New Zealand: All stories
Problems getting worse, says environment report
18 Apr 2019
Climate change is already making New Zealand’s environmental problems worse and threatens the economy, a new official assessment of the state of New Zealand’s environment says.
No CGT, but green taxes still on the agenda
18 Apr 2019
A capital gains tax might be off the agenda, but the Government isn’t ruling out environmental taxes recommended by the Tax Working Group.
New studies show it could be even hotter than we thought
18 Apr 2019
Global climate models developed for the UN are running hotter than they have in the past. Soon the world could be, too.
MEMO LABOUR: The answers are in your files
17 Apr 2019
Labour could find solutions in its own files to the problem of putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
Super plants the key, says leading biologist
17 Apr 2019
Dr Joanne Chory hopes that genetic modifications to enhance plants’ natural carbon-fixing traits could play a key role – but knows that time is short, for her and the planet.
Farmers fight build-up of salt in soils
16 Apr 2019
Irrigation, drought, sea-level rise and more are causing salt to build up in soils around the world.
NZ to include 'imported' greenhouse gases
15 Apr 2019
Greenhouse gases embedded in imported products will be included alongside home-grown emissions in the Government’s new reporting regime.
Amazon employees push Bezos to get busy
15 Apr 2019
More than 4500 Amazon employees have urged the company to take aggressive action on climate change and reduce its carbon footprint.
EYES ON ICE: Anchored science ship will go with the floe
15 Apr 2019
In September, the giant German polar research vessel Polarstern will set off from Tromsø in Norway on a remarkable voyage.
Zero Carbon Bill out soon, says Shaw
12 Apr 2019
The long-awaited Zero Carbon Bill will be unveiled soon, says climate minister James Shaw.
EDITORIAL: No news is bad news
12 Apr 2019
Why are we apparently so unconcerned that our greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise?
Why flying taxis could be the way to go for long journeys
12 Apr 2019
Futuristic electric flying taxis like those seen in the movie Blade Runner could offer a more sustainable - and much faster - way to travel long distances.
Transport mainly to blame as emissions rise
11 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are growing again, following the global trend.
‘Forest restoration’ puts climate targets at risk
11 Apr 2019
Implementing current pledges of forest restoration under the Bonn Challenge will mean the 1.5deg climate goal is still missed, a new analysis says.
Harrison our new voice on world climate stage
10 Apr 2019
New Zealand has a new Climate Change Ambassador.
New panel to assess what changing climate is doing
10 Apr 2019
A new panel has been appointed to assess how climate change is likely to affect New Zealand.
Govt sleuths crack carbon emissions case
9 Apr 2019
The car fleet used by New Zealand's fraud sleuths might be the smallest in the entire Government, but it's also the most climate-friendly.
Global CO2 levels highest for three million years
9 Apr 2019
German scientists have confirmed, once again, that carbon dioxide is reaching concentrations unprecedented on any human time scale, with CO2 levels in the atmosphere already higher than they have been for at least three million years.
OPINION: Attenborough uncomfortable
9 Apr 2019
By JULIA P G JONES | Sir David Attenborough’s latest project, the Netflix series Our Planet, has the usual incredible shots of nature and wildlife, but the series is a little different from his past films.
Reserve Bank joins Pacific climate initiative
8 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s Reserve Bank is joining central banks across the Pacific in preparing for the impacts of climate change on the region’s monetary systems.
Don't rule out GE as a solution, say farmers
8 Apr 2019
Genetic modification should not be ruled out by the Government as a solution for climate change and other environmental issues, Federated Farmers says.
Power companies eye EV-charging potential
8 Apr 2019
With electric vehicle sales climbing, utilities are investing in thousands of new EV charging stations, recognising that if they don't move now, they could lose out on a growing and increasingly competitive market.
We won't use GE to cut farm emissions, says Shaw
5 Apr 2019
Climate minister James Shaw says New Zealand doesn’t need genetic engineering to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farms.
Scientists invent 'transparent wood' for new building material
5 Apr 2019
Researchers say they have given timber a makeover to produce a material that is not only sturdy, but also transparent and able to store and release heat.
Hydrogen has a place, says new Clark group
4 Apr 2019
Hydrogen fuel could replace the Huntly coal and gas-fired power station to give New Zealand a totally renewable electricity generation system, the Helen Clark Foundation says in its first foray into public policy.
Saudi oil company world's most profitable business
4 Apr 2019
Saudi Arabia’s state oil company has emerged as the most profitable business in the world, racking up profits of $111.1bn in 2018 to overtake Apple.
Ancient ‘Snowball Earth’ thawed out in a flash
4 Apr 2019
Scientists have found that a final Snowball Earth thawing event likely ended in a flash about 635 million years ago - a geologically fast event that might have implications for today’s human-driven global warming.
EDITORIAL: Oh, Canada
3 Apr 2019
Let’s talk about Canada. It’s easier than talking about our own country.
Electric cars outsell the rest in Norway
3 Apr 2019
In a symbolic first, electric cars outsold fossil fuel-powered ones in Norway last month.
All corporates should come clean, says Sanford
2 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s largest fishing company is calling for all companies to monitor and report on environmental issues.
Let ETS do its job, says English's economist
1 Apr 2019
New Zealand should stay clear of direct intervention to bring down emissions from the electricity sector and instead let the Emissions Trading Scheme do its job.
There's nowhere to hide, say weather experts
29 Mar 2019
New Zealand is not insulated from the accelerating climate change outlined in report out today.
Global climate impacts accelerating, says WMO
29 Mar 2019
The physical and financial impacts of global warming are accelerating, says the World Meteorological Organisation.
Warming world could mean a colder Europe
29 Mar 2019
The Gulf Stream is weakening, and Europe could expect a prolonged cold spell as the world warms – but not the day after tomorrow.
How the car industry hid the truth about diesel emissions
29 Mar 2019
The ‘Dieselgate’ scandal was suppressed for years – while we should have been driving electric cars.
New forestry rules will adopt 'averaging' system
28 Mar 2019
New Zealand will adopt an “averaging” system of carbon accounting for forests, meaning owners will no longer have to measure and report on the amount of carbon being stored or face a carbon liability when trees are harvested.
Courts likely to step in, says public law expert
28 Mar 2019
The courts are likely to step in on climate change if central government fails to, a legal expert says.
Mercury gives go-ahead for Turita wind farm
28 Mar 2019
Energy generator and retailer Mercury says it is going ahead with what will be the country’s third-largest wind farm.
How forests can be long-term carbon stores
27 Mar 2019
Forests can be a long-term store of carbon if they’re managed correctly – but without them, New Zealand has no hope of reaching carbon neutrality by the middle of the century, a forestry expert says.
Business lobby warns of huge disruption
27 Mar 2019
Banning every industry except agriculture from using forestry credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions would be a huge disruption to the economy, says Business NZ.
Q and A: The commissioner explains
27 Mar 2019
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton answers questions on yesterday’s report recommending big changes to the way New Zealand deals with greenhouse gas emissions.
Global emissions hit record high in 2018
27 Mar 2019
Global energy-related carbon emissions rose to a record high last year as energy demand and coal use increased, mainly in Asia.
Minister not keen on Upton's ETS proposals
26 Mar 2019
Sweeping changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme proposed by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, which would see forestry credits used only for offsetting emissions from farming and not from other industries, are unlikely to be picked up by the Government.
Farming in ETS good move, says forestry expert
26 Mar 2019
Agriculture should be brought into the Emissions Trading Scheme as soon as possible – and farmers be given the opportunity to make money from it, the Government has been told.
What Warren Buffett thinks about climate change
26 Mar 2019
Warren Buffett’s home state of Nebraska is dealing with the aftermath of record flooding, but don’t expect the billionaire investor to jump to the conclusion that climate change is responsible.
The day the Earth’s climate went berserk
26 Mar 2019
The day in 1815 when the world’s climate went berserk was only the start of months and years of global climate disruption and social unrest.
Drones make it easier to monitor environment
26 Mar 2019
Conservationists, researchers and volunteers are findng new technology in the form of drones is making their jobs a whole lot easier.
Shipowners want out of 'unfair' ETS
25 Mar 2019
Shipowners want out of the Emissions Trading Scheme, saying it won’t be fair if they have to pay twice for their emissions.
Treasury sees use for international credits
22 Mar 2019
Treasury wants to retain the ability to use international carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s 2050 emissions reduction target, confidential papers show.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
Today 12:45pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts came to this week’s Climate Change and Business Conference with nothing to announce.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
Today 12:45pm
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
Fri 5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
Tue 9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
Kawerau's new hope: Plan to replace coal with pine ramps up
Mon 8 Sep 2025
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | Construction on a $300 million wood pellet plant in the Eastern Bay of Plenty is expected to start next month, with hopes it could cut the use of coal in New Zealand.
XRB consults on delaying climate reporting requirements
Thu 4 Sep 2025
The External Reporting Board is proposing a further two years relief for companies to adopt anticipated financial impacts reporting and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions reporting and assurance.
