Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Mining more coal will help pay for climate change journey: Shane Jones
17 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Resources minister Shane Jones told RNZ this morning that digging up more coal would help deliver the economic surplus required to meet the country’s climate change commitments.
Unions Wellington launches campaign to stop airport sale
15 Apr 2024
The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is opposing Wellington City Council’s proposal to sell its 34% share in Wellington Airport.
Emissions Trading Scheme underperforming - study
12 Apr 2024
Media release | The impact of Aotearoa’s main tool in the fight against climate change could be heightened if five sectors were better regulated, according to a new study.
Net zero emissions target may need strengthening: Climate Change Commission
9 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | New Zealand’s current Net Zero 2050 emissions reduction target may need to be strengthened, the Climate Change Commission says in a discussion document released yesterday.
NZ needs to electrify faster - gentailers
9 Apr 2024
MPs have agreed with concerns that if New Zealand does move faster to electrify the economy there will be consequences - including the cost of not meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
National rules out support for EV perks tax exemption
4 Apr 2024
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has ruled out supporting a member's Bill that would exempt EVs from fringe benefit tax.
New $100m ‘green’ industrial development for Auckland
2 Apr 2024
A $100 million industrial complex under construction in Auckland will incorporate low-carbon concrete and rainwater harvesting as well as generating its own solar electricity.
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.
Best by the rest...
28 Mar 2024
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: How do subsidies for one of our most popular trains compare to roads? Chloe Swarbrick wants to build a mass climate movement; and is power-hungry AI set to upend every aspect of our society?
Govt looking at reopening refinery - but it’s an extreme longshot
27 Mar 2024
New Zealand First has won through on its election pledge to look at reopening Marsden Point Oil Refinery, but the likelihood of it actually happening is so close to zero that is difficult to measure.
Minister maps out RMA reform
26 Mar 2024
The government is planning several ‘quick fixes’ to the Resource Management Act before a full reform which it intends to complete in this term of Parliament.
NZU price has greater impact on cost of electricity than petrol
21 Mar 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Counter-intuitively an increase in the price of carbon adds more to a household’s electricity bill in percentage terms than its petrol one.
Offshore wind could create 10,000 jobs and add nearly $50b to GDP - study
20 Mar 2024
Developing an offshore wind energy industry will play a critical role in helping Aotearoa meet rising demand for clean energy as well as net zero commitments, according to a new study released today.
Legal activists double down on greenwashing claims against Z Energy
20 Mar 2024
Media release | Consumer NZ, the Environmental Law Initiative and Lawyers for Climate Action NZ are doubling down on claims that Z Energy is greenwashing New Zealanders.
It’s now cheaper for Kiwis to go fully electric
18 Mar 2024
New Zealand is one of the first places in the world where electric appliances and vehicles are now more affordable than their fossil fuel equivalents, according to a new report.
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.
Controversial new fast-track bill projects still not public
8 Mar 2024
By Vernon Small | The government says its new Fast Track Approvals Bill will clear the way for faster development of sustainable energy projects, such as windfarms.
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.
One onshore petroleum exploration permit granted through tender process
6 Mar 2024
The government has granted an onshore petroleum exploration permit to Greymouth Gas Turangi.
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.
Commerce Commission approves Transpower grid investment
5 Mar 2024
The Commerce Commission has approved Transpower’s proposed $392.9 million investment in the national grid, and is satisfied that the identified need to strengthen the electricity transmission system over the next decade is in the long term interests of Kiwi consumers.
Tiwai Point’s future still in question
4 Mar 2024
For those waiting for news about an agreement on Tiwai Point aluminium smelter's electricity supply, there were very few smoke signals from the major companies' half-year earning results.
Genesis reflects on bad spell and the future
28 Feb 2024
Genesis Energy says it will decide by the end of the year about whether it is possible to use biomass at the Huntly power station.
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.
Contact on electricity and carbon prices
26 Feb 2024
Contact Energy said it is inevitable that retail electricity prices will have to rise in line with long term wholesale prices and is also predicting that carbon prices will rise as well.
Future of transmission and distribution networks - how to get to net zero?
20 Feb 2024
The Electricity Authority is asking whether there should be greater coordination of distribution and transmission networks.
MfE lays out issues for new minister
13 Feb 2024
Environment officials’ briefings to incoming ministers are a guarded affair with the papers outlining issues and choices, including what the new government wants to do with resource management laws, water issues, as well as climate mitigation and adaptation.
Jones looks to boost oil and gas with guarantees
7 Feb 2024
Resources minister Shane Jones’ enthusiastic ‘boosterism’ for his portfolio has manifested itself again with him musing on the possibility of government guarantees for the oil and gas sector to restore investor confidence.
Industry emissions up but GDP down
2 Feb 2024
New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions are up 3% for the September 2023 quarter, according to the latest data from Stats NZ.
Rise in new renewable electricity generation projects
26 Jan 2024
Media release - A report commissioned by the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko shows the amount of new renewable electricity generation that has been committed has almost doubled in 18 months.
Lodestone gets green light for South Island sites
23 Jan 2024
Lodestone Energy has added three sites in Canterbury and South Canterbury to its second phase of agrivoltaic solar farms.
Gas shortage predicted in the next few years
19 Dec 2023
A report commissioned by the gas sector regulator says New Zealand is at risk of an energy shortfall within a few years as the complex interaction between supply and demand for gas tips into under-supply.
COP28 “frustrating” but some significant breakthroughs - experts
15 Dec 2023
Small island states facing the existential threat of climate change were particularly effective negotiators at the latest UN climate summit, according to a Kiwi expert.
NZ government swimming against the tide of history: Oil Change International
15 Dec 2023
Oil Change International campaign manager David Tong says the COP28 call to move away from fossil fuels shows the New Zealand government is trying to swim against the tide of history.
Bill passed to repeal Clean Car Discount
15 Dec 2023
The Government has passed legislation repealing the Clean Car Discount, which it nicknamed the “Ute tax,” for all vehicles registered after 31 December 2023.
Climate Change Commission doubles down on ETS criticism
13 Dec 2023
The Climate Change Commission has doubled-down on its long held view that the ETS is not fit for purpose when it comes to driving down emissions, in its latest advice to government.
Lack of interest in NZ oil and gas?
12 Dec 2023
The lack of interest in OMV’s oil and gas assets in New Zealand does not bode well for the new government’s hopes of attracting new investment with the reversal of the oil and gas exploration ban.
Govt under pressure to show 'coherent' climate policy after failing to sign renewables pledge
5 Dec 2023
New Zealand was one of only a few developed countries that didn’t sign a renewables pledge at the international climate summit in Dubai over the weekend. The country is now under “significant pressure” to show it has coherent climate policy consistent with its international obligations, an expert says.
Consumer NZ takes legal action against Z Energy over climate claims
30 Nov 2023
Consumer NZ is taking Z Energy to the High Court, claiming the company has misled New Zealanders with its claims over emissions reductions and mitigation.
Greens launch petition to keep oil and gas ban
28 Nov 2023
The Green Party has launched a petition to stop the incoming government repealing the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.
Manawa says stand-alone generation successful
23 Nov 2023
Manawa Energy has declared its move to a generation-only model a success.
Mercury Kaiwera Downs windfarm opens
22 Nov 2023
Media release | Mercury has cut the ribbon to celebrate stage one of the Kaiwera Downs Windfarm coming online.
NZ signs up to US-led clean energy framework
21 Nov 2023
New Zealand is one of 14 countries in the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) that agreed to two more "pillars" of the initiative last week, covering cooperation on clean energy and anti-corruption measures.
Contact hopes renewable projects will reduce ‘dry year risk’
20 Nov 2023
Contact Energy’s senior staff seem full of hope that the coming month will bring to an end a few uncertainties in the electricity sector.
We’re burning too much fossil fuel to fix by planting trees – making ‘net zero’ emissions impossible with offsets
20 Nov 2023
By Mike Joy | The idea that we can mitigate current carbon emissions by “offsetting” them with carbon reduction initiatives elsewhere has become central to government and business responses to climate change. But it’s an idea we need to seriously question.
Commerce Commission should expect backlash from lines companies
9 Nov 2023
There is likely to be a strong backlash from the regulated lines companies at the Commerce Commission’s initial views on their revenue path from 2025 to 2030.
Climate protestors target dairy, fertiliser, and gas
7 Nov 2023
Climate activists blockaded three targets simultaneously on Sunday - the Whareroa Fonterra Dairy factory, the Kapuni Ballance fertiliser factory, and Todd Energy’s gas plant.
Badly designed biodiversity credit system could impact national grid
2 Nov 2023
Transpower - the state-owned operator of the national grid - has warned that a badly designed biodiversity credit system could pose risks for the country’s power lines.
One winter survived, but the next looks tight as well
2 Nov 2023
A review of Winter 2023 shows how the electricity sector managed to navigate several periods of tight supply and warns similar conditions will prevail next winter in managing peak demand.
Marsden Fund grants for climate research
2 Nov 2023
Research into climate and the energy transition are among 123 projects taking $83.59 million from this year’s Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden, the Marsden Fund, announced today.
Ticking time-bomb in Govt’s failure of leadership on climate – Carr
Today 11:15am
By Liz Kivi | The coalition Government’s failure to slash emissions is like pulling the pin on a grenade, handing it to a kid, and saying “hold on tight, she’ll be right”, says former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr.
Trans-Tasman ministers push climate cooperation amid NZ retreat from climate commitments
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Last week's 2+2 Climate and Finance Ministers’ Dialogue in Auckland urged deeper trans-Tasman climate cooperation, despite New Zealand’s recent moves to weaken climate policies.
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.
Second fire tears through Tongariro National Park
Today 11:15am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fire crews have returned to Tongariro National Park this morning as a fast-moving fire that started yesterday threatens unburnt vegetation and nearby communities, just a month after a major blaze scorched 3000 hectares in the same area.
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.
Carbon market conduct pioneer passes on the baton
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Media release | The International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance (ICROA), a pioneer in early voluntary carbon market conduct, has announced that it will wind down operations by late 2026.
Seven EU countries pressure European Commission to rethink 2035 diesel and petrol car ban
Today 11:15am
Pressure from EU countries, lawmakers and the automotive industry is likely pushing the European Commission to delay the revision of the bloc's ban on diesel and petrol cars by 2035.
Carbon auction tipped to be a non-event
2 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Tomorrow’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction is all but certain to fail, with participants blaming the government for destroying confidence as NZUs continue to change hands on the secondary market at a 40% discount on the $68 auction floor.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
Today 11:15am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
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.
Al Gore's case for optimism
Mon 8 Dec 2025
This year’s United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil had everything: A literal flood, a literal fire, a record-breaking 1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists, and delegates from oil-producing nations working overtime.
Govt ‘scaremongering’ over co-operation – former climate ambassador
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former top climate diplomat, Kay Harrison, says the Government’s recent comments ruling out buying climate mitigation offshore amount to scaremongering, and the country is missing a chance to give our businesses a boost.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
Politicians in South-East Asia ignore climate change at their own political peril
Today 11:15am
Anger and frustration are growing in devastated communities, as governments botch their response to the climate crisis.
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.
Uncertainty eroding confidence in forestry sector
Fri 5 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Warnings are mounting that tree planting is set to plunge to “very close to zero”, as new Ministry for Primary Industries data shows ETS registration applications falling sharply as confidence in forestry declines.
Media round-up
Fri 5 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Labour’s chronic evasiveness as the Government reneges on climate change; newly released documents reveal the country's new methane target is associated with 'perilous' 2.7C of warming; and New Zealand's 'pitiful' decision on emissions targets comes with costs.
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.”
Analysis: Why COP30’s ‘tripling adaptation finance’ target is less ambitious than it seems
Fri 5 Dec 2025
One of the headline outcomes to emerge from COP30 was a new target to “at least triple” finance for climate adaptation in developing countries by 2035.
Climate comments ‘outrageous’ – former top climate negotiator
Wed 3 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s former climate ambassador, Kay Harrison, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ recent statements that the Government had ruled out buying offshore climate mitigation are “outrageous”.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
5 Nov 2025
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Tribunal warns govt geothermal strategy risks Treaty breach
2 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government's geothermal development strategy risks breaching the Treaty of Waitangi, according to a report from the Waitangi Tribunal released last week.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
NZ’s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach
Mon 8 Dec 2025
By Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury | The New Zealand government’s decision this week to reject all of the Climate Change Commission’s emission target recommendations was just the latest in a string of policy statements that weaken the country’s action on climate.
NZ fails to back ‘roadmap’ to phase out fossil fuels at COP
24 Nov 2025
By Liz Kivi | Eighty-six countries including Australia, the UK, Germany, and Ireland backed a proposal at COP30 for national plans on how to quit oil, gas and coal – but New Zealand wasn’t one of them.
Hello, foreign oligarchs and corporations! Please come and sue the UK for billions
Wed 3 Dec 2025
COMMENT: The case of a planned Cumbrian coalmine shows how governments around the world are being threatened by litigation in shadowy offshore courts.
Govt's emissions ‘buffer’ an illusion with all NZ's carbon budgets off track
28 Nov 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Dr Christina Hood, head of consultancy Compass Climate, says the Government’s claim that New Zealand has a comfortable emissions “buffer” to absorb higher agricultural pollution is misleading, with projections showing emissions budgets are actually set to be missed in real terms.
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.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
Govt rejects advice on international aviation and shipping emissions
Thu 4 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has rejected all the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations to strengthen emissions targets.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
Thu 4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
Govt to unveil RMA replacement as summer looms
Mon 8 Dec 2025
The last session of Parliament for the year begins this week, and the Government is expected to introduce the legislation that will replace the Resource Management Act.
Shipping movements disrupted as climate change protesters block coal ships
2 Dec 2025
NSW police have arrested 141 people who attempted to block the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour during Rising Tide protests, which began on Thursday.
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.
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump administration funds geothermal network expansion
Fri 5 Dec 2025
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
Southland's waters warming faster
Mon 8 Dec 2025
Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter | Waters are warming in Murihiku Southland at higher rates than elsewhere, with implications for fisheries and habitats.
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.
Pollution from coal plants was dropping. Then came Trump and AI.
1 Dec 2025
Data centres’ hunger for electricity is prompting some states to keep their coal-burning power plants from closing – while DC relaxes air pollution limits.
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.
Spain announces $1.5 billion package to boost electric vehicle market
Fri 5 Dec 2025
Spain's plan includes 400 million euros in direct subsidies in 2026 for consumers to buy EVs.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Study provides a step-change in understanding NZ’s groundwater
28 Nov 2025
Media release | Earth Sciences New Zealand has developed a world-first National Groundwater Age Map and a powerful suite of tools to support the sustainable management of our hidden groundwater resources, from national through to local scales.
Wildfires destroy 40 homes and kill a firefighter in Australia
Today 11:15am
There were 52 wildfires burning across New South Wales on Monday and nine remained out of control. A total of 20 homes had destroyed over the weekend in that state.
NZ’s energy system at a crossroads – report
21 Nov 2025
A new report says New Zealand’s rapid shift toward a 95% renewable electricity system is at a critical turning point, urging faster consenting, stronger firming solutions and better grid planning.
