New Zealand: All stories
April was second-hottest on record
21 May 2019
Last month was the second-hottest April since records began in 1891, rivaled only by April 2016.
OPINION: Only radical measures will work
21 May 2019
By GAIA VINCE | A four-degree-warmer world is the stuff of nightmares and yet that’s where we’re heading in just decades.
OPINION: NZ farmers could be climate leaders
20 May 2019
By MICHELLE CAIN | A separate target for methane from sheep and cattle has been painted as a sop to farmers; on the contrary, it puts the onus on the sector to curb warming.
Pricing delay carries risks, says ETS expert
17 May 2019
The Government is exposing the country to significant risk by delaying changes to the carbon pricing regime, says one of the architects of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
What’s in store with ETS changes
17 May 2019
The latest round of changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme were announced last night, including tougher penalties for failing to surrender credits, the release of details about emissions levels from specific emitters, guidelines for the use of international credits, removing the $25 price cap and the possibility of a price floor.
These strange beasts are our cars
17 May 2019
Widespread automation, electrification, and connectivity are set to revolutionise the car of the future.
Tourism sector must toe the line, says minister
16 May 2019
The Government’s new Tourism Strategy released today says the sector must “play its role” in dealing with climate change.
METHANE MOVES: Give poos a chance
15 May 2019
Technologies like turning human waste into electricity could meet a large chunk of the Government's 2030 methane reduction target.
New guidelines, old loopholes in carbon accounting
15 May 2019
A major update on how countries measure greenhouse gas emissions has failed to address key weaknesses, particularly on bioenergy, campaigners say.
What Daimler’s move means for carbon-neutral car industry
15 May 2019
Daimler, one of the world’s leading producers of premium cars and commercial vehicles, is engineering a new future for the sector with a bold new climate commitment.
UN chief pushes case for carbon taxes
14 May 2019
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says income taxes should be replaced with carbon taxes.
Bosch pledges to be carbon neutral by 2020
14 May 2019
The German conglomerate Bosch has promised to make its entire business carbon neutral by 2020.
OPINION: With methane, no time like the present
13 May 2019
Organic farmer and former Green Party co-leader JEANETTE FITZSIMONS says farmers can cut methane now while increasing farm profits.
Investment firms issue climate warnings
13 May 2019
Two major financial companies are issuing warnings to investors over climate change.
Climate effort gets thumbs-up from UN chief
13 May 2019
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is praising New Zealand’s efforts on climate change.
How ZCB puts onus on Government to explain
10 May 2019
The Government will have to explain why it ignores any recommendations on the Emissions Trading Scheme from the proposed Climate Change Commission, officials say.
OPINION: How we move past the grief
10 May 2019
By ROB LAW | My intellectual and rational understanding of climate change has shifted to much more of an emotional and personal one.
Public wants climate action now, new poll shows
9 May 2019
A poll to be released today shows a majority of New Zealanders – including National Party supporters - think the country needs to take action now on climate change.
How much methane will farmers have to cut?
9 May 2019
New Zealand’s farmers might have to reduce methane emissions from animals by nearly four million tonnes a year under the Government’s climate change plans.
Taranaki to be nation's clean-energy capital
9 May 2019
Taranaki will be home to a $27 million clean-energy centre, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just announced.
Origami navy carries kids' SOS to the global shipping industry
9 May 2019
Schoolchildren launched a fleet of origami boats carrying messages about climate change to delegates at UN shipping talks in London.
Carbon bill offers softer touch to farm emissions
8 May 2019
New Zealand’s agricultural emissions will be cut – but not as much as other gases.
ZERO CARBON: What happens next
8 May 2019
The Government is amending the Climate Change Response Act (the law that governs the Emissions Trading Scheme) to implement its zero-carbon plans instead of introducing a new law.
El Nino becomes stronger and stranger
8 May 2019
The pattern of El Niño has changed dramatically in recent years, according to the first seasonal record distinguishing different types of El Niño events over the past 400 years.
Disbeliever Brash turns financial backer
6 May 2019
Former National Party leader and one-time Reserve Bank Governor Dr Don Brash might have had doubts in the past about whether humans are changing the climate, but now he’s throwing his money and weight behind technology that could help to solve New Zealand’s methane headache.
Carbon farming could be the way, says Rabobank
3 May 2019
Agricultural finance specialist Rabobank is telling farming customers to think about carbon farming, saying it could be more profitable than farming animals.
Tracking gas emissions just got easier
3 May 2019
Help is at hand for businesses and other organisations wanting to track their greenhouse gas emissions.
Gulf states shape as green energy superpowers
3 May 2019
The economic and political energy systems suggest that oil-rich countries of the Arabian Gulf will continue to dominate energy trade even in the post-fossil era.
NO DROUGHT ABOUT IT: The science says we are to blame
3 May 2019
Scientists have found evidence that humans are causing droughts.
You'll like the ZCB, Peters tells party faithful
2 May 2019
The long-awaited Zero Carbon Bill is close – and New Zealand First expects its supporters will like it.
New wonder material could change electronics
2 May 2019
A material with the potential to revolutionise a wide range of technologies was discovered by accident.
Farm emissions can be slashed, says scientist
1 May 2019
A New Zealand scientist says his technology could slash New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, earning carbon credits for farmers and boosting farm production.
Why people should come first in transport future
30 Apr 2019
People using public transport or walking or cycling should be given priority over cars and that might mean limiting traffic speeds to 30kmh, a new report says.
How will we cope with vehicles that do our driving for us?
30 Apr 2019
Billions of dollars are being poured into autonomous vehicle research - but not much thought is going into how humans will respond to the new-fangled transport.
Agriculture about to get the emissions answer
29 Apr 2019
The agricultural sector will find out soon whether it is likely to come into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Ford under criminal probe over emissions
29 Apr 2019
The US Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Ford’s emissions certification process.
Climate world behind the wall
29 Apr 2019
What would it be like to live behind a barrier built to keep the world out? The Wall explores a post-climate change world.
Footprint falling - but don't start partying
26 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s biocapacity surplus – its ability to produce resources and absorb wastes – is falling, new data shows.
How will climate warming patterns look in future?
26 Apr 2019
Regions such as the Arctic and most land areas have warmed more quickly than the global average, while many ocean regions have warmed only a little.
Dutch building string of solar islands
26 Apr 2019
Dutch engineers are building what will be the world’s largest archipelago of islands made up of sun-tracking solar panels.
HALFWAY HOUSE: PM changes our climate focus
24 Apr 2019
Jacinda Ardern’s nuclear-free-moment speech on the campaign trail during the 2017 general election struck a chord.
OPINION: We must believe in humans again
24 Apr 2019
By BILL McKIBBEN | We have the technology to prevent climate crisis. But now we need to unleash mass resistance too – because collective action does work.
Review has price cap message for Government
23 Apr 2019
The cap on carbon prices should be lifted, the Government has been told.
Banks hear they can't ignore climate dangers
23 Apr 2019
The global financial system faces an existential threat from climate change and must take urgent steps to reform, the governors of the Bank of England and France’s central bank have warned.
DNA expert new EPA chief scientist
23 Apr 2019
An expert in DNA is the Environmental Protection Authority’s new chief scientist.
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.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
