Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Why efficiency is the key to cheaper energy
19 Jul 2019
Improving energy efficiency is a cheaper way of meeting New Zealand’s 100 per cent renewable electricity target than building new power stations, a Government agency says.
Fonterra calls a halt to new coal-fired boilers
18 Jul 2019
FONTERRA is implementing an immediate ban on new coal-fired boilers, but says it is not yet ready to be coal-free.
Pay the farmers now, says bioenergy lobby
17 Jul 2019
The Bioenergy Association wants farmers who cut greenhouse gas emissions to be eligible for carbon credits now.
Government sticks with 100% renewables plan
16 Jul 2019
The Government is pushing ahead with plans to make New Zealand’s electricity generation 100 per cent renewable, despite advice from the Interim Climate Change Committee that it would be better to focus on electrifying the transport and industrial heat sectors.
Zero-carbon submitters back 1.5deg target
16 Jul 2019
Submitters on the zero-carbon bill support a target of limiting warming to 1.5deg being enshrined in legislation.
Think bioenergy for woodlots, farmers told
15 Jul 2019
Farmers facing falling log exports and prices for timber from woodlots are being urged to consider a new market – bioenergy.
Australia has $20b plan to power Singapore
15 Jul 2019
An ambitious export plan could generate billions of dollars and make Australia the centre of low-cost energy in a future zero-carbon world.
Global carbon markets long way off, says Shaw
12 Jul 2019
Functioning international carbon markets are a decade away – probably two, New Zealand’s climate minister says.
Farm methane doing most damage, say scientists
11 Jul 2019
Methane from farm animals in New Zealand is doing more damage to the climate than the combined impacts of all other greenhouse gases, a new analysis says.
Energy agency welcomes Government moves on e-vehicles
11 Jul 2019
Proposals to get more low-emission vehicles on New Zealand roads could be a major step for the transport sector and for transitioning the country to a low-carbon economy, according to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
Refinery wants to cut costs with solar farm
10 Jul 2019
Installing a solar farm at the Marsden Point oil refinery will cut the operation’s greenhouse gases by 18,000 tonnes a year.
YHA and Sunshine in line for energy excellence award
10 Jul 2019
YHA New Zealand and partners Sunshine Solar have been recognised as finalists in the Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards.
Government pushes plans for cleaner cars
9 Jul 2019
New emissions standards for cars could cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than five million tonnes over 20 years.
China's solar plants pay the price for dirty air
9 Jul 2019
Air pollution is affecting the performance of China’s solar-energy farms, scientists say.
Local governments want climate rules in RMA
8 Jul 2019
Local authorities want to be able to take climate impacts into account when they are considering applications under the Resource Managements Act.
ZCB might not do the job, Government hears
5 Jul 2019
The zero-carbon bill might not fulfil New Zealand’s international obligations on climate change, the Government is being told.
BETTER WORLD: There's a lot to do, says Govt
2 Jul 2019
New Zealand can increase wealth and jobs and protect the environment – but it’s going to take work, the Government says.
Few Air NZ passengers offset emissions
28 Jun 2019
Only a fraction of people flying to and from New Zealand are offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from their flights, according to Air New Zealand figures.
Scientists claim methane breakthrough
28 Jun 2019
Scientists are claiming a breakthrough in the quest to cut methane emissions from animals.
'Rugby, big cars and beer' worries expert
28 Jun 2019
Energy and climate expert Professor Ralph Sims has been trying for years to get the message across to New Zealanders that driving cars is our climate downfall.
Touring by car ups emissions, says report
27 Jun 2019
Domestic and international tourists driving cars are pushing up New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, counteracting a small drop in emissions from industry.
Government buying power goes green
27 Jun 2019
The Government is using its massive buying power to help to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Storms threaten billions in road-rail damage
26 Jun 2019
Countries are being told to urgently upgrade their road and rail networks in the wake of a report predicting billions of dollars a year in damage from natural disasters.
We might have to step in, warns Reserve Bank
25 Jun 2019
The Reserve Bank says it might have to step in and regulate if companies fail to deal with climate risks.
Kangaroo Island shows rock-solid promise for lithium
25 Jun 2019
Mining and energy company Lithium Australia has reported it has found anomalous lithium and tantalum samples that suggest mining potential on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Farm co-op makes it 100 for climate coalition
24 Jun 2019
Farmer co-operative LIC is the 100th organisation to join the Climate Leaders’ Coalition.
NZ gets another fail mark on climate action
20 Jun 2019
The Government's plan to cut methane emissions by 10 per cent by 2030 is under fire from international scientists.
The good, the bad, and the ugly of climate battle
20 Jun 2019
Morocco, Gambia, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India and the Philippines are the good guys.
Shaw will wait and see on emissions targets
19 Jun 2019
New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions might not peak until 2035 under current policies, the Government says.
It's all about microbes, say scientists
19 Jun 2019
Humans’ ability to survive and adapt to the changing climate might come down to microbes.
Businesses demand action, says UN climate chief
18 Jun 2019
Businesses are demanding the development of international carbon markets as the world battles a climate emergency, negotiators have heard overnight.
Nats vow to fight farm emissions moves
17 Jun 2019
The National Party says it will continue to oppose bringing agricultural emissions into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
It's your job to care for the world, directors hear
14 Jun 2019
Directors should bear as much personal responsibility for the environmental damage their companies cause as they now do for the health and safety of their workers, the Government has been told.
Troubled gas supply means jump in coal emissions
14 Jun 2019
The repeated shut-down of the country’s largest gas field for maintenance has led to a surge in greenhouse gas emissions from coal-burning.
Fossil fuels ban helping, says energy innovator
13 Jun 2019
New Zealand's partial ban on new oil and gas exploration is driving the electricity market away from gas and towards renewables, says an energy market innovator.
Auckland lays out plan to combat climate crisis
12 Jun 2019
Auckland Council has unveiled a plan it says will prepare the city to cope with the impacts of climate change and cut its emissions.
Farmers not alone in methane mix, say Nats
10 Jun 2019
The farming sector isn’t the only industry that should be targeted for methane reductions, the National Party says.
Only one firm signs up to investor guidelines
6 Jun 2019
Just one New Zealand company has signed up to international guidelines on disclosing climate exposure to investors.
IT'S OFFICIAL:We should cut down on meat meals
5 Jun 2019
It’s World Environment Day – and officials are telling New Zealanders to mark it by eating less meat.
$100 million Green fund ready to invest
30 May 2019
The Government’s $100 million Green Investment Finance fund says it is about to start investing.
You're welcome (not), Mayor Cull tells mineralists
30 May 2019
Dunedin mayor Dave Cull welcomed minerals sector executives to his city this week by telling them he backed the anti-fossil-fuel protesters trying to stop them.
OPINION: Plundering the planet
30 May 2019
By BRIAN EASTON | Can we consume limited resources forever? Is economic growth just a Ponzi scheme in which we borrow from the future? Is economic growth as we know it coming to an end?
Why scarred millennials want to punish business
29 May 2019
Years of economic uncertainty, growing inequality and fear of an inhospitable planet have created two generations prepared to punish companies whose motives they suspect, a new survey shows.
Big emitters get together and make a plan
28 May 2019
New Zealand’s trade-exposed industrial emitters – who between them are given more than five million free carbon credits a year – have produced a plan to help to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Todd ups investment in renewable energy
28 May 2019
New Zealand’s largest private energy company is increasing its investment in renewables.
Protesters again take aim at mining industry
27 May 2019
The mining sector is positioning itself as part of the solution to climate change, as protesters gear up to disrupt the industry’s annual gathering this week.
Could your idea save the world?
27 May 2019
Got an idea to save the world? It might just qualify for support under a new billion-dollar scheme.
Lawmakers eye climate risk disclosure rules
24 May 2019
Companies in New Zealand could face compulsory climate-risk disclosure through new accounting standards.
CellCube to bring grid battery to South Australia
23 May 2019
Renewables firm Pangea Energy and vanadium battery producer CellCube have signed on to build a 50MW storage system alongside a solar farm in South Australia.
Climate-wise Smith warns of blind commitment
22 May 2019
New Zealand’s political elder statesman on climate change is warning of a potential gilets jeune-style backlash against the costs of climate action.
Bill to ban new coal mines fails at first reading
Fri 24 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A bid to outlaw new coal mines was defeated at its first hurdle in Parliament this week, after a heated debate pitting climate imperatives against energy security and affordability.
'It was the start of a new movement': The Dutch rewilding project that took a dark turn
Fri 24 Oct 2025
In 2018, thousands of dead animals, emaciated from starvation, lay strewn across a famous Dutch rewilding project. Was it animal cruelty or just nature taking its course?
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
Wed 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.
Just 28% of countries have released nature pledges a year after UN deadline
Thu 23 Oct 2025
Only 28% of countries have met a UN call to submit new plans on addressing nature loss – a year after the original deadline.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
Thu 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.
‘Plain old dull’: NZU market continues to limp sideways
Fri 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.
Is greenhushing the new greenwashing? Or something else entirely
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Companies used to be accused of faking sustainability via greenwashing. Now some are hiding actual climate progress.
Broker predicts all this year’s carbon auctions will fail
10 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Marex New Zealand is forecasting that the government will sell no ‘pollution permits’ at the NZU auctions this year, with a significant gap continuing between secondary market prices and this year’s $68 auction floor price.
Genesis doubles down on Huntly as renewables ramp up
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Genesis Energy is doubling down on Huntly’s role as New Zealand’s energy backstop while accelerating one of the country’s largest pipelines of new renewable generation.
The merchants of doubt are back
3 Sep 2025
OPINION: If you don’t follow climate policy closely, you might not know that the Trump administration is launching an effort to overturn one of the most fundamental pillars of American climate policy.
Milestone for NZ Steel electrification
10 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | NZ Steel has passed an installation milestone for its new electric arc furnace, which will reduce emissions from the Glenbrook steel mill site by as much as one megatonne (1Mt) a year.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
Wed 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.
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.
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.
Media round-up
Fri 24 Oct 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The Government planned to gut New Zealand's world-leading climate disclosure law - even as it bragged about it on the world stage; a new Indigenous climate adaptation network launches; and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts admits that the new methane target might breach the global 1.5C goal.
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.
EU plans deforestation delay only for small businesses
Wed 22 Oct 2025
The proposal will need approval of co-legislators, EU countries at the Council and MEPs, who can still push for more changes to the legislation.
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.”
Super Fund smashes decarbonisation goals
Thu 23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The New Zealand Superannuation Fund continues to blow through its self-imposed targets for decarbonising its investment portfolio, increasing its exposure to fast-growing green technology opportunities in the process, according to its 2025 climate statement.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
Fri 24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
Climate credibility gap widening for Aussie firms
1 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Australian public companies’ climate change commitments are in retreat, reflecting difficulty in achieving stated targets and increased fossil use, but not because of any pressure to make less effort, according to a study of major companies’ ESG reporting.
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.
On Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, residents fume as insurers hike rates and invest in fossil fuel projects
Wed 22 Oct 2025
Locals face a perfect storm — they can’t afford insurance and climate change threatens their livelihood.
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 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.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
Wed 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.
US, Australia to invest $2 billion in critical minerals, advance Alcoa gallium project
Thu 23 Oct 2025
The United States and Australia extended financial support to several Australian companies as part of a wide-ranging critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China's hold over the industry.
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
Tue 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
Thu 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.
‘Weird and sad’ – Tuvalu Climate Minister condemns NZ halving methane target
15 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, says he’s surprised at New Zealand’s decision to weaken its target for reducing methane emissions – and is planning to take up the issue with his counterpart Climate Minister Simon Watts this week.
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.
Students repeat request for Victoria University to divest from fossil fuel investments
24 Sep 2025
Media release | A group of students campaigning for climate action at Victoria University of Wellington have dropped a banner protesting against the university’s lack of action on its 2014 commitment to divest from fossil fuels.
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.
Difficult trade-offs ahead for climate adaptation
17 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While climate impacts are already here, bringing the urgent need to accelerate effective adaptation now, the Government's newly minted adaptation framework still leaves important questions unanswered about who will pay.
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.
NZ abstains from vote on global shipping carbon tax
Wed 22 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government says it held back from endorsing the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework over fears the plan could raise costs for exporters and importers.
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
Tue 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
Tue 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.
