Govt announces pilot projects for voluntary nature credits
12 Jun 2025
The government today announced it is supporting the voluntary credits nature market to expand by running pilot projects across New Zealand.
Govt finalises geothermal strategy and commits to $50m boost
Today 10:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has launched a plan to grow geothermal energy and committed a further $50 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to support early-stage projects and drive expansion of the sector.
LNG sold as insurance, but modelling points to a bigger role
Today 10:30am
New Zealand’s gas market is heading for a sharp contraction whether the country sticks with domestic supply alone or introduces liquefied natural gas imports.
ECan says coastal protection a priority despite planning handbrake
Today 10:30am
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | Canterbury’s regional council says it is continuing to address coastal protection rules, but conservationists say it is not acting fast enough.
Govt process to change climate plan ‘fundamentally flawed’, says judge
Wed 18 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The government’s 2024 changes to New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan was “as fundamentally flawed a process as I think I have ever seen”, the judge presiding in a case challenging climate change decision-making has said.
Disestablishing Environment Ministry 'too risky', say environmental advocates
Wed 18 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government's plan to fold the Ministry for the Environment into a 'mega ministry' is fraught with risk, according to separate submissions from the Environmental Defence Society, Forest & Bird and Environment Network Manawatū.
Iran oil crisis: why NZ’s car dependence is now a strategic liability
Wed 18 Mar 2026
By Timothy Welch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau | The war in Iran and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have sent oil prices past US$100 a barrel – and Kiwis flocking to fill up. Petrol just hit NZ$3 a litre and some stations have reported running dry.
Close questioning over ‘ministerial latitude’ at climate hearing
Tue 17 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Lawyers challenging the legality of the government’s emissions reduction plans faced close questioning on the limits of ministerial foresight in the first of three days of hearings at the Wellington High Court yesterday.
Keep environment out of merger, says Upton
Tue 17 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton is calling on the Government to keep the Ministry for the Environment out of a mega-ministry merger, saying it needs its own ministry to protect transparency and contestable decision-making under the new resource management system.
Oil shock tests Government’s balancing act
Tue 17 Mar 2026
The Government is trying to show it is on top of fuel security risk without giving the impression New Zealand is heading for a shortage.
Mayor stands by comments over AI factory cable
Tue 17 Mar 2026
By Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Invercargill mayor Tom Campbell is standing by his view that a new cable for a large AI data factory will not impact the environment at Ōreti Beach, despite a report saying otherwise.
