New Zealand: All stories
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.
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.
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
Wed 22 Apr 2026
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.
