Topics tagged with 'Forestry'
ETS leading to farm subsidies, warns Fed head
19 Nov 2010
Foresters should be growing trees for wood, not carbon storage subsidies, says Federated Farmers.
High dollar curbs demand for NZ AAUs
12 Nov 2010
Demand for New Zealand AAUs is being depressed by the high value of the dollar.
NZ teams with Australia and Brazil for Cancun
5 Nov 2010
The forestry industries of New Zealand, Brazil and Australia will join forces at the Cancun international climate change negotiations next month to push the climate change-beating potential of plantation forestry.
Supply shortfall may begin to ease
5 Nov 2010
Over the past several weeks, NZU prices have been relatively stable as, with a well understood short term lack of supply, liable entities have resisted pushing prices higher in the knowledge that doing so was not resulting in more volume emerging, Westpac reports.
Credit-happy Japanese come back for more
29 Oct 2010
A second major Japanese company has bought New Zealand forestry credits.
Our prices too low for Aussie carbon pioneers
29 Oct 2010
Australians are gearing up to sell carbon credits from trees – but say they aren’t interested in the New Zealand market at the moment because prices here are too low.
NZ will talk up markets and forestry at Cancun
29 Oct 2010
Carbon markets and forestry accounting rules will be top of New Zealand’s agenda at Cancun.
Southern builder launches sustainable homes
29 Oct 2010
Multi award-winning commercial and residential construction company Rilean Construction is launching a range of energy-efficient, healthy and affordable homes.
Manuka gets more muscle as a carbon crop
22 Oct 2010
Manuka has just become twice as attractive as a carbon crop.
Tenders an option...in right circumstances
22 Oct 2010
There has been light trade in the market this week between $19.75 and $20.10, Westpac reports.
Forest owners get positive ETS message from Government
19 Oct 2010
Land owners planting carbon forests say they have been assured that the Emissions Trading Scheme will survive when the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.
First pre-1990 forest credits due ... millions to follow
15 Oct 2010
The first of millions of free carbon credits being given to the owners of pre-1990 forests have been allocated and will be issued any day.
Forest owners might get a carbon bonus
15 Oct 2010
Forest owners could be entitled to more carbon credits than they get now if the Government adopts a new system of working out carbon sequestration levels.
Current situation not ideal, but outlook for buyers positive
15 Oct 2010
There has been light trade in NZUs this week with buyers continue to wait for further issuance to the pre-1990 forestry allocation, Westpac reports.
New planting rules could cost forest owners
8 Oct 2010
New environmental rules for commercial forests could leave owners with a carbon liability.
Canada's $1b bonus sparks NZ forest interest
8 Oct 2010
The Canadian Government is putting up to $1 billion into forestry and bioenergy – and New Zealand forest owners want to know why.
UN to list ‘30 Ways in 30 Days’ to combat change
8 Oct 2010
In the run up to next month’s major climate change conference in Cancún, the United Nations will release one case study daily for 30 days to prove that solutions to combat global are available, accessible and replicable.
Demand building, but little evidence of increased prices
8 Oct 2010
The Mexican stand-off between buyers and sellers continues, Westpac reports.
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.
Supply could be just around the corner, says Westpac
24 Sep 2010
Trading in the spot market for NZUs has been light this week, with transactions occurring between $19.80 and $20.30, Westpac reports.
NZ wood eyes future in Europe's buildings
17 Sep 2010
The New Zealand wood industry has a new market – environmentally concerned Europeans.
Foresters check trees for quake damage
10 Sep 2010
Foresters are heading out today to start counting the carbon cost of the Canterbury earthquakes.
Wary owners waiting on better NZU prices
10 Sep 2010
The forward market for NZUs is developing as a shortage of spot compliance units starts to bite.
Owners await NZU allocations
10 Sep 2010
Owners of pre-1990 forests have applied for NZUs, but so far none have reached the market.
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.
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.
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.
Indonesia ripe for trading fraud, warn experts
27 Aug 2010
Ambitious plans to harness Indonesia’s millions of hectares of forest to offset carbon emissions could give rise to a new strain of corruption and financial fraud unless managed properly, experts warn.
Supply light on local market
27 Aug 2010
This week we have seen prices trading between $18.40 and $18.75, Westpac reports.
Awards for leading science innovators
27 Aug 2010
Four of New Zealand’s leading lights have been acknowledged for their contributions to innovation at the 2010 Bayer Innovators Awards.
Govt might have to boost new plantings
20 Aug 2010
The Government should underwrite the growing of millions of forestry seedlings if it wants to meet its climate change planting goal.
Think tank: Clean-tech needs a new look, too
20 Aug 2010
The author of a report that calls for the internationalising of New Zealand business says that the strategy applies to developing our clean-tech industries as well.
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.
Trade in NZUs remains light
20 Aug 2010
This week we have seen NZU prices trading between $18.35 and $18.75, Westpac reports.
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.
Kiwi ETS wins minister a rare bouquet
13 Aug 2010
Climate Change Issues Minister Nick Smith has had an unusual experience this week – he’s being feted for the Emissions Trading Scheme.
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.
Making biochar makes sense, study shows
13 Aug 2010
If every bit of biomass that could be collected sustainably were converted to biochar and the gas produced in the conversion process used for energy, human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 12 per cent annually, according to new research.
Australian car emissions rules well off pace
13 Aug 2010
National standards for car emissions in Australia, even after recently announced Labor policy, will still be weaker than that of the EU and of California, a Sydney conference has been told.
Local trading picks up
13 Aug 2010
While trade remains relatively light, there has been an increase in trading activity this week, Westpac reports.
Foresters want ban on illegal lumber imports
13 Aug 2010
The government needs to urgently adopt measures to prevent products from illegally logged forests being sold in New Zealand, says the Forest Owners' Association.
MAF allocates funds for soil erosion work
13 Aug 2010
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has allocated two more erosion treatment projects a total of $7.62 million under its Sustainable Land Management Hill Country Erosion Fund.
The Carbon Traders 2: Simon Young, Karo Group/EcoSecurities
6 Aug 2010
Simon Young got into carbon through his habit of studying a supply chain from go to whoa.
Copenhagen loopholes ‘make farce' of rich pledges
6 Aug 2010
Wealthy nations’ pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions could be made farcical by loopholes in the UN climate change treaty put forward in Copenhagen last year.
Scientist lists soot as public enemy number two
6 Aug 2010
Soot is the second leading cause of climate change, says a new US study.
Now's the time to apply to farming fund
6 Aug 2010
The new funding round for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Sustainable Farming Fund is open.
Buyers holding off, says Westpac
6 Aug 2010
It has been another week of light trade in the NZU market, with spot prices trading in the region of $18.30 to $18.60, Westpac reports.
Farm leader angers 'foreign-owned' foresters
30 Jul 2010
Federated Farmers have drawn the ire of foresters with a claim that “foreign-owned” forestry companies could destroy New Zealand’s rural economy by turning farmland into carbon forests.
The Carbon Traders 1: Nigel Brunel, OMFinancial
30 Jul 2010
Nigel Brunel is not a typical greenie. In fact until recently, he would probably have been insulted to be called one. But then he discovered carbon, and started thinking about how putting a price on greenhouse gases could really change the world.
Ardern: 'We must not give up on 1.5'
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern says the world must not abandon the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal, warning that a decade on from COP21 “too many of the debates we thought were settled are still being had.”
'Little to be hopeful about' – NZ scientists caution ahead of COP30
Today 11:30am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Record heat, worsening climate impacts and global backsliding on emission reduction commitments have left some New Zealand climate experts with little optimism as COP30 approaches.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
Celebrities slam mining plans
Tue 28 Oct 2025
Actor Sam Neill has slammed plans for a gold mine in Otago, while Denniston Rose author Jenny Pattrick is backing a petition that would stop a coalmine on the West Coast.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
Taxonomy seen as key to shaping NZ’s voluntary nature credit market
Thu 30 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Experts say aligning the New Zealand Sustainable Finance Taxonomy with the development of voluntary nature credit markets could strengthen credibility, streamline investment, and support high-integrity environmental outcomes.
Experts say Bill Gates is not a friend to the planet, following recent call to change focus on climate
Today 11:30am
Ahead of COP30, Gates calls for a shift in focus away from near-term emissions goals. Experts say that’s dangerously misguided.
‘Plain old dull’: NZU market continues to limp sideways
24 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The NZU market has been “plain old dull” in recent months, with activity driven mainly by credit opportunities or a specific need to raise cash, according to Lizzie Chambers of trading platform Carbon Match.
Genesis doubles down on Huntly as renewables ramp up
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.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Thu 30 Oct 2025
More than 750,000 New Zealanders live in locations exposed to one-in-100-year floods, according to a nationwide study which shows escalating flood risk.
Carbon Finance Program upscales efforts to close climate investment gap in climate vulnerable nations
22 Oct 2025
Media release | The Climate Vulnerable Forum and its V20 Finance Ministers (CVF-V20) will work with the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to upscale the Carbon Finance Program in reach and impact, supporting more climate-vulnerable countries to host high-integrity carbon projects that yield tangible climate, nature, and sustainable development benefits.
All carrot, no stick for farmers on methane
17 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: The abandonment of methane emissions pricing and the adoption of a weaker target is effectively the last nail in the coffin of the historic cross-parliamentary consensus embedded in the Zero Carbon Act 2019.
Lake Onslow battery project set for revival?
Wed 29 Oct 2025
A newly formed private consortium has emerged with plans to finance and build the massive Lake Onslow pumped-hydro project, despite the coalition government’s decision to abandon the scheme.
From nuisance to crisis: New report on pest wasps In Aotearoa
24 Sep 2025
Media release: Moths and Butterflies NZ Trust | Just published is the Final Report of the Pest Wasps Survey carried out by the Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust (MBNZT) offering a comprehensive look at New Zealanders’ awareness, experiences, and attitudes toward wasps and the growing ecological, health, and social issues associated with them.
Media round-up
Today 11:30am
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: A controversial seabed mining project could lead to sediment flows knocking over rigs and damaging wind turbines; weather-related insurance claims climb; and is the government playing Russian Roulette with our future over methane targets?
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.
Oil firm TotalEnergies made misleading green statements, court rules
Tue 28 Oct 2025
A French oil company engaged in “misleading commercial practices” about the scope of its environmental commitments, a court has ruled.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
Developing countries will need US$310 billion annually for climate adaptation by 2035
Today 11:30am
Media release - UN Environment Programme: Slow climate adaptation is threatening lives and economies.
No major banks have yet committed to stop funding new oil, gas and coal, research finds
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
Look out for these 8 big ag greenwashing terms at COP30
Tue 28 Oct 2025
Food and farming companies will claim agriculture is the solution to the climate crisis at the Brazil summit — even though food drives a third of global warming.
Coal imports up 650%
12 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Coal imports are up 650% as generators stockpile the most polluting fossil fuel ahead of next winter.
Hiringa eyes green methanol plant near Whanganui
29 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Green hydrogen pioneer Hiringa Energy is deep in planning to develop an “eight-to-nine figure” methanol plant near Whanganui, using a combination of biomass and hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
Vero warns losses to rise 26% by 2050 over extreme weather
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Extreme weather could drive a 19–26% spike in annual insurance losses by 2050, fuelled by rising seas and more intense flooding, according to Vero’s latest Climate-Related Disclosures Report.
Will NZ walk away from the Paris Agreement?
20 Dec 2024
By Geoff Bertram | COMMENT: Unless the government can find very cheap offshore mitigation, the temptation to walk away from its Paris Agreement obligations may well be too strong to resist for a coalition government focused on fiscal austerity.
Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half
Today 11:30am
A North Dakota judge has ordered Greenpeace to pay damages of $345 million, reducing an earlier jury award after it found the environmental group and related entities liable for defamation and other claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
Nelson commuters urged to ditch car once a week
22 Oct 2025
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Nelson has a bold carbon emission reduction target and residents are being encouraged to leave the car at home one day a week to help meet it.
Global oil demand won't peak until 2032, Wood Mackenzie report says
Today 11:30am
“Global oil demand will not peak until 2032, two years later than earlier thought, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a report on Wednesday that blames continued momentum in the use of hydrocarbons for transport and petrochemicals.”
Govt ‘captured by industry’ on methane – Carr
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Former Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says that recent moves to weaken methane targets and halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing show the Government has been captured by industry.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Climate impacts hit NZ with increasing wild weather
23 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand is facing a triple whammy of climate impacts today, with severe winds and rainfall predicted for much of the country while some areas are still dealing with wildfires ignited earlier in the week.
‘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.
FMA grants temporary 'no action' relief for for firms set to exit climate reporting regime
Wed 29 Oct 2025
The Financial Markets Authority has announced it won't take action against companies expecting to fall out of mandatory climate reporting obligations, if they fail to lodge climate statements while the law changes are pending.
Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump’s pro-fossil fuel policies
17 Oct 2025
Plaintiffs had ‘overwhelming evidence’ of climate crisis but a court injunction would be ‘unworkable’, ruling says.
Straterra has a new name: the New Zealand Minerals Council
16 Apr 2025
Media release | Straterra has been renamed as New Zealand Minerals Council, says chief executive Josie Vidal.
The Yangtze River is becoming the world’s largest electrified trade corridor
Thu 30 Oct 2025
The Gezhouba, a new 13,000-ton all-electric bulk carrier launched in Yichang, is more than a technical milestone. It is a sign that the electrification of inland shipping is moving from concept to inevitability.
Solar households to get little-noticed tax break
23 Sep 2025
A provision in the government’s latest tax bill would exempt households from paying tax on income they earn by selling excess electricity back to the grid.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
Last minute change to oil and gas legislation over cleanup costs
31 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government is expected to repeal the oil and gas ban today, with a last-minute amendment handing discretionary power to two ministers over the controversial issue of decommissioning.
How ‘vehicle-to-grid’ technology could boost China’s electricity system
Today 11:30am
China’s surging electric vehicles ownership – now exceeding 25.5m – is opening the door to a new technology that can help to enhance the flexibility of electricity supply.
Fix it, don't ditch it: University of Auckland hosts first Repair Cafe
9 Oct 2025
Media release - Auckland University | The University's first-ever Repair Cafe is bringing students and staff together to give broken items a new lease on life, while promoting a culture of repair and reuse.
Council buys dairy farm to help clean up Lake Rotorua
21 Oct 2025
Bay of Plenty Regional Council has bought a 266-hectare dairy farm in the Lake Rotorua catchment and plans to retire it from production to reduce nitrogen entering the lake.
Adaptation plan at odds with public sentiment: survey
21 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s position on climate adaptation buyouts shows a disconnect with public opinion, according to survey findings from insurer Suncorp NZ.
‘Damp squib’ – Govt energy plan slammed for locking in fossil fuels
2 Oct 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Critics across business, climate groups and the opposition say the Government’s electricity reforms duck structural change, double down on LNG and gas, and offer little relief for soaring power prices – warning of an “expensive white elephant", deeper energy poverty and a missed chance to scale renewables.
