New Zealand: All stories
Green groups take on energy giant
4 Mar 2020
General Electric is in the sights of 65 environmental groups for promoting coal-fired power generation in 17 countries.
How wood waste can strengthen recycled concrete
4 Mar 2020
Researchers in Japan have revealed that discarded concrete can be strengthened with the addition of wood waste.
Officials question farmer ETS obligation
3 Mar 2020
Making farmers instead of agricultural processing companies the point of obligation under the Emissions Trading Scheme could push administration costs up 4000 per cent, officials say.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
3 Mar 2020
Parliament sits today and will resume debate on the Prime Minister’s speech.
Climate not big election issue, says National
2 Mar 2020
Climate change should be less of an election issue this year than it was last time round, thanks to cross-party agreement on the zero-carbon act, says National Party climate spokesperson Scott Simpson.
Campaigners hail fossil-fuels investments move
2 Mar 2020
The Government’s decision to ban default superannuation funds investing in fossil fuels is being welcomed by campaigners and criticised by the oil industry.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
2 Mar 2020
MPs are back to Parliament this week, with the House sitting tomorrow and on Wednesday and Thursday.
We need to know changes to ETS, say foresters
28 Feb 2020
Forest owners – who yesterday called for a $200-a-tonne carbon tax on the burning of coal – say changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme should be signalled in the May Budget.
FRIDAY POLITICS: A new look at the air we breathe
28 Feb 2020
The Government announced plans this week to overhaul the rules governing air quality and fine particulate matter.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
28 Feb 2020
Today is the last day to make submissions on the Government’s proposals to change the Emissions Trading Scheme’s settings and on ways to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy generation.
Dire prospects await corporate climate-wreckers
28 Feb 2020
Reputational damage, financial vulnerability and a lack of access to capital are likely impacts on firms that fail to respond to the climate crisis this decade, experts surveyed for a new study say.
Forest owners want tax on burning of coal
27 Feb 2020
Forest owners are calling for a $200-a-tonne tax on the burning of coal and the implementation of the Government’s promised “wood-first” policy.
Tourism operators ill-informed, says report
27 Feb 2020
Parts of the tourism industry are so ill-informed about what climate change could do to New Zealand that they think the sector could actually benefit from it, a new report says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
27 Feb 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern leaves Fiji today for Sydney, where she will meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
JPMorgan Chase to curb fossil fuel loans
27 Feb 2020
JPMorgan Chase, one of the world’s biggest lenders to fossil fuel projects, will curb loans to coal firms and bar the financing of oil and gas developments in the Arctic.
Ride-hailing operations highly carbon intensive
27 Feb 2020
A new study finds the ride-hailing companies emit nearly 70 percent more carbon thanks largely to a practice known as “deadheading.”
Pricey carbon could push up prices at the pump
26 Feb 2020
Carbon prices of $50 a tonne – the figure the Government is putting forward as the new price cap – could put the price of diesel up 13c a litre and petrol up 7c a litre.
SMELTER SMOOCH: Tiwai wants to work with taxpayer
26 Feb 2020
An industrial heavyweight that last year received $12 million worth of free carbon credits from taxpayers says it wants to work with the Government and community to create a low-carbon world.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
26 Feb 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s visit to Fiji continues today, where discussion on climate change is on the agenda.
Not in five years, but holy grail of energy on its way
26 Feb 2020
Recent reports from scientists pursuing a new kind of nuclear fusion technology are encouraging, but we are still some distance away from the “holy grail of clean energy”.
Old batteries can be source of new energy
26 Feb 2020
Driving an electric-powered vehicle rather than one reliant on fossil fuels is a key way to tackle climate change and improve air quality − but it does leave the old batteries behind as a nasty residue.
Solar power booms just miles from the Arctic Circle
26 Feb 2020
For years after northern Finland's largest printing plant blanketed its facility's eight roofs with solar panels, the curious beat a path to the extraordinary spectacle.
NZ risks missing biofuels chance, says industry
25 Feb 2020
New Zealand risks missing the chance to use biofuels to develop fuel independence and avoid buying costly international carbon credits, officials are being told.
Taxpayers give smelter credits worth $12m
25 Feb 2020
Taxpayer-funded carbon credits were worth $12.1 million last year to Tiwai Point aluminium smelter operator Pacific Aluminium.
Air NZ joins space agency in climate watch
25 Feb 2020
Air New Zealand is working with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration to monitor climate change in New Zealand.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
25 Feb 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is in Fiji today and tomorrow, talking with Fiji PM Frank Bainimarama about climate change.
Fertiliser could power ocean-going ships
25 Feb 2020
Ocean-going ships could be powered by ammonia within the decade as the shipping industry takes action to curb carbon emissions.
Billions are pouring into mobility technology
25 Feb 2020
Over the past decade, almost $US200 billion has been invested globally in mobility technology that promises to improve our ability to get around.
Bots produce quarter of climate tweets
25 Feb 2020
The social media conversation over the climate crisis is being reshaped by an army of automated Twitter bots, with a new analysis finding that a quarter of all tweets about climate on an average day are produced by bots.
Z Energy worries about access to units
24 Feb 2020
One of the country’s largest emitters fears there might not be enough carbon credits available for surrender in 2021.
Methane revelations might benefit our farmers
24 Feb 2020
Revelations that fossil fuels are responsible for a greater percentage of methane in the atmosphere than was thought could be good news for New Zealand farmers – but only if the rest of the world is prompted to cut fossil-fuel extraction more quickly.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
24 Feb 2020
Auckland Council’s audit and risk committee meets today and says climate change mitigation and adaption continue to be top risks for the council, leading to potential environmental degradation, economic inequality, social vulnerability and financial and reputational damage.
FRIDAY POLITICS: Ready, willing, and Abel
21 Feb 2020
By ADELIA HALLETT | A largely unheralded candidate selection in Auckland this week could prove pivotal in New Zealand’s climate politics.
Wellington again plugs electric buses
21 Feb 2020
Wellington will get more electric buses as part of a drive to slash emissions.
Aucklanders take to public transport
21 Feb 2020
Auckland’s public transport system is finally as popular as it was in the 1950s – albeit with five times the population.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
21 Feb 2020
You’ve got one week left to get in submissions on changes to the settings of the Emissions Trading Scheme and on the Government’s plans to accelerate the use of renewable energy.
Researchers claim solar efficiency breakthrough
21 Feb 2020
A flexible solar “skin” that could be used to generate power on homes, cars and phones is a step closer to development after the technology was used to break a world record for electricity conversion, researchers say.
Tesla creeps closer to 640-mile mark
21 Feb 2020
Tesla has announced an increased range as a step toward bringing electric vehicles — and their contribution to combating climate change — into the mainstream.
Free carbon credits might get early overhaul
20 Feb 2020
The entire formula used to calculate how free many free carbon credits heavy emitters receive might be overhauled before the end of the year.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
20 Feb 2020
Parliament’s Environment Committee is discussing changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme today, as well as the annual reports of the Environmental Protection Authority and Predator Free 2050.
Some aerosol emissions might have an up-side
20 Feb 2020
Human aerosol emissions might have partially offset global economic inequality by reducing warming.
Z Energy offers free deal on offsetting
19 Feb 2020
Z Energy is moving into the offsetting business – for free.
Funds back 110 more EV-charging stations
19 Feb 2020
Money towards another 110 electric-vehicle-charging stations has been announced this morning, bringing the number of Government-funded stations to more than 1000.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
19 Feb 2020
Applications for the Government’s Low-Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund open today, with secure parking for electric bikes eligible for the first time.
Climate research struggles to find funding
19 Feb 2020
Climate research is the poor relation of the academic world. Since 1990 it has won less than five per cent of the research funds available.
Air NZ emissions climbing, says global report
18 Feb 2020
Air New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are rising faster than its emissions-reduction schemes are coping with, a new paper shows.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
18 Feb 2020
Greater Wellington Regional Council’s environment committee meets today to set environmental priorities.
CROSSING THE LINE: A scientist’s road from neutrality
18 Feb 2020
American scientist Nathan Phillips, who has just ended a 14-day hunger strike, said he was compelled to action by dissatisfaction with academia’s passivity and the fervor of his students.
There's more to it than just trucks, says Volvo
18 Feb 2020
Shifting the heavy transport sector from diesel to electricity will take more than just the availability of trucks, says Swedish auto maker Volvo.
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.
Victorian 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.
