New Zealand: Business
Taxpayers give smelter credits worth $12m
25 Feb 2020
Taxpayer-funded carbon credits were worth $12.1 million last year to Tiwai Point aluminium smelter operator Pacific Aluminium.
Tesla could soon be world’s most valuable company
7 Feb 2020
Tesla shares continue blockbuster surge, with more analysts and investors recognising the trillion dollar-plus potential of the Elon Musk electric car and energy company.
CentrePort goes electric for container tractors
3 Feb 2020
CentrePort is going electric for moving freight around the Wellington port.
CarbonScape in line for major award
3 Feb 2020
Marlborough clean-tech company CarbonScape has been nominated in the Environmental Achievement of the Year category in the annual Tire Technology International Awards.
Investors fight back against climate wreckers
10 Dec 2019
Two strands of action are being taken by investors against the planet’s biggest and most polluting companies to try to coerce them into complying with climate targets.
Why lower emissions mean better business
6 Dec 2019
Companies with high levels of greenhouse gas emissions are worth less than low-emitting companies, says financial analysis and advisory firm Forsyth Barr.
Tell us what you're doing, investors tell govts
2 Dec 2019
Institutional investors will either stay away or demand higher returns in New Zealand and Australia if their governments don’t produce credible, long-term climate investment strategies, a new report says.
New IMF chief urges climate action
2 Dec 2019
New International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva tells why global heating is as big a threat to economic stability as another financial crash.
Supermarkets, powercos best at sustainability
25 Nov 2019
Supermarkets and electricity retailers are scoring the highest marks with consumers for sustainability, but none is doing well enough, a new study says.
Wall Street increasingly weighs climate risks
8 Nov 2019
In the wake of two years of wildfires in California, Wall Street is incorporating a new risk metric when evaluating companies: climate resiliency.
Kiwi company pushes one-click carbon offsetting
5 Nov 2019
CarbonClick plans to be as much of a disrupter for carbon offsetting as Xero has been for accounting.
Google donations finance climate deniers
15 Oct 2019
Google has made “substantial” contributions to some of the most notorious climate deniers in Washington despite its insistence that it supports political action on the climate crisis.
Carney gives business two years to make climate rules
10 Oct 2019
Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned major corporations that they have two years to agree rules for reporting climate risks before global regulators devise their own and make them compulsory.
It's time to 'pull finger', EDS tells politicians
7 Oct 2019
The organisers of a high-powered business and climate change conference in Auckland this week say it is way past time for politicians to come together.
Largest banks lagging in sustainable finance
7 Oct 2019
Most of the world’s 50 largest banks have not made sustainable finance commitments to respond to the risks of climate change and continue to finance fossil fuels, says a new report.
Most big firms likely to miss climate targets
26 Sep 2019
More than four in five of the world’s largest companies are not on track to meet the Paris climate targets for 2050, says a new study.
Banks worth $47 trillion adopt climate principles
25 Sep 2019
Banks with more than $47 trillion in assets, or a third of the global industry, have adopted new UN-backed “responsible banking” principles to fight climate change.
Green fund hires clean-investment banker
24 Sep 2019
A former Bank of America Merrill Lynch vice-president with a background in financing “clean” investment is heading the investment programme of the Government’s Green Investment Fund.
Supermarket happy hour reduces food waste
12 Sep 2019
A Finnish supermarket chain is fighting food waste by offering steep discounts during a late-night happy hour.
How KiwiSaver funds could green the enconomy
3 Sep 2019
An organisation which believes billions of dollars’ worth of KiwiSaver funds are ripe for ethical investing says the sector is at a tipping point.
Big Four's free credits top $1 billion mark
13 Aug 2019
Four companies have been given a total of more than $1 billion worth of free carbon credits in the latest round of subsidies under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Firms celebrate reduced carbon footprints
8 Aug 2019
A print shop, a company supplying uniforms, a skincare product manufacturer, a district council and a health board have taken the top prizes in the Enviro-Mark Solutions Awards announced in Auckland this morning.
Insurance companies turn away from coal
6 Aug 2019
Insurance companies are refusing to cover power companies using coal and are extending the ban to coal-mining, analytics company GlobalData says.
Moody's makes move on climate change risks
6 Aug 2019
Moody's, one of the main agencies that rates the creditworthiness of big borrowers, including cities and corporations, has brought on board a data firm specializing in climate risks.
BlackRock drops $90b investing in fossil fuels
2 Aug 2019
BlackRock, the world’s biggest investor, has lost an estimated $90 billion over the past decade by ignoring the financial risk of investing in fossil fuel companies.
Report ranks fashion brands for toxic textiles
30 Jul 2019
An investigation of 14 clothing corporations, each with household-name brands, reveals the inadequacies of greening the fashion industry.
Big Business wants cross-party support for ZCB
24 Jul 2019
Companies responsible for nearly two-thirds of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions are calling for cross-party support of zero-carbon legislation.
LSE reclassifies oil and gas producers
4 Jul 2019
Oil and gas companies listed on the London Stock Exchange have been reclassified under a non-renewable energy category in a move designed to distinguish between heavily polluting companies and greener producers.
Farm co-op makes it 100 for climate coalition
24 Jun 2019
Farmer co-operative LIC is the 100th organisation to join the Climate Leaders’ Coalition.
KELP KILLING: Fortunes being made from seaweed harvest
13 Jun 2019
Growing awareness of the climate crisis and a shift to plant-based diets have turned kelp farming into a thriving industry.
Only one firm signs up to investor guidelines
6 Jun 2019
Just one New Zealand company has signed up to international guidelines on disclosing climate exposure to investors.
Why scarred millennials want to punish business
29 May 2019
Years of economic uncertainty, growing inequality and fear of an inhospitable planet have created two generations prepared to punish companies whose motives they suspect, a new survey shows.
Bosch pledges to be carbon neutral by 2020
14 May 2019
The German conglomerate Bosch has promised to make its entire business carbon neutral by 2020.
Investment firms issue climate warnings
13 May 2019
Two major financial companies are issuing warnings to investors over climate change.
Banks hear they can't ignore climate dangers
23 Apr 2019
The global financial system faces an existential threat from climate change and must take urgent steps to reform, the governors of the Bank of England and France’s central bank have warned.
Amazon employees push Bezos to get busy
15 Apr 2019
More than 4500 Amazon employees have urged the company to take aggressive action on climate change and reduce its carbon footprint.
Reserve Bank joins Pacific climate initiative
8 Apr 2019
New Zealand’s Reserve Bank is joining central banks across the Pacific in preparing for the impacts of climate change on the region’s monetary systems.
Power companies eye EV-charging potential
8 Apr 2019
With electric vehicle sales climbing, utilities are investing in thousands of new EV charging stations, recognising that if they don't move now, they could lose out on a growing and increasingly competitive market.
Saudi oil company world's most profitable business
4 Apr 2019
Saudi Arabia’s state oil company has emerged as the most profitable business in the world, racking up profits of $111.1bn in 2018 to overtake Apple.
What Warren Buffett thinks about climate change
26 Mar 2019
Warren Buffett’s home state of Nebraska is dealing with the aftermath of record flooding, but don’t expect the billionaire investor to jump to the conclusion that climate change is responsible.
Big emitters join hands to buy carbon forests
15 Mar 2019
Four of New Zealand’s largest emitters are joining forces to supply their own carbon credits to meet obligations under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Sorry, says expert, but Bitcoin can't be green
15 Mar 2019
Bitcoin can’t be green – even when it is powered by renewable energy, an expert says.
Report puts boardrooms on carbon liabilty notice
26 Feb 2019
The days of ignoring carbon prices and the risks associated with climate change are over, businesses are being told.
Insurers warn of slump in property prices
26 Feb 2019
Insurers say there is a risk of a climate change-related slump in property prices leading to financial turmoil.
Sustainability grows on private equity companies
26 Feb 2019
A new PwC survey has found that responsible investment and sustainable development are become more of a priority for private equity companies.
Why Gen Z has real power to influence business
29 Jan 2019
Armed with social media and growing economic clout, Gen Z is best positioned to influence business practices, rather than global climate agreements.
NZX firms drag chain on sustainable reporting
26 Nov 2018
Companies on the New Zealand Stock Exchange have a long way to go on sustainable reporting, a new report shows.
Campaigners take aim at NZ-owned banks
22 Nov 2018
Three New Zealand-owned banks are the new targets of anti-fossil-fuel campaigners.
Big Business backs cuts to industry emissions
21 Nov 2018
A coalition of business leaders known as the Energy Transitions Commission has backed proposals for radical changes to industries, including steel, cement, shipping and aviation, to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
WWF boss joins Opportunity Party with centrist climate pitch
Thu 26 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Opportunity Party has unveiled its first slate of candidates ahead of November's election, including World Wildlife Fund Aotearoa chief executive Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, as the party positions itself as a 'centrist environmental force' ahead of the election.
From scrapheap to fast-track: Lake Onslow project
Thu 26 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has agreed to fast-track a revived Lake Onslow pumped hydro scheme – a project the National Party previously derided before scrapping it in 2023 – now re-emerging under a private-sector consortium.
NZ–Ireland farm emissions deal labelled 'Greenwash Alliance'
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A renewed research partnership between New Zealand and Ireland to tackle agricultural emissions is being promoted as a step forward for climate innovation – but Greenpeace says it risks becoming a distraction from meaningful cuts.
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.
Driving in the wrong direction: why NZ’s oil consumption is at a 5‑year high
Thu 26 Mar 2026
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | New Zealand’s latest quarterly energy report shows electricity production was above 90% renewable and emissions from generation fell to the lowest level on record.
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.
