bathurst Resources says.
'Green' cement step closer to cutting emissions
20 Nov 2019
Scientists have developed a “green” cement that could go a long way to cutting the construction industry’s emissions and making it more sustainable.
DIRTY SECRETS: Space camera tells tale of shipping pollution
20 Nov 2019
Exhausts from dirty heavy oils used in ships leave a telltale trail of such dense cloud that they can be tracked from space.
Crisis might have triggered faster wind speeds
20 Nov 2019
The global climate crisis could lead to more renewable electricity being generated by spurring faster wind speeds for the growing number of windfarms.
We're different from them, say pig farmers
19 Nov 2019
Pig farmers say their industry is responsible for only a fraction of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and should be treated differently from other agricultural businesses.
Even Nobel Prize winners can get it wrong
19 Nov 2019
William Nordhause was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics. But his predictions of what global heating will cost us are dangerously at odds with the science.
Treasury casts eye over emissions changes
18 Nov 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions from farming will fall 12 per cent by the middle of the century even without a carbon price, Treasury says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
18 Nov 2019
Anyone with an interest in climate change and carbon trading is probably flat-out trying to put together submissions on a host of Government consultations.
Jet stream battle raging above our heads
18 Nov 2019
When prolonged periods of severe weather strike, two things often get the blame these days: climate change and the jet stream.
National Party applauds farmers' pine protest
15 Nov 2019
The National Party says it supports farmers who marched on Parliament yesterday demanding a halt to the planting of carbon forests on productive farmland.
IEA points finger at gas-guzzling SUVs
15 Nov 2019
The world’s thirst for oil will continue to grow over the next two decades, with climate-damaging emissions climbing until at least 2040, the IEA says.
Young campaigners see nation adopt carbon laws
14 Nov 2019
New Zealand’s zero-carbon legislation becomes law today.
Incineration no solution to plastic waste crisis
14 Nov 2019
Since the Chinese market closed, 58 per cent of New Zealand’s plastic waste now goes to Asian countries with weak regulations and high rankings as global sources of marine plastic pollution.
Bigger hurricanes are now more damaging
14 Nov 2019
The biggest and most damaging hurricanes are now three times more frequent than they were 100 years ago, say researchers.
RMA could ease path of climate-change work
13 Nov 2019
Climate-saving projects could get an easier run under the Resource Management Act, says a Government-commissioned panel of experts.
Farm protest march misleading, say foresters
13 Nov 2019
Forestry bodies say the organisers of a protest in Wellington tomorrow over the planting of forests on farmland are misleading the public.
Mercury gives green light to country's biggest windfarm
13 Nov 2019
Mercury is going ahead with plans to build the country’s largest windfarm.
New battery could slash cost of e-cars
13 Nov 2019
A new battery technology that could significantly reduce the price of electric cars and home battery systems has taken a major step towards commercialisation.
Minister questions forest conversion claims
12 Nov 2019
The Government denies large areas of productive farmland are being converted to forestry as the country tries to offset its greenhouse gas emissions.
'Catastrophic' bushfires sound alarm bells in NZ
12 Nov 2019
Experts planning for increased fire risk in New Zealand as the planet warms are looking across the Tasman in alarm at “catastrophic” fire conditions.
Drivers love their e-cars, says BMW
12 Nov 2019
BMW has called for European policymakers to roll out electric vehicles on a massive scale, saying its customers are turning to e-cars - and loving them.
Should we be tougher on carbon risk disclosure?
11 Nov 2019
The Government is asking the public whether companies should be forced to disclose their carbon and climate risk.
New party backs emissions pricing
11 Nov 2019
A new environment-based political party supports emissions pricing, wants the Climate Change Commission to set the methane reduction target, and says it would be reluctant to get rid of a ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
11 Nov 2019
Last week’s passing of the zero-carbon act doesn’t mean an end to climate-change-related rallies in Wellington.
That's the act done ... now on with the changes
8 Nov 2019
The zero carbon act is law; bring on reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Upton wants more bite for environment reporting
8 Nov 2019
The Government should have to at least respond to official reports on the state of New Zealand’s environment and climate, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Wall Street increasingly weighs climate risks
8 Nov 2019
In the wake of two years of wildfires in California, Wall Street is incorporating a new risk metric when evaluating companies: climate resiliency.
MPs rubbish call on overseas emissions
7 Nov 2019
Parliament has roundly rejected an attempt to get overseas emission reductions given the same weight as New Zealand projects under new climate legislation.
Parker opens green door with Costa Rica
7 Nov 2019
Trade and environment minister David Parker has met with his counterpart from Costa Rica in China this week as the two countries move towards a climate trade agreement.
Industry sees process heat alternatives
7 Nov 2019
New research shows how everything from wood to ultraviolet light and ultrasound can replace fossil-fuel-intensive heat sources in industrial processes.
Mission Methane will be run from our very own space base
7 Nov 2019
The Government is paying $26m for a ringside seat to an international space mission helping to tackle climate change.
NZ scientists back global climate statement
6 Nov 2019
Leading New Zealand climate scientist Professor James Renwick says an 11,000-strong global statement by scientists warning of “untold suffering” as the climate changes should be taken seriously.
OPINION: UK farmers are the best
6 Nov 2019
BY JOE STANLEY | As a cattle farmer I come under constant criticism, but UK livestock production is among the most sustainable in the world.
Behind the wheel of a hydrogen car
6 Nov 2019
Why is the clean, green hydrogen technology lagging far behind the hybrid and all-electric sectors of the car industry?
Volvo lands biggest order for e-buses
6 Nov 2019
Volvo Buses has received the largest single order for electric buses in Europe.
Kiwi company pushes one-click carbon offsetting
5 Nov 2019
CarbonClick plans to be as much of a disrupter for carbon offsetting as Xero has been for accounting.
Government happy with ZCB direction
5 Nov 2019
The Government intends sticking with the recommendations of the select committee when the zero-carbon bill comes back before Parliament this afternoon.
Staunch Nats vow to change zero-carbon bill
4 Nov 2019
National still hopes to drive through changes to the zero-carbon bill before it is passed this week.
Foresters query claims over dairy land sales
4 Nov 2019
Forest owners are challenging claims that vast areas of productive farmland are being turned into carbon forests by foreign investors.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
4 Nov 2019
It’s the climate week in Parliament, with the zero-carbon bill expected to pass by Thursday and amendments to the Emissions Trading Scheme getting their first airing.
Government wants info on biofuture of wood
1 Nov 2019
Government plans for a report into the potential to use wood to make bioproducts is being hailed by those pushing for a biofutures industry.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
