New Zealand: All stories
It's time to 'pull finger', EDS tells politicians
7 Oct 2019
The organisers of a high-powered business and climate change conference in Auckland this week say it is way past time for politicians to come together.
EDITORIAL: Uncomfortable is coming, ready or not
7 Oct 2019
By ADELIA HALLETT | Protests like the one that has closed off some Wellington streets today and is preventing staff from a major government department from getting to work make some people uncomfortable.
Largest banks lagging in sustainable finance
7 Oct 2019
Most of the world’s 50 largest banks have not made sustainable finance commitments to respond to the risks of climate change and continue to finance fossil fuels, says a new report.
OPINION: Greta good, but let's not forget other young voices
7 Oct 2019
By CHIKA UNIGWE | Young people in the global south have been tackling the climate crisis for years. They should be celebrated, too.
NZ bankrolls Scottish search for clean green sheep
4 Oct 2019
New Zealand is putting money and science behind Scottish research into farming climate-friendly sheep.
Govt signs global agreement to cut HFCs
4 Oct 2019
New Zealand has today ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, promising to reduce the use of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons.
NZ scientists use algae to improve Japanese cars
3 Oct 2019
New Zealand scientists are working with the Japanese motor industry to find a low-carbon replacement for fuels, plastics and a host of other substances.
Carbon connection missing from trade moves
2 Oct 2019
Carbon trading and tariffs on goods not subject to carbon pricing are not part of a New Zealand-led climate trade agreement.
ROBO-CROP: Five roles robots will play in future of farming
2 Oct 2019
With the complex data collecting devices of today’s world, agriculture is in the midst of a high-tech revolution- particularly in the area of precision farming.
Climate fears threaten tourism billions, says report
1 Oct 2019
Public fears about climate change threaten New Zealand’s $39-billion-a-year tourism revenue, a new report warns.
Why environment has place in red-meat debate
1 Oct 2019
Recommendations that people should keep eating red meat fail to take environmental damage into account – posing a long-term threat to human health, says one of New Zealand’s leading medical researchers.
Why nuclear power is not the answer
1 Oct 2019
With new plants costing from five to 10 times more than renewable options, and taking far longer to build, nuclear power cannot help against global warming.
Business slow to take up offsetting airline travel
30 Sep 2019
Most New Zealand businesses are not offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from flights, Air New Zealand says.
NZ sets new mark for coal-fired electricity
27 Sep 2019
New Zealand has burnt more coal to make electricity this winter than in any June quarter since 2014.
Insects might be trained to protect our crops
27 Sep 2019
Certain wasps and flies which lay their eggs in specific species such as aphids could be a sustainable form of pest control.
Ardern sets up climate-change trade deal
26 Sep 2019
New Zealand is one of five countries bringing climate change into a trade deal.
Farmers fret over green demands, says bank
26 Sep 2019
Fonterra’s economic woes are not the only thing worrying farmers – they’re also becoming increasingly anxious about the Government’s plans to make them clean up their environmental performance and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Scientists see stark future for oceans
26 Sep 2019
Extreme sea level events that used to occur once a century will strike every year on many coasts by 2050, according to a landmark report.
Most big firms likely to miss climate targets
26 Sep 2019
More than four in five of the world’s largest companies are not on track to meet the Paris climate targets for 2050, says a new study.
Emissions spotlight on land use and transport
25 Sep 2019
The committee of experts advising the Government on emissions budgeting has its sights set on our two biggest climate-polluting sectors – land use and transport.
Banks worth $47 trillion adopt climate principles
25 Sep 2019
Banks with more than $47 trillion in assets, or a third of the global industry, have adopted new UN-backed “responsible banking” principles to fight climate change.
ARDERN'S GLOBAL INVITE: Let's trade strengths
24 Sep 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told the world New Zealand wants climate change included in trade deals and global co-operation on carbon pricing.
Green fund hires clean-investment banker
24 Sep 2019
A former Bank of America Merrill Lynch vice-president with a background in financing “clean” investment is heading the investment programme of the Government’s Green Investment Fund.
Shippers see zero-emissions vessels by 2030
24 Sep 2019
Zero-emissions shipping will be a commercial reality by the end of next decade, according to a pledge JUST made by shipping giants.
Smarts and skills keys to the future, says Govt
23 Sep 2019
Deeper pools of capital, a smart, skilled and motivated workforce and plentiful clean energy are behind the Government’s plans for the future of the economy.
New water rules have Govt guessing on gases
20 Sep 2019
New rules to improve water quality will also drive down New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions – but the Government doesn’t know by how much.
Twice as many planes in 20 years, warns Airbus
20 Sep 2019
The number of commercial aircraft in operation will more than double in the next 20 years to 48,000 planes worldwide, Airbus has forecast.
Climate models predict bigger heat rise ahead
20 Sep 2019
Scientists using new climate models say a bigger heat rise than expected is possible by the end of the century.
At last, we're getting a look at climate risks
19 Sep 2019
Progress is being made at last on assessing the risk climate change poses to New Zealand.
Local businesses given emissions know-how
19 Sep 2019
The Government has released new advice for local businesses wanting to voluntarily offset their emissions.
Ardern has faith in farmers to do the job
18 Sep 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern agrees with farmers that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture should be managed at a farm level.
OPINION: The gloves are off
18 Sep 2019
By TIM FLANNERY | In this age of rapidly melting glaciers, terrifying megafires and ever more puissant hurricanes, of acidifying and rising oceans, it is hard to believe that any further prod to climate action is needed.
CAR WARS: Oil industry v electric vehicles
18 Sep 2019
Electric vehicles could make up nearly half the fleet of passenger cars and trucks by 2040. But oil and gas companies are striking back.
Govt puts faith (and $10m) into smart cows
17 Sep 2019
The Government is putting $10 million into breeding cows that produce more milk and fewer greenhouse gases and can withstand heat.
OUR ETS: What goes around, comes around
16 Sep 2019
New Zealand had the opportunity a decade ago to adopt the type of agricultural emissions pricing regime for which farmers are now fighting.
Go-it-alone farmers up pressure on politicians
16 Sep 2019
The farming industry is upping pressure on the Government for its own emissions-pricing regime.
Lifting the lid of aviation's black box
16 Sep 2019
One of the world’s most important institutions in the fight against climate change is also one of the UN’s most opaque.
Latest thing in solar panels means more power to Prius
16 Sep 2019
It’s the ultimate in motoring self-sufficiency – an electric car powered by solar panels on the roof.
Farming is losing ground, says Sir Lockwood
13 Sep 2019
New Zealand agriculture can be carbon-neutral but it is slipping behind developments in Ireland, former Speaker, UK ambassador and agricultural scientist Sir Lockwood Smith says.
Logging study reveals huge hidden emissions
13 Sep 2019
The wood industry is a massive source of uncounted carbon emissions, according to a pioneering study.
How healthcare can affect global climate crisis
13 Sep 2019
Healthcare workers backing zero carbon emissions say chemicals used increasingly to anaesthetise patients are potent greenhouse gases.
Let new commission be the arbiter, says Upton
12 Sep 2019
ANYTHING in the zero-carbon bill that MPs can’t agree on should be referred to the new climate commission, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton has told MPs.
Electricity planning is vital, politicians hear
12 Sep 2019
Extra demand for electricity as the country’s economy decarbonises needs to be co-ordinated if the system is to cope, MPs have heard.
We'll be doing more driving, researchers say
12 Sep 2019
Human demand for transport will increase as the climate warms, becoming its own feedback loop, researchers say.
Supermarket happy hour reduces food waste
12 Sep 2019
A Finnish supermarket chain is fighting food waste by offering steep discounts during a late-night happy hour.
Govt expects $7b windfall from new forestry rules
11 Sep 2019
The move to new forestry carbon accounting rules will earn the Government $7 billion over the next 30 years.
Europe's carmakers near carbon cliff-edge
11 Sep 2019
Time is running out for European carmakers, which have waited until the last minute to try to meet ambitious EU emissions targets and face billions in fines if they fail to comply.
Big Hydro might sidestep new water rules
10 Sep 2019
Because of climate change, the country’s six largest hydro power schemes should be exempt from rules requiring minimum water levels in rivers, the Government says.
Thermal battery producer heats up storage market
10 Sep 2019
An Australian thermal energy storage company has reached in-principle agreements to pilot thermal batteries in the telecommunication and eco-housing industries.
Cabinet refuses to show ETS farming papers
9 Sep 2019
The Government is refusing to release six documents relating to farming and the Emissions Trading Scheme.
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.
