New Zealand: All stories
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.
Bulk of PNG export timber illegally logged
31 Jul 2018
Millions of tonnes of illegally logged Papua New Guinea timber are being exported to China and from there to the world as finished wood products, a new report has revealed.
Toyota planning Olympic Games specials
31 Jul 2018
Toyota is planning to use the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to showcase the future of transportation.
Minister silent on arbitrage as prices climb
30 Jul 2018
Climate minister James Shaw isn’t commenting on the risk of arbitrage as carbon prices climb closer to the Government’s artificial price cap.
Bridges ignores climate change in party address
30 Jul 2018
National Party leader Simon Bridges is promising to have “the best ideas” on the environment.
Ozone hole story reads like a best-seller
30 Jul 2018
The ozone hole is an environmental success story and an enduring global threat ... and the its headlines in recent months read like an international eco-thriller.
Mastercard vows 20% emissions cut
30 Jul 2018
Financial services giant Mastercard has set a new goal to tackle greenhouse gas emissions across it global operations.
Companies climate-aware but quiet on carbon risk
27 Jul 2018
Most New Zealand companies are not disclosing their carbon risk – despite ranking the environment and climate change as their top priorities, a new survey shows.
Cheap new material could speed battery charging
27 Jul 2018
A newly identified group of materials could accelerate adoption of electric cars and solar energy, as well as helping to recharge your smartphone in minutes.
Taxpayers could be left holding carbon bill
26 Jul 2018
Owners of post-1989 forests due for harvest might be tempted to arbitrage carbon credits, leaving taxpayers with the bill and driving liquidity out of the carbon market.
Taranaki Maori make stand against oil and gas
25 Jul 2018
Maori in Taranaki say they will oppose climate-damaging activities like oil and gas extraction and intensive farming.
Big investors call for low-carbon roadmap
25 Jul 2018
New Zealand and Australian investors with $10 trillion worth of assets are calling for a suite of policies to direct finance into the low-carbon economy.
Farmers want methane left out of 2050 targets
24 Jul 2018
New Zealand should stick to its current target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and leave methane out of the equation, says Federated Farmers.
Exotics rate second to natives, says minister
24 Jul 2018
Exotic carbon forestry is unlikely to be allowed on scrubland – and even less likely in national parks.
Parties eye early start to zero-carbon talks
23 Jul 2018
Cross-party talks on the Zero Carbon Bill could be under way within a month.
Scientists find climate-change secrets locked in troposphere
23 Jul 2018
Scientists studying the troposphere – the lowest level of the atmosphere – have found “powerful evidence” that climate change is altering seasonal temperatures.
Airbus to build solar-powered unmanned planes
23 Jul 2018
Airbus has unveiled plans to manufacture a solar plane which will fly unmanned high in the sky.
Shaw applauds China's work on climate change
20 Jul 2018
China’s action on climate change makes New Zealand look like its “pussy-footing around”, says climate minister James Shaw.
Drivers get help to find EV charging stations
19 Jul 2018
Finding a place to charge your electric car is about to get easier.
Aircraft industry feels heat from changing climate
19 Jul 2018
The extreme heat that has come with climate change is prompting aircraft manufacturers to test their fleets for increasingly hotter temperatures.
Beehive might have carbon job for Reserve Bank
18 Jul 2018
The Government is looking at the role the Reserve Bank should play in monitoring and managing the country’s carbon exposure.
Latest ETS review kicks off next month
18 Jul 2018
Consultation on the next review of the Emissions Trading Scheme will start next month.
Ngai Tahu targets a million native trees
17 Jul 2018
Ngai Tahu is planting a million native trees and converting some of its farms to horticulture as part of its strategy to deal with climate change.
Europe climate strategy forgets about soil
17 Jul 2018
While climate change takes a toll on agriculture and land use contributes to warming the planet, soils still find little attention from policymakers in their climate strategies.
The what, where, when and why of food production
17 Jul 2018
Researchers have compiled a database on food production around the world in order to determine the best means of reducing the environmental impacts of what we eat.
Banks face divestment pressure from councils
16 Jul 2018
Banks can expect pressure from the country’s largest urban authorities to get their money out of fossil-fuel investment.
All businesses in the firing line, says Orr
16 Jul 2018
Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has expanded on his climate change disaster warning.
Act or face financial crisis, warns leading banker
13 Jul 2018
New central bank head Adrian Orr is warning of financial crisis and mass social unrest if the world doesn’t urgently address climate change.
Musk eyes 500,000 e-cars a year from new China factory
13 Jul 2018
Tesla founder Elon Musk says his new factory in Shanghai - the company's first outside the US - will build 500,000 electric cars a year.
Tiny fern might lead us to big solutions
13 Jul 2018
A tiny fern might provide global impact for sinking atmospheric carbon dioxide, fixing nitrogen in agriculture and shooing pesky insects from crops.
Big Business makes public climate promises
12 Jul 2018
Details of support for the Zero Carbon Bill by businesses responsible for half the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have emerged today.
Farmers like the idea of opting in to ETS
12 Jul 2018
Farmers could be interested into opting into the Emissions Trading Scheme – if the settings are right.
Clean energy investment passes $138b
12 Jul 2018
Global investment in clean technologies is closely tracking last year and has already hit $138.2 billion, according to new analysis.
Let farmers opt in to ETS, says regional council
11 Jul 2018
Farmers should be able to opt into the Emissions Trading Scheme so they can get credit for introducing climate-friendly practices, says the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
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.
