Topics tagged with 'Energy'
ETS in full swing as last bits tidied
1 Oct 2010
With the passing of eight sets of regulations to bring in remaining sectors, the Emissions Trading Scheme is effectively now fully implemented, says Buddle Findlay senior associate Alastair Camereon.
Delays frustrate Kaipara tidal energy developer
24 Sep 2010
Endless planning delays are hindering investment in marine energy in New Zealand, says the man behind plans for a tidal energy plant on the Kaipara Harbour.
Peak Oil: We've been lying to you
24 Sep 2010
By Ian Cooper.- Peak oil isn't real. Anyone with half a brain knows that.
Country needs clean-tech skills, says innovator
24 Sep 2010
New Zealand has a shortage of the people needed to turn clean-tech ideas into profitable businesses.
Mayoral hopefuls quiet on eco-city proposals
24 Sep 2010
Politicians vying to lead the Auckland super-city have not yet responded to a proposal to turn the city into an environmentally friendly economic powerhouse.
Carbon management climbs boardroom agenda
24 Sep 2010
Carbon management is becoming a strategic business priority and competitive driver for the largest global companies, a new survey shows.
UK green deal will make 250,000 jobs, says minister
24 Sep 2010
The UK Government aims to introduce “radical” proposals that would insulate 26 million homes over the next 20 years, make energy efficiency affordable to all, and create 250,000 jobs.
Big money aims to shoot down California energy laws
24 Sep 2010
Four years ago, bipartisan majorities in the California Legislature approved a landmark clean energy bill that many hoped would serve as a template for a national effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and mitigate the threat of climate change.
EU carbon prices may treble by 2013, says bank
24 Sep 2010
European Union carbon permit prices might almost triple by as early as 2013 as natural gas recovers, says Swiss banking giant UBS.
Toyota to build eco engines in Australia
24 Sep 2010
Japanese car giant Toyota will build a $US300 million plant in Australia to produce engines which will deliver reduced carbon emissions and improved fuel consumption.
Taiwan moves toward carbon offset scheme
24 Sep 2010
Nearly 270 companies responsible for more than half of Taiwan's greenhouse gas pollution have agreed to supply emissions data to the government to help it to launch a carbon offset scheme.
Rugby star kicks off Global Climate Working Bee
24 Sep 2010
All Black Conrad Smith says he is supporting the 350 Aotearoa Global Climate Working Bee.
New-tech fridge shows what NZ firms can do
17 Sep 2010
Fisher & Paykel Appliance’s breakthrough refrigeration technology is being hailed as an example of what this country must do to exploit the global shift to clean technology.
Brownlee chuffed with geothermal figures
17 Sep 2010
Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee is hailing a shift from coal to geothermal electricity generation as a sign that the market can deliver on climate change.
Coal comfort: New climate minister vows support
17 Sep 2010
Australia's new climate change minister, former coal engineer Greg Combet, has been quick to reassure the country's coal mining industry of its vital role in the country's economy.
… but major miner says to look beyond coal
17 Sep 2010
Australia should ''look beyond coal'' and toward other energy sources, says the head of the world’s largest miner, BHP Billiton.
Canada looms as a polar tiger, says scientist
17 Sep 2010
Canada will emerge as a major world power within 40 years as part of a climate-driven transformation of global trade, agriculture and geopolitics highlighted by the rise of the "Northern Rim" nations.
Maari reaches ‘10 million barrel’ milestone
17 Sep 2010
The Maari oil-field produced its 10 millionth barrel of oil this week, marking a significant milestone in the field’s history.
Meridian, landowners talk on North Bank hydro project
17 Sep 2010
Meridian Energy has begun consultation with landowners on a proposed design for the North Bank Hydro Project.
Stern: It's out there if you want it
10 Sep 2010
Lord Nicholas Stern has told New Zealanders that the future could be bright – if we are willing to do what’s needed to get our greenhouse gas emissions under control.
Bioenergy material going to waste, says report
10 Sep 2010
More than a quarter of New Zealand's energy needs - and nearly a third of our transport fuels - could come from energy crops and materials that are currently wasted, according to a new report.
LanzaTech signs for first coal-to-biological-fuel project
10 Sep 2010
New Zealand's LanzaTech has signed a deal with one of China's largest coal producers to produce fuels and chemicals from waste.
Put your money on e-cars, says bank report
10 Sep 2010
Low-carbon vehicles, such as electric cars, will be a bigger global market by 2020 than renewable energy like wind and solar power, according to a report by HSBC bank.
Early Greens pressure could see an Aussie ETS
10 Sep 2010
Australia is now much more likely to introduce a price on planet-warming carbon pollution after support by independents and Greens returned the Labor Party to office this week.
It's a cinch, says Harry, nothing this year
10 Sep 2010
The US won’t pass legislation this year that charges power plants a price for releasing carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists have linked to climate change, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.
Euronext to expand carbon trading to US, Asia
10 Sep 2010
NYSE Euronext plans to expand its carbon-trading business from Europe to the US and Asia through a joint venture that sets up a three-way battle among exchanges to expand a once-promising market whose fortunes have waned in recent months.
UK launches investor forum to spur green finance
10 Sep 2010
The British government has launched an initiative to unlock new investment in low-carbon technologies and make London a global hub for green finance.
FORUM: Can feed-in tariffs let everyone be an energy generator?
10 Sep 2010
Electricity generation is still the province of a few big players - and the current Government seems determined to rely on fossil fuels generation, says the Sustainable Energy Forum.
Pressure builds to change ETS obligation rule
3 Sep 2010
Some companies are buying carbon credits to offset the cost of carbon in fuel and energy as pressure builds to change the rules over who is responsible under the Emissions Trading Scheme for accounting for carbon.
Mighty River likes look of carbon market
3 Sep 2010
Mighty River Power says it has ideas that could see its involvement in the carbon market stretch beyond buying credits to offset its own liabilities.
We pay $11m too much, say major power users
3 Sep 2010
The Emissions Trading Scheme is costing large commercial electricity users $11 million a year more than it should, the Major Electricity Users Group claims.
Go for natural gas - the price is right
3 Sep 2010
The global economic situation is making it easier for companies to switch from carbon-rich coal to more environmentally friendly natural gas.
Big banks take new look at dirty industries
3 Sep 2010
Two international banks operating in New Zealand are among financial institutions reportedly growing wary of environmental risks in lending.
France to pump billions into renewables
3 Sep 2010
France has launched a programme to pump $1.71 billion into green chemistry, solar power and other emerging technology research.
Carbon traders setting up shop in Singapore
3 Sep 2010
More companies trading in carbon offsets and those financing emissions reduction projects are setting up shop in Singapore.
Iwi join Aussies in carbon forestry venture
27 Aug 2010
Six iwi have joined forces with an Australia carbon forestry farmer and are looking to mop up land in the Central North Island.
New company sells Kiwi clean-tech to the world
27 Aug 2010
A new company has been launched to export New Zealand clean-tech technologies around the world.
Plants on a carbon go-slow, say scientists
27 Aug 2010
Earth's plants reduced their carbon uptake by 606 million tonnes during the past 10 years, according to a new study.
EVENT: Carbon Forum Asia 2010: October 27-28, Singapore
27 Aug 2010
As of July 2010, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention has registered more 2300 CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) projects globally, an increase of more than 35 per cent over a year ago.
$6 billion of new investment likely to go to EPA
27 Aug 2010
The Environmental Protection Authority is expected to receive infrastructure applications totalling more than $6 billion by the end of next year, Environment Minister Nick Smith says.
The Carbon Traders 4: Richard Hayes, EITG
20 Aug 2010
Richard Hayes’ experience in technology and interest in environmental offsetting are combining to do good things.
Race is on for biggest offshore wind turbines
20 Aug 2010
British, American and Norwegian engineers are in a race to design and build the Holy Grail of wind turbines – giant, 10MW offshore machines twice the size and power of anything seen before.
Journals not court is place for scientific debate - experts
20 Aug 2010
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) faces a legal challenge by climate sceptics group the Climate Science Coalition which is taking the Crown Research Institute to court over the accuracy of its climate data.
Top Energy sells Fiji operation
20 Aug 2010
After almost four years operating in the Fiji Islands, local electricity generation and lines network company, Top Energy has announced it has sold its operations there.
Te Uku wins Meridian environmental award
20 Aug 2010
Meridian Energy’s commitment to high environmental standards at its Te Uku wind farm have won Environment Waikato’s inaugural earthworks ‘Site of the Year’ award.
Boardroom doesn't get it, says climate talks chief
13 Aug 2010
The business community has not yet got its head around the implications and opportunities of climate change, says the chair of the latest Australia New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference.
What Nick Smith said to transtasman business leaders
13 Aug 2010
This week Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith spoke at the 6th annual Climate Change and Business Conference, being held in Sydney. This is what he said:
The Carbon Traders 3: Wayne King, Carbon Market Solutions
13 Aug 2010
Wayne King has been behind some of the biggest carbon deals in New Zealand, but he got into the business almost by accident.
Tasman challenge: Cut emissions by 15 per cent
13 Aug 2010
Australia and New Zealand can cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15 per cent by 2020 in economically beneficial ways, say business leaders at the 6th Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Sydney.
Meridian to build huge Aussie wind farm
13 Aug 2010
Meridian has done another deal to build a wind farm in Australia.
Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage
31 Mar 2026
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Fifty years on from the first aerial survey of our Southern Alps glaciers, late snow and variable summer weather delivered a temporary reprieve from rapid ice loss, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?
Tue 7 Apr 2026
An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Signs of jet fuel hoarding emerge in Asia on Iran oil shock
26 Mar 2026
Signs are growing that Asian countries are hoarding jet fuel after the Iran war sent oil prices surging, reflecting growing strain on the aviation industry.
Environmental groups launch legal action over Govt's 'tick-box approach' to conservation land
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Forest & Bird and the Environmental Defence Society are taking the Government to court over decisions about the future of publicly-owned land on Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast.
New alliance wants renewable-led energy – and Govt to press pause on LNG
Thu 9 Apr 2026
A newly formed coalition of business, consumer and energy organisations has unveiled a renewable-led strategy it says will strengthen the country’s energy security, and it’s calling on the Government to pause its plan for an LNG import terminal.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
Tue 7 Apr 2026
By Kristen Green | ANALYSIS: With failed auctions, a surge of new forestry registrations, and an election a few months away, the NZ ETS in 2026 will be subject to a mix of supply-side pressures and political uncertainty.
Solar energy, cheap battery storage can meet 90% of India’s power demand at affordable costs: Ember report
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Battery storage is now cheap enough in India that solar power can meet 90% of the country’s power demand at lower lifetime costs than current average purchase rates in most states, a new study has found, a finding that could potentially point to a future buffer against global energy shocks.
Economic contraction will impact carbon market
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | While higher fossil fuel prices strengthen the long-run economics of decarbonisation, the current fuel crisis won’t inspire near-term confidence in the carbon market, according to Lizzie Chambers of Carbon Match.
Genesis fires up pellet study with Nature’s Flame
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Genesis Energy is extending its quest for locally produced torrefied wood pellets to supplement coal and gas to fuel its Huntly power station, announcing it is investigating plant construction with established local solid fuels player Nature’s Flame.
Death toll in Afghanistan flooding increases to 28, authorities say
1 Apr 2026
Afghan authorities said Monday that the death toll from severe weather that has struck swathes of the country over the past four days has increased to 28, with 49 people injured. Dozens of people have died from extreme weather in the country so far this year.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon price: Ups and downs amid geopolitical uncertainty
26 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | After ups and downs in recent weeks, the carbon market again broke above the $40 mark this week, with questions around how the Middle East conflict will play out weighing on market confidence.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Severe tropical cyclones Maila And Vaianu threaten communities in Solomon Islands, PNG and Fiji
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Media release: 350.org |Two Category 3 Tropical Cyclones are currently moving through the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, while experts watch a third system potentially developing in the North Pacific.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Renewable build-out runs into grid and firming limits
Wed 8 Apr 2026
New Zealand's electricity market entered 2026 with renewable generation at record levels and a substantial build pipeline finally moving from paper to construction. The harder question is whether the wider system can absorb and firm that capacity fast enough.
A matter of strategy
Tue 7 Apr 2026
COMMENT: Even on the brink of a global commodities crisis, the possibilities for climate action aren't hopelessly foreclosed. Strategy can turn our fortunes around, writes David Hall.
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.”
FMA to ease conditions for green bond issues
31 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Green, social and sustainability-linked bonds will face lower disclosure requirements and regulatory costs under a class exemption newly granted by the Financial Markets Authority.
New protections for NZ migratory species under UN convention
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New international protections for migratory species, including several found in New Zealand, are a positive step – but global protections won’t halt the decline of migratory species on their own, experts say.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
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.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
EA entrenches 10kW export limit for residential solar
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The Electricity Authority intends to require all electricity networks to offer at least a 10 kilowatt (kW) export capacity for residential rooftop and other small-scale distributed generation.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
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.
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.
Worst in a generation: Environmentalists slam fisheries reform bill
25 Mar 2026
Media release: Greenpeace | The Fisheries Amendment Bill, which will likely have its first reading in parliament this week, is being labelled the worst fisheries policy in a generation by environmental groups who are calling for it to be rejected to protect ocean health.
Free fares call as fuel crisis impacts school attendance
Wed 8 Apr 2026
An open letter is urging the Government to make public transport free for all school children and subsidised for students under 25, as rising fuel costs begin to impact attendance and access to education across the country.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Activists occupy controversial gold drilling site
25 Mar 2026
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Opposition in Golden Bay to a controversial gold mine at Sams Creek has flared up over the weekend after several activists briefly occupied a drilling site.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Sci-tech prioritisation report is a joke that could cost NZ dearly, says NZ Association of Scientists
2 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Association of Scientists | The Prioritisation Report released yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Science Innovation and Technology Council makes a poor case for further cuts and changes to our research system.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
AI’s arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it’s locking in more fossil fuels
2 Apr 2026
Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power, and remove as much pollution as it produced. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Fuel crisis powers surge in EV interest in Asia-Pacific region
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Motorists across the Asia-Pacific region are switching to electric vehicles at a rapid pace, as rising fuel costs due to the Middle East war force consumers and companies to reconsider their reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Dairy farmers' lack of climate action 'even bleaker' than water inaction – Upton
1 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Government projections for cutting agricultural emissions are being undermined by low farmer uptake, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warning the country is relying on “heroic” assumptions to meet its methane targets.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Fast-track approved project could deliver NZ’s largest wind farm
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Government |Fast-track approval has been granted for New Zealand’s largest wind farm project.
