Govt undermining its own climate tool – expert
Wed 25 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams
New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme is at risk of becoming useless as a tool to cut emissions, partly because of dubious forecasting about emissions, according to a climate policy expert.
Story copyright © Carbon News 2025
Bill to limit farm-to-forest conversions passes first reading
Fri 27 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's bill aiming to limit farm-to-forestry conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme passed its first reading in Parliament this week, however concerns were raised over rushing it through under urgency, with less than two weeks allowed for public submissions.
IRD will stop using wetland destruction in ‘how-to’ for claiming expenses
Fri 27 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | Environmental organisation Forest & Bird has welcomed the Inland Revenue’s decision to stop using wetland destruction as an example of a tax-deductible agricultural expense in future guidance.
Council land banks to prepare for future disasters
Fri 27 Jun 2025
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter | In a "uniquely Hurunui" move, a North Canterbury council is land banking to prepare for future natural disasters and the threat of climate change.
Pre-trial skirmishes kick off in groundbreaking climate case
Thu 26 Jun 2025
By Vernon Rive | The Supreme Court’s February 2024 ruling clearing the way for Māori climate spokesperson Mike Smith’s tort claims against a group of New Zealand ‘carbon majors’ to proceed to trial has set the stage for years of protracted, contentious litigation.
NZ climate reports must shift from compliance to strategy as Scope 3 disclosures loom
Thu 26 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s largest climate-reporting entities are being urged to evolve their mandatory disclosures from checklist-style compliance to strategic, risk-focused documents, or risk falling behind.
NZ quits Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance
Wed 25 Jun 2025
By Liz Kivi | The New Zealand government has quietly withdrawn from an ambitious coalition to phase out fossil fuels, with a $200 million publicly-funded subsidy for new gas fields the latest policy in conflict with that goal.
Govt’s $200m fossil fuel handout breaches trade agreement – Greens
Tue 24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's $200 million dollar investment fund for local gas exploration is a "clear breach" of the Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability agreement, according to legal advice commissioned by the Green Party.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
Tue 24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Huntly deal closer
Tue 24 Jun 2025
The major electricity companies’ latest steps to secure the future of the Rankine units at Huntly power station are a major step forward in cooperation to ensure energy security.
