Best by the rest...
15 Jul 2022
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| Agricultural consultant Sarah Hawkins Photo: RNZ/Sally Round |
IN our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: some of the country's biggest companies won't be covered by new climate disclosure laws; how protein from our paddocks could by-pass the cows-in-the-middle altogether; and is the government indulging in "magical thinking" with its biofuel plans?
Why The Warehouse will have to reveal its climate position but Farmers won't
By Eloise Gibson - STUFF
Big businesses will have to reveal their climate situations beginning in 2023. But many of our most popular companies aren’t covered. Eloise Gibson explains.
Gravy with your grassburger, madam?
Country Life - RNZ
It sounds radical but protein from farm pasture could be making its way directly from the paddock to your plate, without the need for an animal to chomp it up first.
New Zealand scientists have developed the technology to do this but can farmers be incentivised to lock up some of their fields for grass farming and reduce the number of cows on farm?
Regional council steps in over wetland clearance
The Waikato Regional Council is looking into the clearing of a designated Significant Natural Area (SNA) site in Matarangi linked to a new housing development.
But Forest & Bird said the desecration could have been avoided given the Thames-Coromandel District Council was told by the property developer’s contractor in August last year the work was going to happen.
Empowering whānau through māra kai and the maramataka
By Te Kuru o te Marama Dewes - The Spinoff
Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke (Waikato, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Porou, Te Atiawa, Ngāi Tahu) from Waahi Pā in Rāhui Pōkeka is helping her people connect to the taiao through māra kai (food gardens) and mātauranga Māori tied to the maramataka.
On The Pacific Islands Forum gathering
By Gordon Campbell - Scoop
In recent months, China has been widely portrayed as a major strategic threat to the Pacific region, yet the Pacific states themselves beg to differ. Pacific leaders insist that climate change is a far more pressing existential threat.
Wishing for fairy dust – why the NZ Biofuels Obligation is the worst kind of magical thinking
By Jake Roos - Low Carbon Kapiti
Wouldn’t it be great if wishes came true, and all your problems just went away? If all you needed to do is ask for something and it materialised out of thin air before you? Of course it would, but the world doesn’t work like that. But it seems the NZ Government is in the thrall of such magical thinking when it comes to ‘sustainable’ biofuels.
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Greenpeace to forge ahead with legal fight after Fonterra sale
Thu 28 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says its greenwashing lawsuit against Fonterra will continue, despite the dairy giant selling off its consumer brands.
New supercomputer 'critical' to tackling climate change impacts
Thu 28 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Earth Sciences New Zealand's new $35 million supercomputer will provide earlier and more frequent forecasts, as well as assess climate change impact to help understand New Zealand’s weather under long-term environmental shifts.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Profound shifts in our changing energy system – new data
Wed 27 Aug 2025
New Zealand’s energy system is undergoing a profound shift as falling gas production and a dry hydro year reshaped the electricity market in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Energy in New Zealand 2025.
Canterbury council's unique approach to rising sea level threat
Wed 27 Aug 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | A Canterbury council's bold plan to allow for the possible future relocation of Amberley Beach residents is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Hotter, longer, more frequent: NZ’s escalating heat risk
Tue 26 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Heat extremes in New Zealand will intensify faster than previously thought, according to a new study.
NZ to host major conference on oceans and climate change
Tue 26 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is set to host the world’s premier gathering of marine climate change scientists next year.
Why climate strategy is now central to business success
Tue 26 Aug 2025
SPONSORED CONTENT: Ahead of next month’s Climate Change and Business Conference, New Zealand businesses are being urged to treat climate strategy not as a regulatory burden, but as a core driver of economic competitiveness.
Banking competition report steers clear of ‘woke’ farm lending
Mon 25 Aug 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | A report into banking competition has largely rejected arguments from some farming lobbyists that climate change considerations should play no part in bank lending decisions.
ETS a ‘broken paradigm’ undercutting biodiversity efforts
Mon 25 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Pure Advantage is calling on the government to reform the Emissions Trading Scheme, with a new policy briefing saying that New Zealand’s offset-heavy approach is a “broken paradigm” undermining biodiversity and shifting risk to communities.
