New Zealand: All stories
OPINION: These fires have changed us
3 Feb 2020
By THOMAS KENEALLY | Last Australian autumn, and all through winter, a group of retired fire chiefs wanted to meet with prime minister Scott Morrison, and warn him that Australia had passed, as if through a gate, to a new level of combustibility, and that the fire peril for the coming summer would be unprecedented in length and ferocity.
NICK SMITH: How National's ETS did the job
31 Jan 2020
National MP and former climate minister Nick Smith says his Emissions Trading Scheme has seen New Zealand out-perform Australia on emissions reduction.
Forests will swallow small-town jobs, MPs hear
31 Jan 2020
Rural towns like Moerewa face losing hundreds of jobs if the Government doesn’t rein in the conversion of farms to carbon forests, MPs have been told.
Fonterra plant dumps coal for wood pellets
31 Jan 2020
Fonterra’s Te Awamutu milk-processing plant is going coal-free.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
31 Jan 2020
Today is the last day to apply for unique emissions factors for Emissions Trading Scheme returns.
Looking for the next battery breakthrough?
31 Jan 2020
The era of electric vehicles might have arrived, but the full potential of the technology has not.
Farms must go back to the future, says minister
30 Jan 2020
Farmers will have to move away from intensive, specialised farming as climate change bites, the agriculture minister says.
Wise group slams 'bizarre' RMA emissions rule
30 Jan 2020
Parliament is being urged to change the “bizarre and dangerous” law banning local councils from considering greenhouse gas emissions when granting planning consents.
Australia wrong about our Kyoto credits
30 Jan 2020
New Zealand comes out on top in a row with Australia about climate change, according to The Guardian.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
30 Jan 2020
Some of the heavyweights of the agricultural industry appear before Parliament’s environment select committee today to talk about the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Way now clear for wood, say biomass champions
29 Jan 2020
The Government’s latest move towards getting rid of coal-fired boilers in hospitals and schools shows growing market confidence in the country’s biomass supply, the Bionergy Association says.
Greens vow to make polluters foot the bill
29 Jan 2020
The Greens go into the September 19 election promising to “fix” the carbon price.
Buyers must be helped into EVs, says report
29 Jan 2020
The price of electric vehicles must be subsidised if New Zealand is to meet its commitment to the Paris Agreement, a new report says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
29 Jan 2020
Parliament’s environment select committee is hearing submissions today and tomorrow on reforms of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the Resource Management Act.
Hybrids surge on to greenest cars list
29 Jan 2020
After several years of all-electric cars dominating the annual list of greenest vehicles, 2020 brings a surprise – a resurgence of the hybrid.
EDITORIAL: It's time to scare the horses
28 Jan 2020
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | It’s 2020 – election year in New Zealand and the year global greenhouse gas emissions should peak if we’re to have a reasonable shot at keeping warming to 1.5deg.
Switzerland signs up to NZ trade treaty
28 Jan 2020
Switzerland is joining the New Zealand-initiated trade agreement on climate change.
Down the track, our emissions rate will fall
19 Dec 2019
New Zealand’s projected greenhouse gas emissions are falling.
Climate commission gets its body of experts
17 Dec 2019
The names of the experts who will make up the Climate Change Commission have been announced.
Low lake levels lead to jump in emissions
13 Dec 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions jumped in the last part of the year as low lake levels forced the country to burn coal to make electricity.
EDITORIAL: Two to remember
13 Dec 2019
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | This year will be remembered for two things – the passing of the zero-carbon act and the year in which our children got angry with us over climate change.
NZ 'low' performer, says climate action watchdog
12 Dec 2019
Failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions has seen New Zealand ranked 37th and in the “low” category in an international assessment of performance on climate change.
Coal being cleaned out of schools and hospitals
12 Dec 2019
State schools, hospitals and science institutes are moving out of coal.
Only 3min flight, but Canada claims first for electric plane
12 Dec 2019
A plane billed as the first commercial aircraft running entirely on electricity has taken to the skies in Canada.
MADRID MESSAGE: Our cuts will take hard work
11 Dec 2019
New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions will decrease steadily to 2030 but will still be well above 1990 levels, officials have told international climate talks in Madrid.
1.9b people at risk from mountain water shortages
10 Dec 2019
A quarter of the world’s population is at risk of water supply problems as mountain glaciers, snow-packs and alpine lakes are run down by global heating and rising demand, according to an international study.
Investors fight back against climate wreckers
10 Dec 2019
Two strands of action are being taken by investors against the planet’s biggest and most polluting companies to try to coerce them into complying with climate targets.
PLEASE EXPLAIN: NZ faces grilling at Madrid meet
9 Dec 2019
New Zealand faces up to the world in Madrid today to explain how it is meeting its emissions reduction targets despite a 23 per cent rise in gross emissions and 65 per cent rise in net emissions since 1990.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
9 Dec 2019
The second week of the latest Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – better known as COP25 – is under way in Madrid.
Why lower emissions mean better business
6 Dec 2019
Companies with high levels of greenhouse gas emissions are worth less than low-emitting companies, says financial analysis and advisory firm Forsyth Barr.
Jump to it, Jacinda, says global carbon watchdog
5 Dec 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is under international pressure to increase New Zealand’s 2030 emissions reduction target in line with the Paris Agreement.
NZ will sign new ship emissions pact
5 Dec 2019
New Zealand will sign up to new international maritime regulations to reduce ship emissions and lift air quality around ports and harbours.
HOT TIMES: This year could be our warmest ever recorded
5 Dec 2019
A hot December could see 2019 become New Zealand’s warmest year on record.
Coffee, tea, or a bite of me?
5 Dec 2019
Air New Zealand has begun trialling edible coffee cups with customers in the air and on the ground.
New water for old as glaciers vanish
5 Dec 2019
Voids left as glaciers vanish could be used to store spring snowmelt and rainfall to save the valleys below from summer droughts.
Cut hydrogen red tape, urges business sector
4 Dec 2019
Businesses say a hydrogen-export industry drastically cutting emissions from fossil fuels could be stymied by red tape and a failure to recognise the value of “blue” hydrogen.
Climate-impact reporting to be mandatory
4 Dec 2019
The Government is to assess the climate implications of every major decision it makes.
Tell us what you're doing, investors tell govts
2 Dec 2019
Institutional investors will either stay away or demand higher returns in New Zealand and Australia if their governments don’t produce credible, long-term climate investment strategies, a new report says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
2 Dec 2019
Two weeks of international climate negotiations kick off in Madrid today.
New IMF chief urges climate action
2 Dec 2019
New International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva tells why global heating is as big a threat to economic stability as another financial crash.
EDITORIAL: Right road, but the slow road
29 Nov 2019
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | It must be tempting, if you’re in the New Zealand delegation at climate talks in Madrid next week, to rest on your laurels, take the pats on the back, bask in the international limelight.
ACC still on rack over fossil-fuel investments
29 Nov 2019
The Government-owned Accident Compensation Corporation is likely to remain under pressure to withdraw $1 billion worth of investments in fossil-fuel companies.
Coal-fired electricity set for biggest fall in four decades
29 Nov 2019
The world’s use of coal-fired electricity is on track for its biggest annual fall on record this year after more than four decades of near-uninterrupted growth that has stoked the global climate crisis.
Minister won't act on ACC oil investments
28 Nov 2019
The Government says it will not interfere in the Accident Compensation Corporation’s decision to invest in fossil fuels.
We might have crossed tipping points, say scientists
28 Nov 2019
The world might already have crossed a series of climate tipping points, according to a stark warning from scientists.
Scientists claim breakthrough on gut bacteria
28 Nov 2019
Scientists have used “directed evolution” to turn gut bacteria into a carbon dioxide-munching machine in what is being called a step towards carbon-neutral production of food, fuels, and biochemicals.
New global 5G wireless deal threatens weather forecasting
28 Nov 2019
Meteorologists say international standards for wireless technology could degrade crucial satellite measurements of water vapour.
Toyota tests the water on hydrogen vehicles
27 Nov 2019
Toyota New Zealand says it is testing the New Zealand market for hydrogen vehicles as part of a drive to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Hydrogen has arrived. says Australia's top scientist
27 Nov 2019
Nearly 150 years after author Jules Verne dreamed up a hydrogen future, it has arrived, says Australia's chief scientist Alan Finkel.
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.
