New Zealand: All stories
FARMING FUTURE: When a fence is not a fence
5 Sep 2019
Virtual fencing is a new technology that could help cattle farmers to deal with the changing climate by allowing a system of land sharing that delivers sustainability and productivity.
EDITORIAL: It's a long way from Montreal to Paris
4 Sep 2019
By ADELIA HALLETT | The Montreal Protocol – an international treaty to save the protective ozone layer that covers the Earth – has worked.
Economists launch study of droughts
4 Sep 2019
The impacts of climate change-induced droughts on New Zealand’s rural communities is under investigation.
Elevation of hydrogen is 'dumb', says engineer
3 Sep 2019
New Zealand is “dumb” if it thinks hydrogen is the energy solution for the future, says one of the country’s leading experts on transition engineering.
How KiwiSaver funds could green the enconomy
3 Sep 2019
An organisation which believes billions of dollars’ worth of KiwiSaver funds are ripe for ethical investing says the sector is at a tipping point.
You don't have the guts, campaigner tells MPs
2 Sep 2019
A young woman who has dedicated her life so far to the zero-carbon bill says she has so little faith in the country’s leaders to act on climate change that she is afraid to have children.
Government has eye on hydrogen future
2 Sep 2019
Last week it was lithium and cobalt in the Government’s sights; this week it’s hydrogen.
At last, say students, Auckland toes the line
2 Sep 2019
Auckland University students have won their five-year campaign to get the institution to stop investing in fossil fuels.
Weird and wonderful ways nature is changing fashion
2 Sep 2019
From mushrooms to cow manure, the fashion industry is trying to find new materials to make clothing more sustainable.
Where's the consultation promise, ask Nats
30 Aug 2019
The Government’s decision to make mining on conservation land a non-starter in a new minerals strategy is being criticised.
It's not all down to the Industrial Revolution
30 Aug 2019
Humans have been putting themselves ahead of the state of the planet for at least 4000 years, scientists say.
There's plenty of renewable energy out there
30 Aug 2019
US and European researchers have shown the way to an era of cheap and plentiful renewable energy on a massive scale.
Get tougher on methane, say Penn State profs
29 Aug 2019
A trio of top international climate scientists wants the New Zealand Government to be tougher on methane than it plans to be.
BP selling Alaska assets to troubled private firm
29 Aug 2019
BP is selling all of its Alaska operations to Hilcorp, a privately-owned company with a troubled safety and environmental track-record.
Former council CEO joins environment watchdog
29 Aug 2019
A former chief executive of the Bay of Plenty regional council has been appointed to the board of the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the management of the Emissions Trading Register.
Government puts faith in minerals of the future
28 Aug 2019
The Government is gearing up to go looking for the minerals that will drive the low-carbon economy – lithium and cobalt.
Climate all-important, economist reminds Govt
27 Aug 2019
Government decisions that don’t take climate change into account should be voided, says an economist who has spent 30 years trying to get governments in New Zealand and Australia to take the issue seriously.
Pressure builds for farming carbon-storage break
26 Aug 2019
Parliament is under increasing pressure to let farmers claim credit for carbon stored in trees and soils on their land.
HEMP HURRAH: Bigger than oil, says backer
23 Aug 2019
The low-carbon future is hemp, says a company dedicated to making the once-banned product the backbone of the New Zealand economy.
Farmland loss more like 10%, says ministry
23 Aug 2019
Implementing the zero-carbon bill could see about 10 per cent of current farmland converted to forests, the Ministry for the Environment says.
Engineers taking up the climate mantle
23 Aug 2019
In the wake of entire countries and professional bodies such as the Institute of Architects declaring a climate emergency, engineers are considering the same move.
Carbon farmer questions forestry land facts
22 Aug 2019
The country’s largest carbon-farming company says there is more marginal land available for forestry than officials are telling the Government.
Pioneer pushes farming for soil-carbon credits
21 Aug 2019
Farming for soil-carbon credits offers landowners in New Zealand and other OECD agricultural countries a vast potential to make money, says a global carbon markets pioneer.
World’s largest electric ferry enters service
21 Aug 2019
An all-electric ferry, purported to be the world’s largest, has completed its first voyage between two Danish islands, as the shipping sector gears up for strict new emission laws.
Big Business wants equality for carbon credits
20 Aug 2019
A think-tank representing some of the biggest companies operating in New Zealand wants international carbon credits to be treated the same as domestic emissions reductions.
OPINION: This is crunch point for our oceans
20 Aug 2019
By GILLIAN ANDERSON | A new ocean treaty hangs in the balance. Our leaders must act boldly, and grasp the opportunity to protect these wild spaces.
SOIL STUDY: What's going on beneath our feet?
20 Aug 2019
Scientists have completed one of the first studies of the impact of drought and warmer temperatures on living organisms below the ground.
WISE WORDS: Aim for 2040 and attack methane
19 Aug 2019
A consortium of experts is calling for New Zealand to be carbon-neutral by 2040 and a doubling of the Government’s methane reduction-target.
Dirty shipping fuel margins plunge
19 Aug 2019
Margins for European high sulphur fuel oil, used to power ships, sank last week as preparations for a global shift to cleaner maritime fuel next year start to weigh on prices.
PLANE SAILING: How will we travel the world in 2050?
19 Aug 2019
Arresting the soaring increase in flying will be the first step towards a sustainable system of international travel – but how can it be done?
Schoolgirl sounds alarm as Pacific leaders scrap
16 Aug 2019
Pacific Islanders’ fears of the effects of climate change which occupied their leaders for 12 tense hours at the South Pacific Forum overnight were passionately voiced in Auckland this morning by a young Pasifika woman.
Burp-free cow food almost ready for market
15 Aug 2019
A seaweed that can cut livestock methane emissions is almost ready for commercial production, scientists say.
Government said no to official methane advice
15 Aug 2019
The Government went beyond officials’ advice in proposing cuts in methane emissions of up to 47 per cent, briefing papers show.
Heat-trapping gases soar to new levels
15 Aug 2019
Last year was the fourth-warmest since the 1800s and sea levels the highest on record, a new study finds.
Fracking pushes up methane count, says research
15 Aug 2019
Fracking is probably the reason atmospheric methane is rising, with the United States shale gas industry behind a third of the increase in global greenhouses gas emissions over the past decade, new research warns.
Todd Corporation sees big future for natural gas
14 Aug 2019
The country’s largest private energy company says gas should continue to play a large part in New Zealand’s energy mix - and that climate action shouldn’t come at the expense of economy or living standards.
Media too soft on contrarians, says study
14 Aug 2019
Journalists should give less space to climate contrarians, and scientists should assert their authority in the face of claims that climate-change science isn’t settled, researchers say.
Big Four's free credits top $1 billion mark
13 Aug 2019
Four companies have been given a total of more than $1 billion worth of free carbon credits in the latest round of subsidies under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
New world means new look at GM, say experts
13 Aug 2019
New Zealand needs to reconsider gene-editing technology in light of climate change, says the co-chair of a Royal Society expert panel on the issue.
Trainspotters fear heritage business will run out of steam
13 Aug 2019
Worried about how New Zealand’s zero-carbon drive will affect your activities? Spare a thought for the country’s steam locomotive enthusiasts facing a world without coal.
Cash for credits could cause taxpayer headache
12 Aug 2019
Money instead of carbon credits was used to offset half the greenhouse gas emissions liable under the Emissions Trading Scheme last year - creating a potential financial liability for taxpayers.
Changing climate now farmers' biggest worry
12 Aug 2019
Climate change is now the single greatest issue on farmers’ minds, according to the latest Farm Confidence Survey.
Protein diet would free up land, say scientists
9 Aug 2019
Americans could feed themselves on half the amount of land used now if they switched from meat to protein-conserving plants, scientists say.
New waste action targets makers of goods
9 Aug 2019
Producers and users of electrical and electronic goods, farm chemicals and plastics, tyres, refrigerants and packaging could be about to become legally responsible for their disposal.
OPINION: How Big Oil is polluting politics
9 Aug 2019
By GEORGE MONBIOT | The fossil-fuel lobby is threatened by public concern over the climate crisis. So it’s buying influence to get the results it wants.
Quarter of world running short of water
9 Aug 2019
A quarter of the world’s population across 17 countries are living in regions of extremely high water stress, a new report reveals.
Super-sized airships could again be kings of the skies
9 Aug 2019
Tomorrow's fuel could be delivered at all-but zero carbon cost by vast airship tankers, sailing round the world at stratospheric heights on the jet stream.
Beware of freeloaders, warns Enviro-Mark chief
8 Aug 2019
Without regulations requiring all businesses to cut greenhouse gas emissions, some New Zealand companies will freeload off the efforts of others, the country’s leading emissions auditor is warning.
Firms celebrate reduced carbon footprints
8 Aug 2019
A print shop, a company supplying uniforms, a skincare product manufacturer, a district council and a health board have taken the top prizes in the Enviro-Mark Solutions Awards announced in Auckland this morning.
Storage key to renewable energy success
8 Aug 2019
The cost of storing energy needs to fall 90 per cent to make renewables globally competitive, researchers say.
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.
