New Zealand: All stories
Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries
3 Aug 2018
Research needs to refocus on finding common elements such as iron and silicon as reserves of cobalt and nickel used in electric-vehicle cells dwindle.
Air New Zealand sees benefits in simplified ETS
2 Aug 2018
More native trees would be planted if the Emissions Trading Scheme were simplified, says Air New Zealand.
OPINION: Climate denial soon won’t even benefit oil companies
2 Aug 2018
By PHIL McDUFF | The damage caused by our addiction to burning fossil fuels will be so widespread that nobody stands to gain.
Government hears Paris pact means methane cuts
1 Aug 2018
The Paris Agreement cannot be met without cutting methane emissions, the Government has been told.
STATS SHOW: Shaw about to change the story
31 Jul 2018
Green Party co-leader James Shaw might be the climate minister, but it’s in his statistics portfolio that he is about to change everything.
Bulk of PNG export timber illegally logged
31 Jul 2018
Millions of tonnes of illegally logged Papua New Guinea timber are being exported to China and from there to the world as finished wood products, a new report has revealed.
Toyota planning Olympic Games specials
31 Jul 2018
Toyota is planning to use the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to showcase the future of transportation.
Minister silent on arbitrage as prices climb
30 Jul 2018
Climate minister James Shaw isn’t commenting on the risk of arbitrage as carbon prices climb closer to the Government’s artificial price cap.
Bridges ignores climate change in party address
30 Jul 2018
National Party leader Simon Bridges is promising to have “the best ideas” on the environment.
Ozone hole story reads like a best-seller
30 Jul 2018
The ozone hole is an environmental success story and an enduring global threat ... and the its headlines in recent months read like an international eco-thriller.
Mastercard vows 20% emissions cut
30 Jul 2018
Financial services giant Mastercard has set a new goal to tackle greenhouse gas emissions across it global operations.
Companies climate-aware but quiet on carbon risk
27 Jul 2018
Most New Zealand companies are not disclosing their carbon risk – despite ranking the environment and climate change as their top priorities, a new survey shows.
Cheap new material could speed battery charging
27 Jul 2018
A newly identified group of materials could accelerate adoption of electric cars and solar energy, as well as helping to recharge your smartphone in minutes.
Taxpayers could be left holding carbon bill
26 Jul 2018
Owners of post-1989 forests due for harvest might be tempted to arbitrage carbon credits, leaving taxpayers with the bill and driving liquidity out of the carbon market.
Taranaki Maori make stand against oil and gas
25 Jul 2018
Maori in Taranaki say they will oppose climate-damaging activities like oil and gas extraction and intensive farming.
Big investors call for low-carbon roadmap
25 Jul 2018
New Zealand and Australian investors with $10 trillion worth of assets are calling for a suite of policies to direct finance into the low-carbon economy.
Farmers want methane left out of 2050 targets
24 Jul 2018
New Zealand should stick to its current target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and leave methane out of the equation, says Federated Farmers.
Exotics rate second to natives, says minister
24 Jul 2018
Exotic carbon forestry is unlikely to be allowed on scrubland – and even less likely in national parks.
Parties eye early start to zero-carbon talks
23 Jul 2018
Cross-party talks on the Zero Carbon Bill could be under way within a month.
Scientists find climate-change secrets locked in troposphere
23 Jul 2018
Scientists studying the troposphere – the lowest level of the atmosphere – have found “powerful evidence” that climate change is altering seasonal temperatures.
Airbus to build solar-powered unmanned planes
23 Jul 2018
Airbus has unveiled plans to manufacture a solar plane which will fly unmanned high in the sky.
Shaw applauds China's work on climate change
20 Jul 2018
China’s action on climate change makes New Zealand look like its “pussy-footing around”, says climate minister James Shaw.
Drivers get help to find EV charging stations
19 Jul 2018
Finding a place to charge your electric car is about to get easier.
Aircraft industry feels heat from changing climate
19 Jul 2018
The extreme heat that has come with climate change is prompting aircraft manufacturers to test their fleets for increasingly hotter temperatures.
Beehive might have carbon job for Reserve Bank
18 Jul 2018
The Government is looking at the role the Reserve Bank should play in monitoring and managing the country’s carbon exposure.
Latest ETS review kicks off next month
18 Jul 2018
Consultation on the next review of the Emissions Trading Scheme will start next month.
Ngai Tahu targets a million native trees
17 Jul 2018
Ngai Tahu is planting a million native trees and converting some of its farms to horticulture as part of its strategy to deal with climate change.
Europe climate strategy forgets about soil
17 Jul 2018
While climate change takes a toll on agriculture and land use contributes to warming the planet, soils still find little attention from policymakers in their climate strategies.
The what, where, when and why of food production
17 Jul 2018
Researchers have compiled a database on food production around the world in order to determine the best means of reducing the environmental impacts of what we eat.
Banks face divestment pressure from councils
16 Jul 2018
Banks can expect pressure from the country’s largest urban authorities to get their money out of fossil-fuel investment.
All businesses in the firing line, says Orr
16 Jul 2018
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has expanded on his climate change disaster warning.
Act or face financial crisis, warns leading banker
13 Jul 2018
New central bank head Adrian Orr is warning of financial crisis and mass social unrest if the world doesn’t urgently address climate change.
Musk eyes 500,000 e-cars a year from new China factory
13 Jul 2018
Tesla founder Elon Musk says his new factory in Shanghai - the company's first outside the US - will build 500,000 electric cars a year.
Tiny fern might lead us to big solutions
13 Jul 2018
A tiny fern might provide global impact for sinking atmospheric carbon dioxide, fixing nitrogen in agriculture and shooing pesky insects from crops.
Big Business makes public climate promises
12 Jul 2018
Details of support for the Zero Carbon Bill by businesses responsible for half the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have emerged today.
Farmers like the idea of opting in to ETS
12 Jul 2018
Farmers could be interested into opting into the Emissions Trading Scheme – if the settings are right.
Clean energy investment passes $138b
12 Jul 2018
Global investment in clean technologies is closely tracking last year and has already hit $138.2 billion, according to new analysis.
Let farmers opt in to ETS, says regional council
11 Jul 2018
Farmers should be able to opt into the Emissions Trading Scheme so they can get credit for introducing climate-friendly practices, says the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Cement producers developing climate plan
11 Jul 2018
Cement makers who run one of the world's biggest industries - and are a leading producer of greenhouse gas emissions - might finally be making moves to combat climate change.
Smarter renewables open up new markets
11 Jul 2018
The need to stop global warming in its tracks has spurred the growth of two smarter renewables that are helping to reshape the electricity industry.
GAS GROWTH: The answer lies in feedback loops
10 Jul 2018
Greenhouse gases escaping from wetlands and permafrost could slash the world’s carbon budget by nearly a quarter, scientists say.
Next Beetle will be electric with four doors
10 Jul 2018
Volkswagen's next Beetle will be a completely new, all-electric model with four doors.
Super fund joins in global pressure on companies
9 Jul 2018
New Zealand’s $39 billion public retirement fund is among major investors applying renewed pressure to carbon-intensive industries.
Here’s where 3m EV batteries will go when they retire ...
9 Jul 2018
The first batches of batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles are hitting retirement age ... yet they aren’t bound for landfills.
We don't want to be like Australia, says Vector
6 Jul 2018
One of the 53 big companies stepping up to publicly support the Zero Carbon Bill says it doesn’t want New Zealand’s climate policy to end up like that of Australia.
Climate change security threat, says defence minister
6 Jul 2018
Climate change threatens New Zealand’s security, says defence minister Ron Mark.
LUNAR LAW: Does Moon hold key to Earth’s energy needs?
6 Jul 2018
Using giant kites, blades and paddles, and mimicking pogo sticks, blowholes and even the human heart, groups around the world are on the cusp of harnessing the colossal power of the oceans.
Shaw schedules carbon talks with China
5 Jul 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is bound for China next week for talks on climate change and developing closer carbon markets.
Meridian predicts carbon price as high as $200
4 Jul 2018
Electricity company Meridian says it sees carbon prices rising as high as $200 a tonne.
Poll shows majority ready to act on emissions
3 Jul 2018
Two-thirds of New Zealanders are prepared to take action to cut greenhouse gas emissions – although half might require some level of personal interest to take action, a new poll suggests.
Watts full-throated in National’s support for Paris
Wed 10 Sep 2025
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
Wed 10 Sep 2025
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
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.
