New Zealand: All stories
Auckland signs up to war on waste declaration
29 Aug 2018
Auckland is promising to halve the amount of waste being sent to rubbish dumps by 2030.
Greenhouse emissions must be cut, says Ardern
28 Aug 2018
Cutting New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions was on the Prime Minister’s menu at a business breakfast in Auckland this morning.
Beware of cherry-picking, study tells businesses
28 Aug 2018
Companies might be cherry-picking sustainability measures that make them look good, with greenhouse gas emissions one of the least-reported factors.
SHOCK WAVES: Should we be using tech to control weather?
28 Aug 2018
Farmers in Mexico have accused Volkswagen of ruining their crops by installing “hail cannons”, which fire shockwaves into the atmosphere in an effort to prevent hail storms from damaging cars rolling off the production line.
Growth fund should back biofuel, says jet group
27 Aug 2018
The Government’s Provincial Growth Fund should be backing production in New Zealand of biofuel, says one of the players in a biojet consortium.
Z Energy buys chunk of electricity company
27 Aug 2018
Fuel retailer Z Energy is buying 70 per cent of an electricity supplier as part of a shift towards a low-carbon economy.
Don't rush free-credits' demise, warn exporters
24 Aug 2018
Trade-exposed heavy emitters should keep getting free carbon credits until 70 per cent of their international competitors face a carbon price, says Export New Zealand.
Scottish tidal project sets new power records
24 Aug 2018
A tidal energy project in Scotland has smashed records for power generation over a 12-month period.
Carbon trading support sits at 50%, says survey
23 Aug 2018
Half of New Zealanders support carbon trading as a way of cutting the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, a survey shows.
OPINION: Good intentions are not enough
23 Aug 2018
By GREG CAMPBELL | When 60 chief executives of large New Zealand companies recently committed to a transition to a low- emissions economy, some environmentalists were wary.
Cheap-credits companies might face crackdown
22 Aug 2018
The Government might crack down on companies using cheap credits to cover their carbon liabilities while banking or selling credits given to them by taxpayers.
Solar goes super and next stop might be space
22 Aug 2018
Power utilities around the world are supersizing their solar farms and even looking toward taking them into space.
Why summer weather keeps on getting 'stuck'
22 Aug 2018
Summer weather patterns are increasingly likely to stall in Europe, North America and parts of Asia, according to a new climate study that explains why Arctic warming is making heatwaves elsewhere more persistent and dangerous.
Public wants green-guilt companies to foot bill
21 Aug 2018
The public wants companies responsible for climate change held accountable, a new survey shows.
Company wins $3.1m to recycle industrial waste
21 Aug 2018
Auckland company Green Gorilla has won a $3.1 million government grant to recycle commercial and industrial waste.
The road ahead might not be smooth for electric scooters
21 Aug 2018
Electric scooters are seen as a good choice by many eco-conscious consumers, but some cities see regulatory headaches.
Government takes aim at synthetic gases
20 Aug 2018
Synthetic greenhouses gases, like those used in refrigeration and air conditioning, could come under a new product stewardship regime.
Companies offer e-cars on subscription
20 Aug 2018
Electric vehicles could soon be available on subscription.
E-planes on way ... as soon as we can figure out the battery
20 Aug 2018
At least 20 companies are developing aerial taxi plans, including Boeing and Airbus. But flying requires an incredible amount of energy, and presently, batteries are too heavy and too expensive to achieve liftoff.
Rolls-Royce making battery to power ships
20 Aug 2018
Rolls-Royce is developing a battery storage device for use in the shipping industry.
High cost of land a blocker, say foresters
17 Aug 2018
The high cost of land means that even at $24 a tonne, New Zealand cannot rely on new forests to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target, the forestry industry says.
Green group hails ETS boost for native forests
17 Aug 2018
The Government’s plan to use the Emissions Trading Scheme to encourage more native forests is a smart move and will help to protect farms, towns and infrastructure from extreme weather events, an environmental organisation says.
Marine worms are dining out on plastic
17 Aug 2018
On land, earthworms eat dead leaves and fungi and poop out tiny bits of organic matter that enrich the soil. In the sea, it turns out that some marine worms chew on floating plastic and poop out microplastics.
Sustainable investments outperform the market
17 Aug 2018
Companies which invest on the basis of environmental concerns often receive higher returns, new research shows.
Facebook leads record clean power purchases
17 Aug 2018
Corporations, led by Facebook, are purchasing more clean energy than ever, with 2018 already exceeding the record-amount set last year.
Carbon at $24 puts pressure on Government
16 Aug 2018
Carbon prices have smashed through the $24 barrier for the first time in nearly a decade of carbon trading in New Zealand, increasing pressure on the Government to lift the $25 price cap.
Who will own EV charging stations?
16 Aug 2018
The fragmented nature of EV charging infrastructure ownership means that any of a range of players could be taking your money.
Lift carbon cap to $30 immediately, says broker
15 Aug 2018
The Government is being told to take the brakes off the carbon market and immediately lift the maximum price to $30 a tonne.
Farmers want clear carbon price guides
15 Aug 2018
Farmers want to know what range carbon prices will be over five-year periods, the Farm Forestry Association says.
At last, a handy guide to the ETS
15 Aug 2018
Settling down to make a submission on the latest review of the Emissions Trading Scheme and need a hand?
No floor, but expect early action on carbon prices
14 Aug 2018
The Government might intervene in the market to lift carbon prices before 2020, but it has no plan to introduce a price floor.
At last, a new deal on the table for forestry
14 Aug 2018
The Government has finally unveiled its proposals for changing the way forestry is treated under the Emissions Trading Scheme – including a proposal for new permanent forestry provisions.
New ETS review will look at lifting cap
13 Aug 2018
Lifting the cap on the carbon price and limiting the supply of units are two of the proposals in the Government's new review of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Heavy hitters bank more from free carbon credits
13 Aug 2018
The phasing out of the one-for-two carbon subsidy saw a big jump in the number of free carbon credits given to heavy industries last year.
New figures show emitters opting for arbitrage
10 Aug 2018
Emitters appear to be starting to arbitrage the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Dimming the Sun has a dark side
10 Aug 2018
Solar geoengineering would ease heat stress, but also block vital sunlight for plants.
Businesses reluctant to factor in carbon prices
9 Aug 2018
Carbon prices rarely influence businesses’ decisions to install energy-efficient plant, according to a new report examining the market’s failure to drive down greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.
Firms failing to disclose climate risks, says group
9 Aug 2018
Environmental group ClientEarth has reported a number of UK insurance firms for failing to disclosure their level of exposure to climate risks in annual reports.
Economy needs new growth path, says Robertson
8 Aug 2018
More details of the Government’s new “well-being” approach to setting the nation’s budget are emerging.
How ignoring climate change will cost us billions
7 Aug 2018
Unchecked climate change will cost New Zealand nearly $6 billion a year in lost earnings, researchers have calculated.
Don't force carbon-risk disclosure, says board
6 Aug 2018
Carbon-risk disclosure by companies should not be prescriptive, the External Reporting Board is warning.
Kraft Heinz targets 100% sustainable packaging
6 Aug 2018
Kraft Heinz has committed to making all its packaging “recyclable, reusable, or compostable” within the next eight years.
KiwiRail sees exciting future for hydrogen trains
3 Aug 2018
Hydrogen-powered trains could play a big part in cutting New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, KiwiRail says.
What extreme weather will mean for businesses
3 Aug 2018
As the Northern Hemisphere suffers in heatwave conditions, lawyers warn of increased risk of litigation relating to extreme weather events.
Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries
3 Aug 2018
Research needs to refocus on finding common elements such as iron and silicon as reserves of cobalt and nickel used in electric-vehicle cells dwindle.
Air New Zealand sees benefits in simplified ETS
2 Aug 2018
More native trees would be planted if the Emissions Trading Scheme were simplified, says Air New Zealand.
OPINION: Climate denial soon won’t even benefit oil companies
2 Aug 2018
By PHIL McDUFF | The damage caused by our addiction to burning fossil fuels will be so widespread that nobody stands to gain.
Government hears Paris pact means methane cuts
1 Aug 2018
The Paris Agreement cannot be met without cutting methane emissions, the Government has been told.
STATS SHOW: Shaw about to change the story
31 Jul 2018
Green Party co-leader James Shaw might be the climate minister, but it’s in his statistics portfolio that he is about to change everything.
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Fri 27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
Govt's solar on farms initiative to cut costs, boost resilience
17 Feb 2026
Farms across Aotearoa will begin installing solar panels and battery systems as part of a government-backed demonstration programme designed to test whether on-farm renewable energy can reduce electricity costs and improve energy security for the food and fibre sector.
Annual emissions fell to lowest in 15 years in Sept 2025
5 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions fell to their lowest annual total in the year to September 2025 since records began 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand data published this morning.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
