New Zealand: All stories
Spring is second-warmest on record
6 Dec 2017
This spring has set a mark as second-equal warmest on record.
Tesla isn’t the only company creating cool electric vehicles
6 Dec 2017
Some of the world’s most established carmakers are starting to reveal what they’ve been working on for the EV world.
It's time to act on our oceans, say scientists
5 Dec 2017
New Zealand needs to start planning now for the impacts climate change will have on its oceans and fisheries, scientists say.
Memo Americans: Hold the beef
5 Dec 2017
Americans need to halve the amount of beef they eat if the country’s agriculture is to become sustainable, a new paper says.
The eco-friendly guide to online Christmas shopping
5 Dec 2017
Shopping can be confusing at the best of times, and trying to find environmentally friendly options makes it even more difficult.
E-cars cheaper all round than petrol or diesel
5 Dec 2017
Pure electric cars cost less over four years than petrol or diesel cars in the UK, US and Japan, researchers say, but China is set to lead the market.
Mixed forests may not resist climate change
5 Dec 2017
Researchers have confirmed once again that a good forest is a mixed forest, a natural one, with a diversity of species.
SHAW THING: Business needs to get into gear
4 Dec 2017
New climate minister James Shaw has a clear message for business: get your house in order because New Zealand is decarbonising ... fast.
A Tesla too costly? An e-bike might be your answer
4 Dec 2017
Electric cars remain something of a novelty, commanding premium prices and presenting charging challenges, but another kind of electric vehicle has been gaining momentum: the e-bike.
C'mon Kiwis, says economist, show the world how
1 Dec 2017
New Zealand is being challenged to show the world how to decarbonise without tanking.
NZ Post takes out sustainability award
1 Dec 2017
Working with the Red Cross has won New Zealand Post the top prize in the Sustainable Business Network awards this year.
How much CO2 will the world need to remove from the air?
1 Dec 2017
Scientists increasingly agree that the world might need negative emissions to prevent catastrophic warming.
Big businesses combine to deliver hybrid e-jet
1 Dec 2017
A partnership between Rolls-Royce, Airbus and Siemens aims to commission a hybrid electric aircraft prototype by 2020.
How artificial intelligence will make government obsolete
1 Dec 2017
Amazon, Microsoft and Google are among those in a race to hire artificial intelligence researchers to advance their efforts on autonomous vehicles, medical diagnostics and a range of other ventures.
Climate commission might have carbon price role
30 Nov 2017
The climate commission – one of the Government’s promises for its first 100 days in office – is likely to play a role in setting carbon prices, the new climate minister says.
WASTE SIZE: Stella McCartney makes fashion industry stand
30 Nov 2017
Clothes must be designed differently, worn for longer and recycled as much as possible to stop the global fashion industry consuming a quarter of the world’s annual carbon budget by 2050.
One in six new cars will be electric by 2025
30 Nov 2017
Almost every sixth car sold in the world will be electric by 2025 ... and those cars are more likely to be emblazoned with Tesla's logo than BMW's.
New report has dire climate-change warnings
29 Nov 2017
As many as one in six species faces extinction as a result of climate change, scientists are warning in a new report.
Capt Cook's karaka leaves hold clues to our changing climate
29 Nov 2017
Karaka leaves gathered by naturalists on board HM Bark Endeavour nearly 250 years ago are helping today’s researchers to understand climate change.
Shell doubles up on green spending and vows change
29 Nov 2017
Shell has doubled its spending on clean power and bowed to shareholder pressure by promising to halve the carbon footprint of the energy it sells by 2050.
Melting glaciers could mess up deep-sea chemistry
29 Nov 2017
Melting glaciers might be making ocean water more acidic, an unexpected finding that's given scientists new cause for concern.
NASA’s new airless titanium tyres are almost indestructible
29 Nov 2017
NASA engineers have just unveiled a super-elastic car tyre constructed from nickel titanium that could see the end of punctures.
Solar-powered jets come a step closer
29 Nov 2017
Scientists are closer to making solar-powered jets a reality. They now know how to make jet fuel out of air, sunlight and water.
Force firms to report carbon, say energy leaders
28 Nov 2017
The Government is being told to make carbon reporting mandatory for publicly listed companies and to hold public-sector executives responsible for carbon performance.
The trouble with bitcoin and big data is the huge energy bill
28 Nov 2017
The power consumed by internet giants’ massive server farms and the mining of cryptocurrency are growing into a massive environmental headache.
Let's reuse the bad plastics and encourage the good
28 Nov 2017
Plastics have a bad name, mainly for two reasons: most are made from petroleum and they end up as litter in the environment. But both of these are avoidable.
Geo-engineering might do more harm than good
28 Nov 2017
Geo-engineering might be possible – but so far it doesn’t look practical. Yet another study sees dangers in the technofix.
Govt on track to keep KiwiRail trains electric
27 Nov 2017
The Government is in talks to keep electric locomotives on the main trunk line.
Green bonds reach $100 billion milestone
27 Nov 2017
The latest Climate Bonds Initiative analysis shows that green bond issuances in 2017 have reached the significant $100 billion benchmark.
LIZARD LINK: Here's a new way to explain climate impacts
27 Nov 2017
Lizards can shed light on the development of ecological niches and how the changing climate may affect the natural world.
November shapes up as record dry month
24 Nov 2017
Parts of New Zealand are on track for the driest November on record.
Two global reports slam NZ's poor climate record
23 Nov 2017
New climate minister James Shaw might have wowed the world with his rhetoric at international climate talks last week, but it’s on the policies of his predecessor that New Zealand is still being judged.
Dairying sees green as the new colour of business
22 Nov 2017
Climate change and other environmental risks now rank higher than economic issues in the minds of business and political leaders, according to a new report by New Zealand’s dairy industry.
AirNZ eyes paying landowners to plant trees
22 Nov 2017
Air New Zealand wants to set up a private afforestation scheme under the Emissions Trading Scheme to offset some of its greenhouse gas emissions.
Te Kuha coal mine first test for new minister
22 Nov 2017
Deciding whether to let a new opencast coal mine go ahead on the West Coast will be the first real test of the new government’s conservation policy, says an anti-coal mining lobby group.
Mexico about to generate world's cheapest solar power
22 Nov 2017
Mexico is on track to generate the world’s cheapest solar power — with prices as low as 1.77c a kilowatt hour.
SERIOUS SCIENCE: Soon it will be too late
21 Nov 2017
New Zealand scientists are among more than 15,000 warning humans they have precious little time left to change their ways and avoid environmental and social disaster.
Scientists aim to fight climate change with super plants
21 Nov 2017
A team of scientists is wondering if plants can protect us from climate change.
Musk unveils electric truck ... and a surprise sports car
20 Nov 2017
Elon Musk has unveiled Tesla’s first electric semi-truck at an event in Los Angeles that also included the surprise reveal of a new Tesla sports car.
Farming organically could cut gas emissions
17 Nov 2017
Converting land from conventional agriculture to organic production could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the run-off of excess nitrogen from fertilisers, and cut pesticide use.
We're prisoners of the old way, says solar flight pioneer
17 Nov 2017
The visionary innovator who flew 40,000km in a solar-fuelled plane has urged companies to pursue revolutionary ideas as the only way to fight climate change.
The allure (and perils) of hydropower
17 Nov 2017
Damming rivers may seem like a clean and easy solution for energy-hungry countries. But the devil is in the details.
It's high time for a global agreement on minerals
16 Nov 2017
The Paris Agreement has created a global framework for managing carbon, but nothing similar exists for minerals.
Fonterra intends to get rid of coal ... later
15 Nov 2017
Fonterra says it is turning its back on coal as part of a drive towards being carbon-neutral by 2050.
Down on the farm, data's in the driving seat
15 Nov 2017
Last week, Fonterra’s environmental manager, FRANCESCA EGGLETON, told a gathering at the COP23 climate talks in Bonn how the world’s largest dairy producer is using data to reduce its environmental footprint.
Shaw might clear our name over dodgy credits
14 Nov 2017
New Zealand might yet come good on the issue of dodgy carbon credits.
Livestock emissions must be cut, say scientists
13 Nov 2017
Livestock emissions will have to be cut if the world is to keep warming down to Paris Agreement levels, two top New Zealand scientists are warning.
Mining giant about to go coal-free
13 Nov 2017
Just five years ago it would have been almost unthinkable that one of the world’s biggest mining companies would not dig any coal. It’s now likely to become a reality.
‘War on coal’ goes global with $50m fund
13 Nov 2017
A billionaire’s campaign has seen half of US coal plants close in six years. Now he is targeting Europe and beyond to fight climate change and air pollution.
Carbon pricing essential, says Energy Minister
10 Nov 2017
The new energy minister expects carbon to be priced into all energy projects.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
