New Zealand: All stories
Climate fears threaten tourism billions, says report
1 Oct 2019
Public fears about climate change threaten New Zealand’s $39-billion-a-year tourism revenue, a new report warns.
Why environment has place in red-meat debate
1 Oct 2019
Recommendations that people should keep eating red meat fail to take environmental damage into account – posing a long-term threat to human health, says one of New Zealand’s leading medical researchers.
Why nuclear power is not the answer
1 Oct 2019
With new plants costing from five to 10 times more than renewable options, and taking far longer to build, nuclear power cannot help against global warming.
Business slow to take up offsetting airline travel
30 Sep 2019
Most New Zealand businesses are not offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from flights, Air New Zealand says.
NZ sets new mark for coal-fired electricity
27 Sep 2019
New Zealand has burnt more coal to make electricity this winter than in any June quarter since 2014.
Insects might be trained to protect our crops
27 Sep 2019
Certain wasps and flies which lay their eggs in specific species such as aphids could be a sustainable form of pest control.
Ardern sets up climate-change trade deal
26 Sep 2019
New Zealand is one of five countries bringing climate change into a trade deal.
Farmers fret over green demands, says bank
26 Sep 2019
Fonterra’s economic woes are not the only thing worrying farmers – they’re also becoming increasingly anxious about the Government’s plans to make them clean up their environmental performance and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Scientists see stark future for oceans
26 Sep 2019
Extreme sea level events that used to occur once a century will strike every year on many coasts by 2050, according to a landmark report.
Most big firms likely to miss climate targets
26 Sep 2019
More than four in five of the world’s largest companies are not on track to meet the Paris climate targets for 2050, says a new study.
Emissions spotlight on land use and transport
25 Sep 2019
The committee of experts advising the Government on emissions budgeting has its sights set on our two biggest climate-polluting sectors – land use and transport.
Banks worth $47 trillion adopt climate principles
25 Sep 2019
Banks with more than $47 trillion in assets, or a third of the global industry, have adopted new UN-backed “responsible banking” principles to fight climate change.
ARDERN'S GLOBAL INVITE: Let's trade strengths
24 Sep 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told the world New Zealand wants climate change included in trade deals and global co-operation on carbon pricing.
Green fund hires clean-investment banker
24 Sep 2019
A former Bank of America Merrill Lynch vice-president with a background in financing “clean” investment is heading the investment programme of the Government’s Green Investment Fund.
Shippers see zero-emissions vessels by 2030
24 Sep 2019
Zero-emissions shipping will be a commercial reality by the end of next decade, according to a pledge JUST made by shipping giants.
Smarts and skills keys to the future, says Govt
23 Sep 2019
Deeper pools of capital, a smart, skilled and motivated workforce and plentiful clean energy are behind the Government’s plans for the future of the economy.
New water rules have Govt guessing on gases
20 Sep 2019
New rules to improve water quality will also drive down New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions – but the Government doesn’t know by how much.
Twice as many planes in 20 years, warns Airbus
20 Sep 2019
The number of commercial aircraft in operation will more than double in the next 20 years to 48,000 planes worldwide, Airbus has forecast.
Climate models predict bigger heat rise ahead
20 Sep 2019
Scientists using new climate models say a bigger heat rise than expected is possible by the end of the century.
At last, we're getting a look at climate risks
19 Sep 2019
Progress is being made at last on assessing the risk climate change poses to New Zealand.
Local businesses given emissions know-how
19 Sep 2019
The Government has released new advice for local businesses wanting to voluntarily offset their emissions.
Ardern has faith in farmers to do the job
18 Sep 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern agrees with farmers that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture should be managed at a farm level.
OPINION: The gloves are off
18 Sep 2019
By TIM FLANNERY | In this age of rapidly melting glaciers, terrifying megafires and ever more puissant hurricanes, of acidifying and rising oceans, it is hard to believe that any further prod to climate action is needed.
CAR WARS: Oil industry v electric vehicles
18 Sep 2019
Electric vehicles could make up nearly half the fleet of passenger cars and trucks by 2040. But oil and gas companies are striking back.
Govt puts faith (and $10m) into smart cows
17 Sep 2019
The Government is putting $10 million into breeding cows that produce more milk and fewer greenhouse gases and can withstand heat.
OUR ETS: What goes around, comes around
16 Sep 2019
New Zealand had the opportunity a decade ago to adopt the type of agricultural emissions pricing regime for which farmers are now fighting.
Go-it-alone farmers up pressure on politicians
16 Sep 2019
The farming industry is upping pressure on the Government for its own emissions-pricing regime.
Lifting the lid of aviation's black box
16 Sep 2019
One of the world’s most important institutions in the fight against climate change is also one of the UN’s most opaque.
Latest thing in solar panels means more power to Prius
16 Sep 2019
It’s the ultimate in motoring self-sufficiency – an electric car powered by solar panels on the roof.
Farming is losing ground, says Sir Lockwood
13 Sep 2019
New Zealand agriculture can be carbon-neutral but it is slipping behind developments in Ireland, former Speaker, UK ambassador and agricultural scientist Sir Lockwood Smith says.
Logging study reveals huge hidden emissions
13 Sep 2019
The wood industry is a massive source of uncounted carbon emissions, according to a pioneering study.
How healthcare can affect global climate crisis
13 Sep 2019
Healthcare workers backing zero carbon emissions say chemicals used increasingly to anaesthetise patients are potent greenhouse gases.
Let new commission be the arbiter, says Upton
12 Sep 2019
ANYTHING in the zero-carbon bill that MPs can’t agree on should be referred to the new climate commission, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton has told MPs.
Electricity planning is vital, politicians hear
12 Sep 2019
Extra demand for electricity as the country’s economy decarbonises needs to be co-ordinated if the system is to cope, MPs have heard.
We'll be doing more driving, researchers say
12 Sep 2019
Human demand for transport will increase as the climate warms, becoming its own feedback loop, researchers say.
Supermarket happy hour reduces food waste
12 Sep 2019
A Finnish supermarket chain is fighting food waste by offering steep discounts during a late-night happy hour.
Govt expects $7b windfall from new forestry rules
11 Sep 2019
The move to new forestry carbon accounting rules will earn the Government $7 billion over the next 30 years.
Europe's carmakers near carbon cliff-edge
11 Sep 2019
Time is running out for European carmakers, which have waited until the last minute to try to meet ambitious EU emissions targets and face billions in fines if they fail to comply.
Big Hydro might sidestep new water rules
10 Sep 2019
Because of climate change, the country’s six largest hydro power schemes should be exempt from rules requiring minimum water levels in rivers, the Government says.
Thermal battery producer heats up storage market
10 Sep 2019
An Australian thermal energy storage company has reached in-principle agreements to pilot thermal batteries in the telecommunication and eco-housing industries.
Cabinet refuses to show ETS farming papers
9 Sep 2019
The Government is refusing to release six documents relating to farming and the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Food supplies under threat as phosphate supply runs short
9 Sep 2019
The world faces an “imminent crisis” in the supply of phosphate, a critical fertiliser that underpins the world’s food supply, scientists have warned.
Green taxes make business sense, says study
9 Sep 2019
Environmental taxes such as carbon pricing don’t necessarily slow economic development, researchers say.
OPINION: New Zealand is one of a kind
9 Sep 2019
New Zealand climate scientist Professor Jim Salinger and United States meteorologist Professor Jose D Fuentes explain why they’ve told the Government to be much harder on methane emissions than it is planning to be.
Can the world afford salvation by technology?
9 Sep 2019
A common belief is that we can save modern civilisation if we shift to new technologies. But “technology” is not a magic wand.
METHANE MEASURE: It's all a matter of GWPs
6 Sep 2019
A new way of accounting for methane proposed by New Zealand researchers ignores the damage this country has already done to the climate and locks in its “right to emit”, Parliament has been told.
Barbados becomes a blues brother
6 Sep 2019
Barbados has joined a New Zealand-led group taking action to limit the impacts of ocean acidification caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the air.
Bronze Age, Iron Age ... now it's welcome to the Plastic Age
6 Sep 2019
Plastic pollution is being deposited into the fossil record, research has found, with contamination increasing exponentially since 1945.
Thames council aware of risks, says lawyer
5 Sep 2019
A lawyer is calling for mandatory disclosure by councils of climate-change risks, saying authorities have been sitting on information about Thames for years.
Reaching net-zero might not be all it's cracked up to be
5 Sep 2019
Reaching net zero emissions is easy for us to aim for but much more difficult to deliver – and worse, we might be focusing on the wrong objective.
Petition latest bid to stop climate torts bill
Wed 29 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activist and iwi leader Mike Smith has launched a petition calling on the Government to abandon its legislation to bar climate torts, marking the latest step in his campaign against a bill criticised as shielding major emitters from legal accountability.
Govt’s first post-ban offshore exploration permit draws backlash
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has approved the first offshore petroleum exploration permit since repealing the 2018 ban. But lawyers say the decision raises 'serious' legal questions, as seemingly at odds with guidance from the country's highest court.
Study outlines methane-cutting options for NZ livestock
21 Jul 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Breeding, feed and forage strategies could play a key role in reducing methane emissions from New Zealand's grazing livestock, with researchers concluding that a combination of approaches will be needed to achieve meaningful cuts.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Rail revival key to reducing transport emissions: new strategy
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Future is Rail has launched an election manifesto setting out a national strategy for the incoming Government to rebuild New Zealand's passenger and freight rail network, with proposals ranging from overnight train services to nationwide electrification.
National deer management strategy urgently needed to halt 'catastrophe' for native forests
Mon 27 Jul 2026
Scientists are calling for an urgent national deer management strategy, with deer numbers now at unsustainable levels and decimating native forests.
NZ Steel closes in on first heat from electric arc furnace
Today 11:30am
By Oli Lewis | The first truckloads of scrap steel are being delivered to New Zealand Steel as the company works through the final stages of a significant emissions reduction project.
