Topics tagged with 'Energy'
Happiness is herbs for boom business
4 Oct 2013
A sustainable business started in a linen cupboard has turned into an $800,000-a-year company.
Animal emissions can be controlled , says report
4 Oct 2013
Wider use of available best practices and technologies could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector by as much as 30 per cent, according to a new study.
Home-energy firm wins UK accolade
4 Oct 2013
A Wellington-based home-energy efficient company has been recognised as part of the fastest-growing business in Britain.
What is NZ doing to help Pacific?
4 Oct 2013
CARBON MARKET SOLUTIONS continues its look at what New Zealand is doing to help its Pacific island neighbours adapt to climate change:
True carbon price bioenergy aid, says expert
27 Sep 2013
A realistic carbon price and support from large companies would help to propel bioenergy from a good idea to reality, says one of our leading experts.
100% Pure? We're ranked at a lowly 36
27 Sep 2013
“100% Pure” New Zealand ranks at just 36th in the world when it comes to environmental sustainability, according to a new international energy report.
Business better, gas emissions worse
27 Sep 2013
New Zealand’s strengthening economy is showing in our carbon emissions.
LanzaTech wins $4m US research grant
27 Sep 2013
LanzaTech has been awarded a $US4 million grant by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy of the US Department of Energy to work with partners on unlocking the energy in waste methane gases.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
27 Sep 2013
Angela Merkel, Tony Abbott, airlines talk, IPCC leak, US trading, beating disease.
Small businesses star at green awards
27 Sep 2013
It was a big win this week for small Sydney businesses when the City of Sydney’s Green Business Program scooped the Local Government Sustainability Award at the annual Green Globe Awards.
Power rental market expects the best
20 Sep 2013
Emissions regulations could have an impact on the booming global power rental market, a new report says
Scientist gets $2m for dairy research
20 Sep 2013
University of Waikato Earth Scientist Professor Peter Kamp has been awarded $2.07 million funding to continue research into energy efficiency in the dairy sector.
Smart Sydney landlords save millions
20 Sep 2013
Sydney's major commercial office landlords are saving more than $25 million a year on their electricity bills, thanks to more energy-efficient buildings.
Big cities show how to tackle climate change
20 Sep 2013
Only two Southern Hemisphere cities are listed in a top 10 of urban areas effectively taking on the challenges of climate change.
Green builder aims estate at the oldies
20 Sep 2013
Halcyon has become the first developer in Australia focusing on the "over 50s" to achieve the coveted EnviroDevelopment certification from the Urban Development Institute of Australia for its Halcyon Landing community at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast.
Are we doing our bit? It seems not
20 Sep 2013
Our previous opinion piece considered the increasing impacts of climate change on small island countries, such as our Pacific neighbours, but which also apply to other small island countries such as those in the Caribbean, and also to low-lying coastal areas.
When small is best for NZ businesses
13 Sep 2013
Energy efficiency, generating energy from waste, and solar energy are three of the major opportunities for New Zealand businesses wanting to invest sustainability, says Grant Thorton national director Alastair Boult.
Why sustainable building speaks for itself
13 Sep 2013
Sustainable building no longer has to prove its economic worth – the business case more than stacks up in terms of lower operating and life cycle costs, and improved value for owners, according to a new report.
Waterfront building becomes a star
13 Sep 2013
One of New Zealand’s leading sustainable buildings has achieved a market-leading NABERSNZ rating for energy performance.
Big guns at Frankfurt show future of e-motoring
13 Sep 2013
BMW, Aston Martin, Volvo, Toyota and Mercedes will reveal their visions of the future of electric and hybrid motoring at this weekend’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
Office energy in race to the top
13 Sep 2013
Virtual athletes will sprint inside a Sydney skyscraper in a real-time visualisation of office energy use, as part of the city’s annual Art & About Sydney public art festival.
Renewables yes, but thermal power will win
13 Sep 2013
Thermal power will continue to be the dominant source of power for the foreseeable future, despite growth in renewables, a new report says.
Warehouse switches off energy-hungry bulbs
13 Sep 2013
The Warehouse will no longer sell energy-hungry incandescent light bulbs.
Our businesses must lead, says green champion
6 Sep 2013
The Global Sustainability Leader of the Year says New Zealand businesses need to step up to the responsibilities – and opportunities – of environmental issues like climate change.
Businessmen join the stars in oil protest
6 Sep 2013
Business leaders Phillip Mills and Nick Gerritsen are among a list of A-list New Zealanders opposing the Government’s plans for deep-sea oil drilling and its crackdown on protesting at sea.
Labour thermal power bid fails
6 Sep 2013
A bid by Labour MP Moana Mackey to bring back the ban on new thermal electricity generation has fallen at the first hurdle.
La Nina effect cause of warming pause
6 Sep 2013
New findings that show a slowing of global surface temperature warming are no cause for complacency, scientists warn.
Green architect unveils ‘Coral City’ housing
6 Sep 2013
A Filipino-Italian company advocating green architecture has proposed the construction of houses and buildings that can quickly adapt and withstand typhoons, floods and other calamities due to climate change.
AUT in line for major green award
6 Sep 2013
AUT University has been named as a finalist in the carbon reduction category for the Green Gown Awards Australasia, the only university in New Zealand to be recognised in this category.
Solar installation rates trend down
6 Sep 2013
Solar module installations enjoyed a significant increase from approximately 1.4 GW in 2006 to 29 GW in 2011, but the industry has started to move away from the initial spur, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.
Environment first, vows Labour contender
30 Aug 2013
A government led by Labour leadership contender Grant Robertson would make all legislation subject to an environmental impact assessment.
ANALYSIS: Australians' vote will affect carbon market
30 Aug 2013
The 2013 Federal Election in Australia will have a significant impact on Australian carbon markets, regardless of who wins, Westpac says.
Production of biodiesel falls
30 Aug 2013
Production of biodiesel fell after the Government scrapped the Biodiesel Grant Scheme last year.
Renewable energy generation drops
30 Aug 2013
The percentage of electricity generated in New Zealand from renewable sources fell last year.
We're switching on to energy-saving bulbs
30 Aug 2013
New Zealanders are buying more energy-efficient light bulbs.
Geothermal projects win new funding
30 Aug 2013
GNS Science has won government funding for two geothermal energy projects that will help to make geothermal energy developments more efficient and more attractive to investors.
Australian carbon market value tops $6b
30 Aug 2013
The Australian carbon market was worth $A6.58 billion ($NZ7.53)) in its first year of operation, according to a Carbon Market Institute report.
China’s power sector set for cleaner future
30 Aug 2013
China’s power sector is expected to go through significant changes through to 2030, according to a new report.
Meet the Armadillo … Honey, I shrunk the car
30 Aug 2013
Meet the Armadillo … the car that when you’ve finished with it you can fold up and pack away.
Why the Pacific problem will not go away
30 Aug 2013
While we here in New Zealand are worried about our pay checks and the next iphone due to emerge shortly, some thought needs to go out to our Pacific neighbours, says Carbon Market Solutions.
Experts slam 5% emissions target
23 Aug 2013
Leading climate policy and science experts say the Government’s emissions reduction target is “markedly inadequate and disappointing”.
Contact decision disappoints wind energy body
23 Aug 2013
The New Zealand Wind Energy Association is disappointed that Contact Energy has decided to exit the Hauâuru mâ raki wind generation development on the Waikato coast.
Carbon permits in China better EU price
23 Aug 2013
Carbon permits rose on the Shenzhen Emissions Exchange, the first of seven trial markets in China, to a price exceeding those in Europe, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Pacific women to see how the US does it
23 Aug 2013
Women climate leaders from across the Pacific will visit the United States to learn how America is combating climate change.
Official support gives boost to renewable energy
23 Aug 2013
Powered by policy support from their governments, India and Australia will increase their share of renewable energy projects in the near future, while China will remain the largest market in the Asia-Pacific region, says research and consultancy firm GlobalData.
Our Super funds back pollution, says WWF
16 Aug 2013
More than $1 billion invested for New Zealanders’ futures is supporting some of the world’s most polluting and environmentally destructive companies, a report released today by WWF-New Zealand reveals.
India laps up LanzaTech fuel process
16 Aug 2013
Gas fermentation technology developed in New Zealand will be used to produce low-carbon fuels from industrial carbon dioxide emissions in India.
EPA gets ready to sidestep Congress
16 Aug 2013
A top US climate change official says the Obama administration is finished waiting for Congress to act on climate change and plans to bypass the legislative branch in developing a federal response.
Utilities must boost climate resilience, says report
16 Aug 2013
The US energy industry needs to deliver a major improvement in the resilience of its power grids or risk ever-more frequent weather-related blackouts, which are already costing the economy between $18bn and $33bn a year.
China safe at top of wind power market
16 Aug 2013
China will continue to be the largest wind power market in 2020 as it attempts to reduce its carbon footprint while increasing electricity production in rural areas, says research firm GlobalData.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
Fri 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.
Media round-up
Fri 20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
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.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
Thu 19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
Wed 18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
California, Connecticut preparing 'attack' against Trump's repeal of basis of US climate regulation
Fri 20 Feb 2026
California and Connecticut are working together on a multi-state "plan of attack" against President Donald Trump's repeal of the foundation of federal climate regulation of vehicles, the states' attorneys general told Reuters on Tuesday.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
Flawed decision-making around taxing electricity to fund LNG import terminal
Mon 16 Feb 2026
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: The Government's decision to back an LNG import terminal exemplifies an egregious failure in public policy and energy sector governance.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
Thu 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 market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
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.
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.
Slash for cash turns storm debris into jobs and climate resilience
Thu 19 Feb 2026
A community-led initiative in Tairāwhiti is transforming storm-damaged forestry slash into jobs, soil regeneration and long-term climate resilience.
Calls for action to reduce emissions as extreme weather bites
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Renewable energy advocates and environmental groups are calling for more action to reduce emissions and increase resilience as severe weather wreaks havoc across the country.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
Wed 18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
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.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
Australian gas producer Santos wins court fight over net zero claims
Wed 18 Feb 2026
An Australian court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against gas producer Santos that alleged the company misled the public on its plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Seabed miners quit South Taranaki fast-track bid
Fri 20 Feb 2026
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | Would-be seabed miners have abandoned their fast-track bid to mine in South Taranaki waters, saying they can’t change the minds of the panel that rejected their application.
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.
Partnership to advance Pacific science and environmental leadership
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Media release | Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in Pacific-led science, research and capacity-building, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and ocean stewardship.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
78% of NZers want bottom trawling banned as Govt pushes to catch more coral in South Pacific
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Media release | New polling shows overwhelming support from New Zealanders for a ban on bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas, says Greenpeace.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
IEA Declaration strengthens international co-operation on critical minerals
Fri 20 Feb 2026
Media release – NZ Government | New Zealand has joined international leaders at the 2026 International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting in committing to strengthen global co-operation on critical minerals to strengthen long‑term energy security.
Antarctic sediment core reveals past ice sheet retreat during warmer climates
Wed 18 Feb 2026
A record-breaking sediment core drilled from beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is giving scientists new insight into how the ice sheet responded to warmer climates in the past — and what that could mean for future sea-level rise.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
Wed 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.
Climate ambassador moves on
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
New research on climate adaptation as severe weather hits
Mon 16 Feb 2026
As extreme weather batters the country yet again, researchers have published the first ever empirical study of climate adaptation justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
