New Zealand: All stories
Group wants climate action to save native species
25 Oct 2018
Tougher resource management rules and incentives to store carbon in native forests are among just-released recommendations to protect New Zealand’s native species from climate change.
Offshore wind farms could tame hurricanes
25 Oct 2018
When high winds meet tall sails in the right place, something’s got to give. Offshore wind farms might lead to weakened hurricanes.
Pioneering carbon investment fund opens doors
24 Oct 2018
A carbon investment fund six years in the making is open for business.
NZ signs hydrogen agreement with Japan
24 Oct 2018
New Zealand and Japan are working together to transition away from a reliance on fossil fuels with the signing of an agreement on hydrogen, says energy minister Megan Woods.
Solar is here to stay, but where are the boats?
24 Oct 2018
There's nothing novel about vehicles using alternatives to the internal combustion engine, but solar and battery-powered boats are rarely in the conversation.
New power group takes aim at finance system
23 Oct 2018
Key companies and government officials are joining forces to prepare New Zealand’s financial system for the low-carbon economy.
TINY TRACTORS: Welcome to the rise of the robot farmer
23 Oct 2018
Tiny automated machines could soon take care of the entire growing process down on the farm. Fewer chemicals, more efficient – where’s the downside?
We're using more fossil fuels, says energy report
19 Oct 2018
New Zealand’s consumption of fossil fuels is climbing, new figures show.
Recycle grant helps firm to take back products
19 Oct 2018
An Auckland company which promises to take back its products has won a Government grant to help it to recycle.
Air pollution growing threat, says new report
18 Oct 2018
Air pollution from vehicles and woodfires is affecting the climate and threatens the health of New Zealanders, a new report shows.
Big Gas wants exploration ban put on hold
17 Oct 2018
Five of the country’s biggest users of natural gas want the Government’s ban on exploration for new reserves put on hold while a “detailed” assessment of the role of gas is carried out.
TRIBUTE: Climate-change pioneer Bernard Forde
16 Oct 2018
By ADELIA HALLETT | Today is the funeral of a man who pushed, to the best of his scientific and political ability, to get action on climate change.
How the world dairy herd could be brought to its knees
16 Oct 2018
The drive for genetic selection means cattle are increasingly vulnerable to deadly new epidemics that could emerge as the climate warms.
Why our monetary system suits Zero Carbon Act
15 Oct 2018
New Zealand’s monetary policy system is a good model for the Zero Carbon Act, says the country’s stock exchange.
Few of our councillors vote electric for mayoral motor
15 Oct 2018
The nation’s mayors might on the front line for dealing with the impacts of climate change, but that doesn’t mean they’re going carbon-neutral in their choice of mayoral car.
Scrapping grants for hybrid cars 'astounding'
15 Oct 2018
Incentives for consumers to buy hybrid and electric cars rather than diesel or petrol alternatives have been slashed by the UK government, adding thousands of pounds to the price of a new low-emission vehicle.
A million electric vehicles in the US. So what?
15 Oct 2018
Sometime this month, a million electric vehicles will have been sold in the United States. But does it matter?
At last, we're beginning to talk like grown-ups
12 Oct 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Depending on your viewpoint, the world moved closer to – or further away from – climate destruction this week.
Forestry boom turns Ireland into an ecological dead zone
12 Oct 2018
Sponsored conifer plantations now cover hundreds of hectares of what once was rich farmland in Ireland, smothering the landscape and driving out endangered wildlife.
$840 MILLION: What climate change has cost us
11 Oct 2018
Climate change has cost New Zealand at least $840 million over the past decade – prompting warnings at a business conference that adaptation to now-unavoidable impacts could cost more than cutting emissions.
Bioenergy will lead the way, predicts IEA
11 Oct 2018
“Modern” bioenergy will lead the global expansion of renewable energy up to 2023, the International Energy Agency says in its latest forecast.
Why 6 per cent a year should get the job done
10 Oct 2018
Cutting global emissions by 6 per cent a year should keep warming to no more than 1.5deg, one of New Zealand’s top mathematicians has calculated.
NEW NATS: We're getting the climate message
10 Oct 2018
The National Party says it’s going through a “metamorphosis” on climate change – and it appears to include accepting that the way New Zealand uses its land is going to change.
Government backs cuts to reach 1.5deg
9 Oct 2018
The Government backs emissions cuts in line with keeping global warming to no more than 1.5deg, and says negotiations with the National Party for cross-party agreement on climate policy are going well.
Minerals sector puts case for use of public land
9 Oct 2018
Many of the minerals required for the low-carbon economy are on public conservation land in New Zealand, the minerals sector says.
Three decades later, Chernobyl goes solar
9 Oct 2018
Ukraine has unveiled a solar plant in Chernobyl, just across from where a power station, now encased in a giant sarcophagus, caused the world’s worst nuclear disaster three decades ago.
Wind-solar hybrid means 24-hour energy
8 Oct 2018
A power project in Ohio will take advantage of solar's midday burst of energy and wind's all-day power to provide more consistent clean energy to the grid.
Unions put case for place in low-carbon economy
5 Oct 2018
Unions will put the Government on notice today over what they think a “just transition” to a low-carbon economy actually means.
Jet makes historic flight on LanzaTech fuel
5 Oct 2018
One-time New Zealand company LanzaTech developed the fuel for a Virgin Atlantic jet which has just flown from Orlando to Gatwick powered by a blend of aviation fuel and ethanol produced from waste gases.
WASTE NOT: Dumped plastic can be worth its weight in gold
5 Oct 2018
Plastics are among the most valuable waste materials – it’s possible to convert all plastics directly into useful forms of energy.
Public backs Govt's long-term climate strategy
4 Oct 2018
The Government’s plans to lock climate policy into long-term legislation – and to include all methane – has overwhelming public support.
Mazda picks up the pace in electric vehicles
4 Oct 2018
Mazda has laid out plans to revamp its product line-up, saying that all its vehicles will come with electric power by 2030.
VESPA VETO: Why Genoa is moving to ban its icon of cool
4 Oct 2018
Nothing symbolises Italian urban chic quite like the Vespa. But in the city that gave birth to them, the diehards suddenly have a fight on their hands because of pollution.
MONDAY'S MESSAGE: Quite simply, it's up to us
3 Oct 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | One of the most important scientific papers ever produced will be released on Monday, and the ramifications for New Zealand could be huge.
Even fish can eat this latest replacement for plastic
3 Oct 2018
A new alternative to plastic has the possibility to “replace all the packaging we know,” because it is so safe that even fish can eat it.
Uber puts $10m into sustainable transport
3 Oct 2018
Uber has announced a $10 million investment over the next three years in sustainable mobility.
ETS farming delay could be costly, says EY
2 Oct 2018
Postponing bringing agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme risks exposing New Zealand’s economy to a shock, says one of the world’s largest accounting firms.
Regional energy leaders to talk transition
2 Oct 2018
Political and energy sector leaders from across Asia and the Pacific will converge in Wellington later this month to talk about the implications on the region’s energy systems of the low-carbon transition.
High-yield farms clue to feeding the world
2 Oct 2018
Forget organic agriculture: instead, go for growth, use less land and choose high-yield farms. They may be the best answer to the planet’s needs.
The thing with electric cars is selling them
2 Oct 2018
Electric cars are poised to arrive en masse in European showrooms after years of hyped concept-car launches. The trick now is selling them at a profit.
Scientists have high hopes for solar-flow battery
2 Oct 2018
Scientists in the United States and Saudi Arabia have harnessed the abilities of both a solar cell and a battery in one device - a "solar-flow battery" that soaks up sunlight and efficiently stores it as chemical energy for later on-demand use.
Plastic-eating mushrooms are the new waste superheroes
2 Oct 2018
Mushrooms are capable of expediting the breakdown of plastic waste, says a new study from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London.
Multilateralism is the key, PM tells world
1 Oct 2018
The world must return to multilateralism if it is to combat climate change, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Cargo ship pioneers passage through Arctic
1 Oct 2018
A Danish-flagged cargo ship has successfully passed through the Russian Arctic, in a trial voyage showing that melting sea ice could potentially open a new trade route from Europe to Asia.
Make nature your business, urges academic
28 Sep 2018
Companies are being told to take a hard look at what they can do for New Zealand’s struggling biodiversity – because it’s good for business.
New report criticises slow disclosure
28 Sep 2018
Another report just released says companies are slow to disclose the financial implications of climate risk for their businesses.
Changing climate is destabilising mountains
28 Sep 2018
It's not just the atmosphere and the oceans that are heating up. An ever-denser blanket of greenhouse gases is also sending warmer air and water deeper into the planet's rocky bones.
What happened to solar panels on roads?
28 Sep 2018
Four years ago, a viral campaign wooed the world with a promise of fighting climate change and jump-starting the economy by replacing tarmac on the world’s roads with solar panels.
Corporate tree-planting not always a good thing
28 Sep 2018
Eager-to-please businesses might earn goodwill by planting trees, but sometimes their actions are not good news for the planet.
Property company wins energy-saving award
27 Sep 2018
Installing energy-efficient lighting and heating systems in properties has seen Goodman Property Trust cut greenhouse gas emissions by 775 tonnes.
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.
