New Zealand: All stories
Sheep and beef farmers make carbon-neutral call
16 May 2018
New Zealand’s beef and sheep sector says it will be carbon-neutral by 2050.
US battens the hatches for season of storms
16 May 2018
The US is bracing for another harrowing spate of hurricanes this year, with forecasts of an active 2018 season coming amid new research that shows powerful Atlantic storms are intensifying.
Climate change threatens our food and health
15 May 2018
Whether it is food shortages, diseases like dengue fever or respiratory conditions caused by wind-blown Australian dust, climate change is a serious health threat for New Zealanders, the Government is being told.
New steel plant will emit only water vapour
15 May 2018
A pilot plant being built in Sweden will produce steel using hydrogen from renewable electricity. The only emissions will be water vapour.
Tesco cuts emissions by 13% in one year
15 May 2018
UK supermarket giant Tesco cut its 2017-18 carbon emissions by 13 per cent on the previous year, and a full 26 per cent on 2015.
Use taxes for a better world, says thinktank
14 May 2018
Taxes should be aiming at keeping human activity within the planet’s physical capacity – and that means carbon prices that deliver fast, deep and sustained emissions reductions, the Government’s Tax Working Group has been told.
New technology could slash aluminium emissions
14 May 2018
Technology has been unveiled that could drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions from aluminium production, in a development that could transform the way one of the world’s most common materials is made.
Government pumps $15m into new forest service
11 May 2018
The Government will set aside an extra $15 million in next week’s Budget to boost the capacity of the new forestry fervice.
THE HOUSE: When was the last gas bonanza?
11 May 2018
The Government’s ban on new oil and gas exploration permits, threats to restrict the number of cows and charging applicants for the cost of inquiries for marine consents were all on Parliament’s agenda this week.
EU warms to plastic waste as transport fuel
11 May 2018
A proposal to use non-recyclable plastic waste in the production of transport fuels is picking up momentum among EU member states, despite warnings from environmentalists.
Natural gas not the solution, claims new report
10 May 2018
Natural gas is not a transition fuel to a low-carbon economy – and the Government should go further than just banning all new offshore exploration licences, a new report says.
We're still talking electric locos, says minister
10 May 2018
KiwiRail says the new government hasn’t told it to reverse plans to replace electric locomotives on the Main Trunk Line with diesel engines.
Get ready for longer droughts, warn scientists
10 May 2018
New Zealand’s land-based primary industries need to get ready for more serious crop diseases as climate change causes longer droughts, warns new research.
Renewables employing 10 million people
10 May 2018
More than 10 million people are working in the renewable energy industry. In 2017 alone, the sector added more than 500,000 jobs globally.
Fonterra front and centre of dairy industry review
9 May 2018
The Government’s overhaul of the climate-damaging dairy industry is under way.
Kiwis question cow numbers and need for more farms
9 May 2018
Roughly half of the country thinks New Zealand has too many cows and nearly as many want a moratorium on new dairy conversions, a poll suggests.
Tax system should have role in environment
8 May 2018
The tax system should protect the environment, the Tax Working Party has been told.
Small land area, big rewards from solar panels
8 May 2018
Covering 0.06 per cent of New Zealand’s land with solar panels would provide enough power for the country’s total energy needs, a new study says.
Young scientists to get NZ study money
8 May 2018
New Zealand is funding doctorate scholarships for nine young scientists to investigate ways to get greenhouse gas emissions out of food production.
TALANOA TIME: Talks hear climate tales
7 May 2018
It’s Talanoa Dialogue day in Bonn – and New Zealand is suggesting the world take a look at Maori concepts of stewardship as a way of battling climate change.
Bill Gates company goes in search of nuclear Nirvana
7 May 2018
Microsoft founder Bill Gates' company TerraPower aims to build a safe, nearly waste-free nuclear reactor that won't contribute to weapons proliferation or climate change.
One way or another, oil industry got the message
4 May 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Did the Government consult the oil industry before announcing there would be no new licences granted for oil and gas exploration?
SHIP SHAPE: What will vessels look like in the next 30 years?
4 May 2018
With a global shipping industry target to halve its huge carbon footprint, the race is on to find new technologies to green the fleet.
Parker's new-look RMA might include climate
3 May 2018
New Zealand's resource management regime is to be overhauled – and it could mean the climate ramifications of projects are again taken into account.
Open up carbon capture rules, says Prod Com
3 May 2018
All carbon capture and storage in New Zealand should qualify for credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme – no matter where the carbon comes from, the Productivity Commission says.
War on coal making money for mineowners
3 May 2018
The world’s war on coal is making its biggest producers a lot richer, at least for now.
BP profits leap 71% as oil prices rebound
3 May 2018
BP’s profits jumped 71 per cent during the first three months of the year, in the latest sign that the British oil company is back on the path to growth.
ROCK ROLE: Sorry, but nitrogen from stone is no magic bullet
3 May 2018
Nitrogen from rock could fuel plant growth around the world – but not enough to prevent climate change.
Global markets and agriculture our Bonn targets
2 May 2018
Access to international carbon markets and getting the rest of the world to cut emissions from agriculture are two of New Zealand’s negotiating priorities at international climate talks this week.
Fonterra turns to wood to help fire dairy plant
2 May 2018
Fonterra says it will replace some coal with wood at one of its factories, a move expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2400 tonnes a year.
New tool eases pathway to disclosure
2 May 2018
Businesses wanting to disclose their carbon exposure to investors have a new tool.
Prod Com off course, says carbon tech company
1 May 2018
The Productivity Commission is badly under-estimating the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the steel and iron industries, says a New Zealand company with technology to do just that.
Industrial emissions can be cut - but it's not easy
30 Apr 2018
Soaring emissions from the industrial sector can be cut through improved efficiency and using lower-emissions fuels, but there’s no easy fix, the Productivity Commission says.
OPINION: Ministers have gone deaf
30 Apr 2018
The Productivity Commission might be talking about big things from the energy sector, but the Government doesn’t seem to want to know, says Bioenergy Association chief executive BRIAN COX.
PROD COM REPORT: Keep the ETS ... with changes
27 Apr 2018
New Zealand should keep the Emissions Trading Scheme, but it should include agricultural emissions and subsidises for heavy emitters should go, the Productivity Commission says.
PROD COM REPORT: Farmland into forests
27 Apr 2018
New Zealand might need to convert more than three million hectares of farmland into forests to meet its emissions targets, the Productivity Commission says.
PROD COM REPORT: Nats to take a look
27 Apr 2018
The Productivity Commission’s draft report will be high on the agenda for the National Party’s Bluegreens forum in Christchurch this weekend.
One debate that's now over
27 Apr 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Debate about whether New Zealand can decarbonise without going bankrupt should now be over.
VW makes $25 billion bet on e-cars in China
27 Apr 2018
Volkswagen will invest $NZ25 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles in China by 2022.
We're getting more worried about climate change
26 Apr 2018
New Zealanders are more worried about climate change than they have been for six years.
Graphene could be game-changer for concrete
26 Apr 2018
The novel “supermaterial” graphene could hold the key to making concrete greener, new scientific research suggests.
PSSST! Ferrari quietly - very quietly - testing electric car
26 Apr 2018
Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne has admitted the supercar manufacturer has been quietly - very quietly - testing a gasoline-electric hybrid car.
Government on global hunt for carbon credits
24 Apr 2018
The Government is locating sources of international units that could be used to meet New Zealand’s international climate obligations – but hasn’t decided yet whether to use them.
Victoria sitting on full house for climate report
24 Apr 2018
Five Victoria University academics will be lead authors on the next IPCC assessment report.
The trouble with permafrost is its impermanence
24 Apr 2018
The world’s permafrost holds vast stores of carbon. What happens when it thaws?
Ex-MP to keep ties with Beehive climate group
23 Apr 2018
Former Green MP Kennedy Graham will keep working with the ground-breaking cross-Parliamentary Globe climate group, its new chairperson says.
What if Tesla's time is running out?
23 Apr 2018
A massive cash burn and multiple factory snafus mean investors in Tesla are losing patience.
E-car revolution will bring problems of its own
23 Apr 2018
Electric cars are praised as the answer to questions of green and clean mobility. But the overall sustainability of electric vehicles is far from clear.
Directors face climate liability, says report
20 Apr 2018
New legal analysis shows that company directors in at least four Commonwealth countries must take action to address material climate risk or face legal and reputational risk.
OPINION: What the shipping deal really means
20 Apr 2018
Real hard work is about to begin after last week's deal at the IMO, writes BILL HEMMINGS, shipping director at Transport & Environment, a sustainability NGO.
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.
