New Zealand: All stories
Seeding clouds is common ... but does it work?
16 Mar 2018
Cloud seeding has been used to influence weather conditions in in more than 50 countries worldwide. But we still don’t know whether it works.
Here's a road to zero carbon, say officials
15 Mar 2018
Meeting New Zealand’s Paris Agreement pledge from domestic emissions cuts alone would put the country on a straight line to carbon-neutrality by 2050, officials have told the Government.
RAIN OR SHINE: New solar cell captures energy from raindrops
15 Mar 2018
A solar panel that can generate electricity from falling raindrops has been invented, enabling power to flow even when skies cloud over or the sun has set.
Renault-Nissan battery aims to leapfrog competition
15 Mar 2018
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is aiming to take the lead in new solid-state battery technology.
Shaw hints at end to oil and gas exploration
14 Mar 2018
Climate minister James Shaw has just given the strongest hint yet that the Government might end oil and gas exploration.
Did burning coalfields cause Earth’s worst mass extinction?
14 Mar 2018
Earth has gone through five mass extinction events – scientists are worried we’re on course to trigger a sixth – and the deadliest one happened 252 million years ago.
How protons can power our future energy needs
14 Mar 2018
As the world embraces inherently variable renewable energy sources to tackle climate change, we will need a truly gargantuan amount of electrical energy storage.
Plastic pollution has now spread to rivers
13 Mar 2018
Microplastics are contaminating rivers as well as the ocean, say scientists.
Government backs circular economy with funding
13 Mar 2018
The Government is looking to fund projects that boost the circular economy.
New-look Nats put skids under green jobs
12 Mar 2018
Climate change and the environment have failed to make new Opposition leader Simon Bridges’ front bench.
Science body pressures Commonwealth leaders
12 Mar 2018
New Zealand’s top science body is joining 21 others calling on Commonwealth countries to show “bold leadership” on climate change.
Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say scientists
12 Mar 2018
The dream of nuclear fusion is on the brink of being realised, according to a major new US initiative that says it will put fusion power on the grid within 15 years.
How stock market could help fight climate change
12 Mar 2018
Finance experts are trying to figure out how to integrate environment, social and governance factors into investment planning by comparing returns of carbon-efficient and carbon-inefficient portfolios.
TPP ignores climate health threats, say medicos
9 Mar 2018
The just-signed Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal ignores the threat climate change poses to human health and should be urgently reviewed before New Zealand ratifies it, warns the New Zealand Medical Journal.
Climate commission's job to advise, says Upton
7 Mar 2018
The climate commission should make recommendations on the Emissions Trading Scheme and the number of international credits used to meet New Zealand’s targets, but control should stay firmly in the hands of the Government, says new Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton.
Is sustainable investing a better way to go?
7 Mar 2018
Sustainable investing might be a better way to tackle climate change than switching to renewable energy.
DYING DIESEL: Can makers woo back customers?
7 Mar 2018
Amid fears about pollution, penalties and bans, UK buyers are abandoning diesel cars in droves.
Minister aware of risk in delaying price cap rise
6 Mar 2018
The Government knows delaying lifting the carbon price cap could cost taxpayers money, but says it is unlikely to move until next year.
Ministry eyes emissions deals with businesses
5 Mar 2018
The Ministry for the Environment is looking to form direct partnerships with businesses to cut emissions out of the New Zealand economy.
Climate change passion rides a bike
2 Mar 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Yesterday, a young woman told an audience that included two Cabinet ministers that she was suffering from depression because of climate change.
What's next for getting energy from the sun?
2 Mar 2018
The fall in costs that has driven solar’s rapid growth is slowing - but scientists are exploring the next generation of materials that can harness more energy from the sun.
Battered ecosystems almost never recover
2 Mar 2018
Ecosystems almost never recover completely from large-scale destruction — even when they're actively restored, says a team of international researchers.
Nuclear waste mountains just keep on growing
2 Mar 2018
Some politicians still claim atomic energy is the answer to climate change while leaving the problem of nuclear waste to our descendants.
Z aims for A-plus in transition to new energy
28 Feb 2018
Mike Bennetts is determined his company, Z Energy, will not have a Kodak moment.
Fiat-Chrysler intends to ditch diesel cars
28 Feb 2018
Car maker Fiat-Chrysler has signalled that it is getting ready to stop making diesel cars.
Energy storage leap could slash e-car charging times
28 Feb 2018
Researchers have claimed a breakthrough in energy storage technology that could enable electric cars to be driven as far as petrol and diesel vehicles, and recharge in minutes rather than hours.
Green accounts point finger at primary industries
27 Feb 2018
Primary industries contribute nearly two-thirds of the country’s greenhouse gases but account for less than 8 per cent of economic production, new figures show.
Biofuels need backing of the nation, says Scion
27 Feb 2018
New Zealand could run its heavy vehicles on locally produced low-carbon biofuels – but only if the country decides collectively to act.
OPINION: Biofuels not easy, but worth the effort
27 Feb 2018
Biofuels, liquid and gaseous, will have a role to play in moving towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by around mid-century in both New Zealand and globally, says Professor Ralph Sims.
Energy minister to get the word on biofuels
26 Feb 2018
Energy minister Megan Woods today will be told how the country can use biofuels to cut its burgeoning transport emissions.
Foresters like the look of Billion Trees scheme
26 Feb 2018
Forest owners say they are starting to think the Government is serious about forestry.
Science being denied swamp kauri secrets
26 Feb 2018
Scientists fear secret excavation of ancient kauri logs from swamps is hampering their ability to predict future climate change.
What Day Zero means to Cape Town
26 Feb 2018
Day Zero in Cape Town is when most of the city’s water taps will be switched off.
Porsche stops production of diesel cars
26 Feb 2018
Porsche has announced that it is putting an end to diesel engines in its cars.
Minister mum on future of electric trains
23 Feb 2018
There’s no word yet on whether KiwiRail’s plans to replace electric engines with diesel will go ahead.
Summer hottest on record
23 Feb 2018
This summer is about to become New Zealand's hottest in history - despite a sub-tropical storm and two ex-tropical cyclones.
We might need a new storm scale of category six
23 Feb 2018
The increasing strength, intensity and duration of tropical cyclones has climate scientists asking whether a new classification needs to be created: a category six storm.
Floating windfarms are proving a smash hit
23 Feb 2018
Floating windfarms are likely to be the next large-scale development in renewable energy.
Dodgy rainfall becoming big worry in grazing regions
23 Feb 2018
Nearly half of the world's pastureland is experiencing notable changes in precipitation, driving up the risk to grazing and herding communities.
We'll soon know what the environment is worth
22 Feb 2018
New Zealand’s environment is about to have a monetary value put on it, in a new report examining the trade-offs between the environment and the economy.
OPINION: We should adopt the 'easy win' way
22 Feb 2018
Government officials appear to be putting more effort into working out how to purchase international carbon credits than into reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, says Bioenergy Association chief executive Brian Cox.
Mazda gets busy phasing-in fossil fuels
22 Feb 2018
Mazda is saying what everyone knows: the internal combustion engine is going to power the vast majority of cars for the next 50 years.
Plastic bans will dent oil demand growth, says BP
22 Feb 2018
International bans on single-use plastic items such as carrier bags will dent growth in oil demand over the next two decades, according to BP.
Minister offers money for good emissions moves
21 Feb 2018
Got a good idea to cut greenhouse gas emissions in your business or in the transport sector? The Government wants to give you money.
Climate change brings turbulent times to air travel
21 Feb 2018
From rising temperatures preventing take-off to rising seas flooding runways, aviation needs to adapt to changes already grounding flights around the world.
Officials look for 'best way' global ETS links
19 Feb 2018
Officials are working on linking the Emissions Trading Scheme to schemes in other countries, saying it’s the best way to secure the international carbon units New Zealand will need to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target.
Business seeks closer access to climate talks
19 Feb 2018
Business lobbies in Europe and the US are pushing for a distinct, direct and formalised “business channel” into UN climate negotiations.
Billion Trees land approaches 50,000 hectares
16 Feb 2018
The Government says it is close to securing 50,000 hectares of land for new forests under its Billion Trees programme.
Yoogo is a-go-go in Christchurch
16 Feb 2018
The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest deployment of pure-battery electric cars has been launched in Christchurch.
Thank the seagulls – guano makes the world go round
16 Feb 2018
Three new studies of how the world works show that seabird excrement plays an unexpected role, as do polar algae and rotting trees.
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.
