Topics tagged with 'Carbon Credits'
Carbon market: auction floor now 'ceiling price'?
27 Jun 2024
By Liz Kivi | The price of NZUs has hovered around the $50 mark following last week’s failed auction, with some experts saying the auction floor price of $64 now represents a kind of “ceiling price” which secondary market trading will stay below.
Ministers dismiss scrutiny week complaints they are "waging war on nature"
25 Jun 2024
Ministers’ messages as they faced scrutiny in Parliament last week were consistent – they believed the Government was restoring balance and the need for belt-tightening.
Watts agrees more work needed to restore confidence in ETS
24 Jun 2024
Climate change minister Simon Watts agrees that more needs to be done to restore confidence and stability to the emissions trading scheme, while also saying the scheme is the government’s key tool to do the “heavy lifting” to reduce emissions.
Carbon News launches price index
24 Jun 2024
Today’s issue is the first to feature Carbon News’ own carbon price index for secondary market spot prices for NZUs on New Zealand’s compliance market.
Wait for the emissions reduction plan: Watts
20 Jun 2024
By Liz Kivi | The failure of yesterday’s carbon auction doesn’t mean the Emissions Trading Scheme isn’t working, according to climate change minister Simon Watts.
Exposing ‘risks hiding in plain sight’ – accounting for offshore carbon credits
20 Jun 2024
Media release | The McGuinness Institute has published a discussion paper on how New Zealand’s commitment to purchase offshore carbon credits under the Paris Agreement should appear in financial statements.
June carbon auction fails
19 Jun 2024
As market participants were predicting, this morning's carbon auction has failed, leaving millions of units to roll over to the next auction, and increasing the likelihood that the rest of this year’s auctions will fail as well.
Transpower poised to sell emsTradepoint
19 Jun 2024
Transpower says it has had several expressions of interest from buyers for its unwanted subsidiary, emsTradepoint, which runs New Zealand’s government-owned carbon trading platform, as well as the only wholesale gas trading platform in the country.
Carbon auction preview: Experts predict likely failure and govt lost revenue “own goal”
18 Jun 2024
Experts are picking tomorrow’s carbon auction will fail, with no incentive for participants to bid at prices more than 20% higher than the current secondary market price.
Govt cans controversial forestry ETS charges for this year
17 Jun 2024
Foresters have welcomed the government’s announcement that it is cancelling forestry ETS annual services charges for 2023-24.
ASX to offer NZU futures contracts
17 Jun 2024
The Australian Securities Exchange is set to launch futures contracts for New Zealand Units in July.
Expert slams govt delay in pricing agricultural emissions
12 Jun 2024
The coalition government has reaffirmed greenhouse gases from agriculture won’t be covered in the Emissions Trading Scheme and Cabinet is disestablishing primary sector climate action partnership He Waka Eke Noa.
Govt 'not even pretending to try' to reduce transport emissions: former MOT chief science advisor
11 Jun 2024
By Liz Kivi | The former chief science advisor for the Ministry of Transport says the current government isn’t even pretending to try to reduce carbon emissions from transport.
Carbon price up 20%
6 Jun 2024
The NZU price has jumped more than 20%, up from about $45 early last week, last fixing at $56 on the Commtrade platform this morning.
Tiwai deal could lead to multi-billion dollar govt carbon pollution subsidy
5 Jun 2024
Rio Tinto could get close to a million free carbon credits each year under its new electricity supply deal for Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter - a government subsidy that could amount to a possible $2 billion during the 20 year life of the deal, according to campaigners.
Flaws in NZ ETS make international news
4 Jun 2024
Problems with the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme are making headlines globally.
Climate change minister faces up to some difficult questions
30 May 2024
By Liz Kivi | The climate change minister faced some awkward questions at the Carbon and Energy Professionals conference this week, against a backdrop of falling carbon prices.
Hutt City Council announces low carbon acceleration fund recipients
28 May 2024
Media release | Five organisations with a keen eye for reducing their emissions have been given the green light on their reduction initiatives.
Management team working to save emsTradepoint as Transpower announces closure
27 May 2024
New Zealand’s government-owned carbon trading platform emsTradepoint is set to close, but the operations team want the platform to continue and say they are working with the state-owned entity on a management buyout.
Environment commissioner calls for separate ETS for methane
23 May 2024
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has again called for forestry to be phased out of the Emissions Trading Scheme and is calling for a separate ETS for methane.
Govt blamed for low carbon price
22 May 2024
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price hit a ten-month low on the secondary market on Monday, with NZUs trading at about half the price of the commodity’s all-time high of $88.50 in November 2022.
ETS alone won’t decarbonise NZ: businesses representing 40% of country’s GDP
22 May 2024
The Sustainable Business Council and Climate Leaders Coalition say that depending on the ETS alone to reach net zero will cause significant harm to the economy.
ETS consultation: ‘signal versus noise’ suggests eventual price rise
21 May 2024
By Murray McClintock | COMMENT: Although changing prices makes a good soundbite, the key driver of ETS prices is unit supply and demand.
Carbon price sinks to lowest in ten months
20 May 2024
The carbon price is down nearly 11% since last week, as the market reacts negatively to a government consultation suggesting weaker ETS settings.
Jury out on how ETS consultation will impact carbon market
16 May 2024
The government’s latest consultation on Emissions Trading Scheme settings will be difficult for the market to translate into clear positive or negative signals - with uncertainty remaining around forestry, according to an expert.
ETS consultation suggests lower prices for NZUs
15 May 2024
A new consultation document from the Ministry for the Environment suggests lowering the auction floor price for the Emissions Trading Scheme, as well as lowering the trigger price for the cost containment reserve.
Enough fiddling: The ETS needs to be allowed to do its job
10 May 2024
By Andrew Cushen | OPINION: While it isn’t perfect, the Emissions Trading Scheme is the only tool in our climate response that is working at the scale we need to meet the challenge in front of us. Turning this off or restricting it will impact us all environmentally, socially, and economically.
Govt looking at policy to restrict forestry in the ETS: Watts
7 May 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government is looking at complementary policies around land use to restrict forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme, rather than making changes directly to the scheme.
Commodities trader Marex to start carbon trading in NZ
3 May 2024
British commodities trader Marex is planning to launch a new carbon trading platform in New Zealand in the next few weeks.
NZU stockpile grows to 169 million in last quarter
3 May 2024
The NZU stockpile is up about 9 million tonnes, according to the latest quarterly update from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Climate Change Minister now in Cabinet after reshuffle
26 Apr 2024
Climate Change minister Simon Watts now has a seat at the Cabinet table.
NZ to cooperate with Philippines on international climate target, pledges $41 million climate finance to Southeast Asia
23 Apr 2024
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has made its first tentative step towards forging an international agreement to meet its United Nations climate target by buying offshore offsetting.
Global carbon trading revenues grew to US$74 billion last year - report
12 Apr 2024
Global revenues from the sale of carbon permits in emissions trading systems grew to a record $74 billion last year, as governments increasingly turn to such schemes to help tackle global warming.
Lack of policy direction to blame for low carbon price?
11 Apr 2024
The carbon price continued its post-auction slump, with weak demand seeing the secondary market trading well below the auction floor.
New forestry fees unfairly impact Māori
4 Apr 2024
By Liz Kivi | Recently implemented fees for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme are having a disproportionate impact on Māori, and the government didn’t consult adequately on the changes, according to the National Māori Forestry Association.
Global carbon market expert to speak at Christchurch conference
28 Mar 2024
The chair of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM), Annette Nazareth, will give a keynote speech at the Carbon and Energy Professionals Conference in Christchurch in May.
Carbon price makes partial recovery
25 Mar 2024
The carbon price has increased slightly from an eight-month low on Wednesday, following the government’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction, but is still trading well below the auction floor.
Carbon price nosedives following auction
21 Mar 2024
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has dropped to its lowest since July last year, following yesterday’s partial auction clearance.
First ETS auction of the year partially clears
20 Mar 2024
Today’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction has partially cleared.
Carbon price scraping the auction floor just ahead of Wednesday's auction
18 Mar 2024
The carbon price is at its lowest in nearly six months, with poor investor sentiment just ahead of the first auction of the year on Wednesday.
Tepid market response to Commission’s advice - auction less than a week away
14 Mar 2024
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission’s call to drastically reduce Emissions Trading Scheme auction volumes has barely caused a blip on the secondary market - suggesting participants don’t think the government will follow the advice.
Govt changes ETS reserve price methodology ahead of auction
11 Mar 2024
The government has announced it has changed the methodology used to calculate the confidential reserve price for Emissions Trading Scheme auctions, as the NZU price gains ground in recent days.
Govt still committed to 'no significant changes' to ETS
7 Mar 2024
Despite warnings from the Climate Change Commission, Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government remains committed to no significant changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Canned govt fund delivered emissions reductions at half current carbon price
5 Mar 2024
By Vernon Small | The effective price the government paid for carbon emissions through the GIDI fund was about half – or less – than the current NZ unit spot price of $66.05.
Foresters welcome ETS costs review
1 Mar 2024
The New Zealand Forest Owners Association says the review of Emissions Trading Scheme fees is a relief for foresters facing excessive costs, but experts say forestry still faces an uncertain future under the scheme.
In its current state the ETS will fail to deliver significant emission reductions: Rod Carr
28 Feb 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr has told the Environment Select Committee that, in its current state, the ETS will fail to deliver significant emissions reductions.
Environmental Defence Society says "radical anti-environment government" could harm NZ's reputation
27 Feb 2024
The Environmental Defence Society says the government’s environmental policies could cause environmental harm as well as threaten New Zealand’s international reputation.
Carbon price dips closer to auction floor
23 Feb 2024
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has dipped closer to the auction floor, with an increase in selling blamed on an overall weakness in the market.
Carbon price drops below $70 with March auction just a month away
21 Feb 2024
NZUs sank into the sixties on the secondary market at the end of last week, with speculation surrounding whether the government will adjust the confidential reserve price to raise revenue at next month’s auction.
Researchers looking to develop ‘resilience credit’
20 Feb 2024
Researchers are hoping to develop the world’s first 'resilience credit' as the ultimate goal of a project looking at how salt marshes and mangroves could protect the Bay of Plenty’s coastline from climate change.
Hutt City Council slashes gas emissions
Today 11:00am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Hutt City Council is set to cut its gas emissions by 60% by 2026 as it speeds up phasing out fossil fuels from public facilities.
Carbon price drops, now trading 30% below auction floor
Today 11:00am
By Liz Kivi | Secondary carbon market prices took a sharp downward turn last week, with traders blaming a continued lack of interest from buyers.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Celebrities slam mining plans
Tue 28 Oct 2025
Actor Sam Neill has slammed plans for a gold mine in Otago, while Denniston Rose author Jenny Pattrick is backing a petition that would stop a coalmine on the West Coast.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Devastation on repeat: How climate change is worsening Pakistan's deadly floods
Today 11:00am
Rescuers and relatives searched knee-deep in water for the body of one-year-old Zara. She'd been swept away by flash floods; the bodies of her parents and three siblings had already been found days earlier.
‘Plain old dull’: NZU market continues to limp sideways
24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The NZU market has been “plain old dull” in recent months, with activity driven mainly by credit opportunities or a specific need to raise cash, according to Lizzie Chambers of trading platform Carbon Match.
Scrutiny on energy security
Today 11:00am
A special debate in Parliament put the Government’s energy security agenda under scrutiny, with parties splitting sharply over the role of gas, the place of an LNG import terminal, and how far to push market reform to ease pressure on power bills.
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
Fri 31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Thu 30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
No high-level US representatives will go to UN climate talks, Trump officials say
Today 11:00am
Decision to stay away from Cop30 meeting in Brazil underscores administration’s hostility to climate action.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
Wed 29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council welcomes new flood data
Today 11:00am
Media release | Hawke’s Bay Regional Council welcomes the release of the National Flood Tool and accompanying data by Earth Sciences New Zealand. This is an important contribution to understanding the impacts of climate change for New Zealand.
NZ marine heatwaves could double in intensity under high-emissions pathway
16 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show marine heatwaves will grow more intense around the North Island and more frequent around the South Island as the climate warms – raising risks for fisheries, aquaculture, coastal ecosystems and tourism.
Taxonomy seen as key to shaping NZ’s voluntary nature credit market
Thu 30 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Experts say aligning the New Zealand Sustainable Finance Taxonomy with the development of voluntary nature credit markets could strengthen credibility, streamline investment, and support high-integrity environmental outcomes.
Media round-up
Fri 31 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Developing countries will need US$310 billion annually for climate adaptation by 2035
Fri 31 Oct 2025
Media release - UN Environment Programme: Slow climate adaptation is threatening lives and economies.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
Look out for these 8 big ag greenwashing terms at COP30
Tue 28 Oct 2025
Food and farming companies will claim agriculture is the solution to the climate crisis at the Brazil summit — even though food drives a third of global warming.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
Fri 31 Oct 2025
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Global oil demand won't peak until 2032, Wood Mackenzie report says
Fri 31 Oct 2025
“Global oil demand will not peak until 2032, two years later than earlier thought, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a report on Wednesday that blames continued momentum in the use of hydrocarbons for transport and petrochemicals.”
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says that recent moves to weaken methane targets and halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing show the Government has been captured by industry.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
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.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
Ardern: 'We must not give up on 1.5'
Fri 31 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern says the world must not abandon the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal, warning that a decade on from COP21 “too many of the debates we thought were settled are still being had.”
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Experts warn new science curriculum sidelines climate urgency
Today 11:00am
Climate change education has been pushed too late and too lightly in the Government’s draft science curriculum, experts say, with students not formally learning about climate change until Year 10.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
The Yangtze River is becoming the world’s largest electrified trade corridor
Thu 30 Oct 2025
The Gezhouba, a new 13,000-ton all-electric bulk carrier launched in Yichang, is more than a technical milestone. It is a sign that the electrification of inland shipping is moving from concept to inevitability.
AgriZero backs Aussie IVF innovator
Today 11:00am
By Pattrick Smellie | The NZ government-led low carbon agriculture consortium AgriZero has invested A$1.5 million (NZ$1.7m) in a Queensland-based start-up looking to bring down the cost of inserting fertilised embryos into livestock.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
How ‘vehicle-to-grid’ technology could boost China’s electricity system
Fri 31 Oct 2025
China’s surging electric vehicles ownership – now exceeding 25.5m – is opening the door to a new technology that can help to enhance the flexibility of electricity supply.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
