New Zealand: All stories
Put food first and buy credits, says fertiliser firm
27 Nov 2018
New Zealand should keep producing food and buy international carbon credits to cover its greenhouse gas emissions, says fertiliser co-operative Ravensdown.
Cruise ship captain fined for using dirty fuel
27 Nov 2018
The captain of a cruise ship found to be burning fuel with excessive sulphur levels has been fined €100,000 ($NZ166,000) in a Marseille court, the first such ruling in France.
NZX firms drag chain on sustainable reporting
26 Nov 2018
Companies on the New Zealand Stock Exchange have a long way to go on sustainable reporting, a new report shows.
Solar geoengineering could be cheap option
26 Nov 2018
Cooling the Earth by injecting sun-blocking particles into the stratosphere could be “remarkably inexpensive”, according to the most detailed engineering analysis to date.
Use of nitrogen must be curbed, says OECD
23 Nov 2018
Nitrogen use – responsible for a large chunk of New Zealand’s pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – needs curbing, the OECD is warning.
Campaigners take aim at NZ-owned banks
22 Nov 2018
Three New Zealand-owned banks are the new targets of anti-fossil-fuel campaigners.
Biofuel land grab will squeeze nature’s space
22 Nov 2018
Growing enough greenery to provide cleaner fuel and slow climate change will need a biofuel land grab: a 10 to 30-fold rise in land devoted to green crops.
Why the new economy needs a financing plan
21 Nov 2018
New Zealand needs an impact investment plan to push financing of the new economy, says a report out today.
Big Business backs cuts to industry emissions
21 Nov 2018
A coalition of business leaders known as the Energy Transitions Commission has backed proposals for radical changes to industries, including steel, cement, shipping and aviation, to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
Fog, freezing cold, plague, hunger ... 536 was a shocker
21 Nov 2018
Ask medieval historian Michael McCormick what year was the worst to be alive, and he's got an answer: 536.
Academics call for emergency action
20 Nov 2018
One hundred and fifty New Zealand academics calling for “emergency” action on climate change say economic growth has to stop.
Stand by for multiple disasters, say experts
20 Nov 2018
Heatwaves, droughts, wildfire, storms, floods, sea-surges, food shortages and diseases – climate change could see communities hit by multiple disasters at once, scientists say.
Dead fish new power behind high-polluting cruise ships
20 Nov 2018
Waste fish parts will be used to power ships in a new initiative to use green energy for polluting cruise liners.
Scientists see new energy value in our forests
19 Nov 2018
Forestry’s value to New Zealand’s climate change effort is not in carbon storage but in powering the low-carbon economy, says our leading forest research institute.
Time to can meat and milk, says fish company
16 Nov 2018
The head of New Zealand’s largest fishing company is calling for strong action on climate change – including replacing meat and dairy products in people’s diets with fish.
NZ scientists work on safer batteries
16 Nov 2018
New Zealand researchers have created a new plant-based electrolyte that could be the key to making safer and more environmentally friendly batteries.
Blockchain takes politics out of carbon play
15 Nov 2018
Businesses will soon be able to price and trade carbon without the help of governments by using blockchain technology, says a social enterprise about to launch a new carbon platform.
FUNDING FUTURE: Why green will rule over brown
15 Nov 2018
Directors of companies in the “brown” economy might struggle to attract money as investors switch to the green economy, says Chapman Tripp.
EECA wants feedback on $14m energy fund
14 Nov 2018
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is seeking feedback on its proposed $14 million energy levy-funded activities for next year.
Hydrogen is back in the energy picture
14 Nov 2018
As the price of renewable energy drops and storage technologies mature, hydrogen fuel is drawing fresh attention.
How we'll pay for National's mismanagement
12 Nov 2018
Climate mismanagement under the National government means New Zealand will have to use international carbon credits to meet its emissions reduction targets, says a leading carbon forestry executive.
New RMA will cover effects of climate change
9 Nov 2018
The Government’s overhaul of the Resource Management Act will include the way it deals with climate change.
Air NZ paves way for electric aircraft
9 Nov 2018
Air New Zealand is preparing the way to operate hybrid planes on its domestic regional routes.
Messed-up ozone layer is on the mend
9 Nov 2018
The entire ozone layer — even the highly damaged parts over the North Pole and South Pole — could be completely healed by 2060.
Shipowners could face tougher emissions rules
8 Nov 2018
Ships operating in New Zealand might soon be liable to tough new rules on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Oil and gas exploration ban becomes law
8 Nov 2018
New oil and gas exploration is now banned from New Zealand’s waters and from most of its land.
OPINION: Attenborough has betrayed the living world
8 Nov 2018
BY GEORGE MONBIOT | By downplaying our environmental crisis, Sir David Attenborough's BBC films have generated complacency, confusion and ignorance.
Big hydropower dams unsustainable, says study
8 Nov 2018
Large-scale hydropower dams are unsustainable in the developing world, according toi new research.
Treasury likes bonds to reward tree-planting
7 Nov 2018
Environmental impact bonds encouraging the planting of native forests could help to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, Treasury says.
Bitcoin mining takes twice the effort
7 Nov 2018
The amount of energy required to mine one dollar’s worth of bitcoin is more than twice that required to mine the same value of copper, gold or platinum.
Meat farmers want two-pronged methane move
6 Nov 2018
Beef, lamb and deer farmers say they accept New Zealand’s methane emissions will have be cut – but not to net-zero.
OPINION: It would help if companies paid their taxes
6 Nov 2018
By WAYNE SWAN | Less fiscal revenue means less money for vital infrastructure and less money to prepare for the effects of natural disasters.
Nitrogen inhibitors could return to the farm
5 Nov 2018
Nitrogen inhibitors could be in use on New Zealand farms again by 2020, farmers say.
Exploration ban close to becoming law
5 Nov 2018
The Government’s partial ban on new oil and gas exploration could become law this week.
Waste Management boosts sustainability
5 Nov 2018
Waste Management is to make sustainable procurement a priority.
This crab could save your life - if humans don't wipe it out first
5 Nov 2018
The wellbeing of people might one day depend on a blue-blooded crab that looks like a cross between the facehugger from Alien and a gigantic louse.
You're dreaming, business lobby tells Govt
2 Nov 2018
Business New Zealand doesn’t support any of the Government’s proposed 2050 emissions reduction targets, saying they are based on wishful thinking and magic.
Buying credits last resort, say energy managers
1 Nov 2018
Buying international carbon credits to meet New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments will be expensive and should be a last resort, the Government has been told.
Emissions failure will hurt farmers, says Fonterra
31 Oct 2018
A global failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions will see New Zealand farmers face demands for major production cuts, the world’s largest milk-producer is warning.
Govt backs electric trains on main trunk line
31 Oct 2018
Electric locomotives are to stay on the main trunk line.
MEATLESS MEAT: One major issue is what do we call it
31 Oct 2018
The debate around the regulation of cell-based meat has stepped up significantly with one of major issues being what to call the new product.
Don't do a Rogernomics, warns enviro chief
30 Oct 2018
Decarbonising the New Zealand economy cannot be a repeat of Rogernomics, says Environment Secretary Vicky Robertson.
Global effort to cut ship emissions stalls
30 Oct 2018
The International Maritime Organisation agreed this year to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50 per cent by 2050, but its members are struggling to agree on how to get there.
Compressed air could be our energy friend
30 Oct 2018
If energy storage were available at sufficiently low cost and high performance, renewable energy would rapidly displace all other generation forms.
Oil countries will have to change their ways
30 Oct 2018
A changing energy system is posing “critical questions” for many of the world’s largest oil and gas producing countries, the International Energy Agency says.
Emissions intensity drops, but a long way to go
29 Oct 2018
New Zealand’s emissions intensity has dropped 41 per cent since 1990, but the country still has a lot of work to do to cut carbon from the economy, a new report says.
Hydrogen offers hope for island dwellers
29 Oct 2018
Hydrogen power and renewable energy offer hope to islanders and others in remote communities who now have to rely on fossil fuels.
Exploration ban sound signal, says forum chair
26 Oct 2018
Changes to the Crown Minerals Act that will see most new oil and gas exploration banned are the type of signals businesses need, says one of the people heading a ground-breaking finance sector project.
Dealers get the word on electric vehicles
26 Oct 2018
Need help deciding whether or not to buy an electric vehicle?
Dyson to take vacuum cleaners to the next level - electric cars
26 Oct 2018
British vacuum cleaner king James Dyson is building an automotive factory in Singapore where his company will assemble its first electric car.
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.
