Topics tagged with 'Forestry'
Wait for the emissions reduction plan: Watts
20 Jun 2024
By Liz Kivi | The failure of yesterday’s carbon auction doesn’t mean the Emissions Trading Scheme isn’t working, according to climate change minister Simon Watts.
Govt cans controversial forestry ETS charges for this year
17 Jun 2024
Foresters have welcomed the government’s announcement that it is cancelling forestry ETS annual services charges for 2023-24.
Govt 'not even pretending to try' to reduce transport emissions: former MOT chief science advisor
11 Jun 2024
By Liz Kivi | The former chief science advisor for the Ministry of Transport says the current government isn’t even pretending to try to reduce carbon emissions from transport.
Flaws in NZ ETS make international news
4 Jun 2024
Problems with the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme are making headlines globally.
Climate change minister faces up to some difficult questions
30 May 2024
By Liz Kivi | The climate change minister faced some awkward questions at the Carbon and Energy Professionals conference this week, against a backdrop of falling carbon prices.
Scion report on short rotation forestry met with scepticism
27 May 2024
A new report from Scion that says short rotation forestry holds the key to lowering fossil fuel use has been criticised by sustainable land use campaigners as well as an oil industry expert.
Environment commissioner calls for separate ETS for methane
23 May 2024
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has again called for forestry to be phased out of the Emissions Trading Scheme and is calling for a separate ETS for methane.
Govt blamed for low carbon price
22 May 2024
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price hit a ten-month low on the secondary market on Monday, with NZUs trading at about half the price of the commodity’s all-time high of $88.50 in November 2022.
ETS alone won’t decarbonise NZ: businesses representing 40% of country’s GDP
22 May 2024
The Sustainable Business Council and Climate Leaders Coalition say that depending on the ETS alone to reach net zero will cause significant harm to the economy.
ETS consultation: ‘signal versus noise’ suggests eventual price rise
21 May 2024
By Murray McClintock | COMMENT: Although changing prices makes a good soundbite, the key driver of ETS prices is unit supply and demand.
Carbon price sinks to lowest in ten months
20 May 2024
The carbon price is down nearly 11% since last week, as the market reacts negatively to a government consultation suggesting weaker ETS settings.
Concern over job losses at Scion
17 May 2024
Foresters are “deeply apprehensive” over potential redundancies of scientists at Scion, with a proposed 30 jobs losses - about 10% the forestry crown research institute’s workforce.
Jury out on how ETS consultation will impact carbon market
16 May 2024
The government’s latest consultation on Emissions Trading Scheme settings will be difficult for the market to translate into clear positive or negative signals - with uncertainty remaining around forestry, according to an expert.
ETS consultation suggests lower prices for NZUs
15 May 2024
A new consultation document from the Ministry for the Environment suggests lowering the auction floor price for the Emissions Trading Scheme, as well as lowering the trigger price for the cost containment reserve.
NZ must avoid environmental mistakes of the past: new book
14 May 2024
A new book about the Environmental Defence Society is full of salient lessons for today, including why the government’s proposed Fast-track Approvals Bill shouldn’t override environmental protections, according to its author.
Enough fiddling: The ETS needs to be allowed to do its job
10 May 2024
By Andrew Cushen | OPINION: While it isn’t perfect, the Emissions Trading Scheme is the only tool in our climate response that is working at the scale we need to meet the challenge in front of us. Turning this off or restricting it will impact us all environmentally, socially, and economically.
East coast residents might destroy forests if land use changes don’t go far enough
8 May 2024
Tairāwhiti residents are furious that pine plantation owners are pushing back against rule changes to protect catchments from the impacts of harvest slash and sediment, and are calling for a halt to new forestry plantings.
Govt looking at policy to restrict forestry in the ETS: Watts
7 May 2024
By Liz Kivi | The government is looking at complementary policies around land use to restrict forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme, rather than making changes directly to the scheme.
OECD calls for review of how forestry is treated under ETS
7 May 2024
By Jeremy Rose | The OECD says the government should review the ETS with a focus on the treatment of carbon removals through afforestation.
NZU stockpile grows to 169 million in last quarter
3 May 2024
The NZU stockpile is up about 9 million tonnes, according to the latest quarterly update from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Contract awarded to recloak Coronet Forest
1 May 2024
Media release | The contract to deliver an aspirational vision to “recloak” Coronet Forest with native planting has been awarded to Te Tapu o Tāne and e3Scientific Limited.
Carbon market ‘rational’: Shaw
30 Apr 2024
Former climate change minister James Shaw says the low carbon price is the market acting rationally to current policy settings and what is likely to come in the future.
NZ to cooperate with Philippines on international climate target, pledges $41 million climate finance to Southeast Asia
23 Apr 2024
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has made its first tentative step towards forging an international agreement to meet its United Nations climate target by buying offshore offsetting.
Emissions down for 2022
18 Apr 2024
Aotearoa New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions fell by 4% in 2022, according to new figures.
Highly productive land decreasing as agricultural land use intensifies, carbon forestry set to increase
17 Apr 2024
The latest environmental report outlines the pressure on land and soil from changes in use and invasive species.
Lack of policy direction to blame for low carbon price?
11 Apr 2024
The carbon price continued its post-auction slump, with weak demand seeing the secondary market trading well below the auction floor.
Net zero emissions target may need strengthening: Climate Change Commission
9 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | New Zealand’s current Net Zero 2050 emissions reduction target may need to be strengthened, the Climate Change Commission says in a discussion document released yesterday.
New forestry fees unfairly impact Māori
4 Apr 2024
By Liz Kivi | Recently implemented fees for forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme are having a disproportionate impact on Māori, and the government didn’t consult adequately on the changes, according to the National Māori Forestry Association.
Half of Tairāwhiti at risk of erosion - new data
28 Mar 2024
An estimated 182 million tonnes of eroded soil entered New Zealand's rivers in 2022, according to new research.
Global carbon market expert to speak at Christchurch conference
28 Mar 2024
The chair of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (ICVCM), Annette Nazareth, will give a keynote speech at the Carbon and Energy Professionals Conference in Christchurch in May.
Minister maps out RMA reform
26 Mar 2024
The government is planning several ‘quick fixes’ to the Resource Management Act before a full reform which it intends to complete in this term of Parliament.
Carbon price nosedives following auction
21 Mar 2024
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has dropped to its lowest since July last year, following yesterday’s partial auction clearance.
First ETS auction of the year partially clears
20 Mar 2024
Today’s Emissions Trading Scheme auction has partially cleared.
Carbon price scraping the auction floor just ahead of Wednesday's auction
18 Mar 2024
The carbon price is at its lowest in nearly six months, with poor investor sentiment just ahead of the first auction of the year on Wednesday.
Tepid market response to Commission’s advice - auction less than a week away
14 Mar 2024
By Liz Kivi | The Climate Change Commission’s call to drastically reduce Emissions Trading Scheme auction volumes has barely caused a blip on the secondary market - suggesting participants don’t think the government will follow the advice.
Govt still committed to 'no significant changes' to ETS
7 Mar 2024
Despite warnings from the Climate Change Commission, Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government remains committed to no significant changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Foresters welcome ETS costs review
1 Mar 2024
The New Zealand Forest Owners Association says the review of Emissions Trading Scheme fees is a relief for foresters facing excessive costs, but experts say forestry still faces an uncertain future under the scheme.
Government announces review of forestry ETS costs
29 Feb 2024
Forestry minister Todd McClay has announced an independent review into the forestry component of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) register.
In its current state the ETS will fail to deliver significant emission reductions: Rod Carr
28 Feb 2024
By Jeremy Rose | Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr has told the Environment Select Committee that, in its current state, the ETS will fail to deliver significant emissions reductions.
Environmental Defence Society says "radical anti-environment government" could harm NZ's reputation
27 Feb 2024
The Environmental Defence Society says the government’s environmental policies could cause environmental harm as well as threaten New Zealand’s international reputation.
Carbon price dips closer to auction floor
23 Feb 2024
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has dipped closer to the auction floor, with an increase in selling blamed on an overall weakness in the market.
Forestry company loses sustainability certification
19 Feb 2024
Forestry company Ernslaw One’s Forest Stewardship Council certification has been suspended over damage from its forestry operations in Tolaga Bay in 2018.
EPA says financial situation now critical
12 Feb 2024
The Environmental Protection Authority has warned that its financial situation is now critical.
More funding to Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti clean-up
12 Feb 2024
Urgent work to clean up cyclone damage in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti is still continuing one year after last year’s devastating floods, with a $63 million boost for sediment and debris removal bringing total government funding for the clean-up to $232 million.
Critics decry controversial bill that loosens deforestation restrictions in Peru
12 Feb 2024
Peru’s Congress approved a new amendment to the country’s forest and wildlife law, which loosens restrictions on deforestation and may affect the rights of Indigenous peoples.
ACT’s proposed climate bill ‘concerning’ - expert
25 Jan 2024
A private member's bill from the ACT Party could delay gross emissions reductions and ultimately threaten New Zealand’s climate targets, according to an expert.
Govt releases submissions on canned ETS review
22 Dec 2023
The government has released submissions on the controversial review of the Emissions Trading Scheme, started by the previous government but canned by new Climate Change minister Simon Watts.
Massive native reforestation project proposed
22 Dec 2023
By Jeremy Rose | New Zealand could go from being a buyer of offshore carbon credits to an exporter of offsets, according to the promoters of an ambitious plan to reforest and restore 2.1 million hectares of indigenous forests over the next 10 years.
Govt must address climate crisis: Lawyers
14 Dec 2023
Activist lawyers have put the new government on notice that they could be facing legal repercussions if they fail to take adequate action to meet the country’s climate targets.
Climate Change Commission doubles down on ETS criticism
13 Dec 2023
The Climate Change Commission has doubled-down on its long held view that the ETS is not fit for purpose when it comes to driving down emissions, in its latest advice to government.
$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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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
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.
What makes Melissa such a dangerous storm?
Thu 30 Oct 2025
A very powerful hurricane has made landfall in Jamaica and is the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in modern history.
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.”
Super Fund smashes decarbonisation goals
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
24 Oct 2025
‘The objectives of the Paris agreement are slipping further out of reach,’ say researchers.
Is greenhushing the new greenwashing? Or something else entirely
24 Oct 2025
Companies used to be accused of faking sustainability via greenwashing. Now some are hiding actual climate progress.
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.
Norway faces European Court climate ruling over oil licences
Wed 29 Oct 2025
The European Court of Human Rights will decide on Tuesday if Norway breached its climate obligations when it awarded Arctic oil exploration licenses in 2016.
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.
Bill to ban new coal mines fails at first reading
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.
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.
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.
Councillor calls out ‘anti-EV propaganda’ after fatal bus fire
Wed 29 Oct 2025
By Torika Tokalau, Local Democracy Reporter | An Auckland councillor says he's disappointed with the level of misinformation circulating about a fatal collision involving an electric bus and car last week.
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.
