New Zealand’s defective law on climate change, by Sir Geoffrey Palmer
23 Feb 2015
Distinguished law fellow Sir Geoffrey Palmer, QC, has been at or near the heart of our attempts to tackled climate change for nearly three decades.
Here, he sets out the situation we are facing, and what we should do about it:
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‘Stop burning fossil fuels’ pleads scientist as extreme rain causes floods yet again
Fri 27 Mar 2026
Northland and Auckland have again been lashed by heavy rain, with hundreds of people evacuated last night because of extensive flooding in the Far North, and some areas hit by more than a month's average rainfall in just 24 hours.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
Fri 27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial year.
Gisborne $29.7m recovery funding bid awaits Government decision
Fri 27 Mar 2026
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | Gisborne leaders are awaiting the Government’s response to a $29.7 million funding bid for a joint agency/iwi-led recovery plan after January’s severe weather event.
Media round-up
Fri 27 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Northland Civil Defence teams are assessing the damage after the latest storm, bids are sought for oil and gas search off the South Island coast, and should New Zealand be reporting climate stats every day?
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.
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.
Cleantech expo coming to Auckland
Thu 26 Mar 2026
New Zealand’s first national cleantech expo is set to bring together 30 innovators, in what organisers say is the country’s fastest growing area in the tech sector.
Unleashing the energy superpower under our feet
Thu 26 Mar 2026
Opinion: Geothermal is a reliable, low-emission, homegrown energy source that runs around the clock - and as energy security concerns grow in New Zealand and globally, demand will only rise, writes Associate Professor Dr John O'Sullivan.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
Wed 25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
