Topics tagged with 'NZ ETS'
Carbon at $24 puts pressure on Government
16 Aug 2018
Carbon prices have smashed through the $24 barrier for the first time in nearly a decade of carbon trading in New Zealand, increasing pressure on the Government to lift the $25 price cap.
Lift carbon cap to $30 immediately, says broker
15 Aug 2018
The Government is being told to take the brakes off the carbon market and immediately lift the maximum price to $30 a tonne.
Farmers want clear carbon price guides
15 Aug 2018
Farmers want to know what range carbon prices will be over five-year periods, the Farm Forestry Association says.
At last, a handy guide to the ETS
15 Aug 2018
Settling down to make a submission on the latest review of the Emissions Trading Scheme and need a hand?
No floor, but expect early action on carbon prices
14 Aug 2018
The Government might intervene in the market to lift carbon prices before 2020, but it has no plan to introduce a price floor.
At last, a new deal on the table for forestry
14 Aug 2018
The Government has finally unveiled its proposals for changing the way forestry is treated under the Emissions Trading Scheme – including a proposal for new permanent forestry provisions.
Heavy hitters bank more from free carbon credits
13 Aug 2018
The phasing out of the one-for-two carbon subsidy saw a big jump in the number of free carbon credits given to heavy industries last year.
New figures show emitters opting for arbitrage
10 Aug 2018
Emitters appear to be starting to arbitrage the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Businesses reluctant to factor in carbon prices
9 Aug 2018
Carbon prices rarely influence businesses’ decisions to install energy-efficient plant, according to a new report examining the market’s failure to drive down greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.
Air New Zealand sees benefits in simplified ETS
2 Aug 2018
More native trees would be planted if the Emissions Trading Scheme were simplified, says Air New Zealand.
Minister silent on arbitrage as prices climb
30 Jul 2018
Climate minister James Shaw isn’t commenting on the risk of arbitrage as carbon prices climb closer to the Government’s artificial price cap.
Taxpayers could be left holding carbon bill
26 Jul 2018
Owners of post-1989 forests due for harvest might be tempted to arbitrage carbon credits, leaving taxpayers with the bill and driving liquidity out of the carbon market.
Parties eye early start to zero-carbon talks
23 Jul 2018
Cross-party talks on the Zero Carbon Bill could be under way within a month.
Shaw applauds China's work on climate change
20 Jul 2018
China’s action on climate change makes New Zealand look like its “pussy-footing around”, says climate minister James Shaw.
Latest ETS review kicks off next month
18 Jul 2018
Consultation on the next review of the Emissions Trading Scheme will start next month.
Farmers like the idea of opting in to ETS
12 Jul 2018
Farmers could be interested into opting into the Emissions Trading Scheme – if the settings are right.
Let farmers opt in to ETS, says regional council
11 Jul 2018
Farmers should be able to opt into the Emissions Trading Scheme so they can get credit for introducing climate-friendly practices, says the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
We can use organic waste, says landfill operator
29 Jun 2018
Keeping organic waste out of rubbish dumps will double its carbon footprint and deny the country an important source of renewable energy, says the country’s largest landfill operator.
Don't bet on the future of our cars being electric
27 Jun 2018
The future of low-emissions transport is not necessarily electric, car makers are telling the Government.
OPINION: If energy grew on trees
20 Jun 2018
By JONATHAN McKEOWN | It is always refreshing when structures and processes work as they were designed to. It’s an absolute triumph when it involves the public sector, an industry body and business.
History says Bridges and Nats are talking hot air
18 Jun 2018
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Is Opposition Leader Simon Bridges’ offer to work with the Government on climate change policy worth any more than a dodgy hot-air carbon credit?
SIMON SAYS: We'll work for sensible solutions
15 Jun 2018
The National Party says it will work with the Government to establish a climate change commission.
Trust ticks off benefits of higher carbon prices
14 Jun 2018
Carbon prices of $50 to $350 a tonne by 2020 will drive investments in low-emissions development of Maori land, creating jobs and alleviating poverty along the way, the Government is being told.
At last, we get to see proposed ETS forestry rules
11 Jun 2018
The Government has finally released some of its proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme’s forestry rules – but the sector won’t see the rest until the end of the year.
Government hears of $800 carbon price possibility
7 Jun 2018
Carbon prices of more than $800 a tonne will be needed if New Zealand doesn’t tackle greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, the Government has been told.
TIME'S UP: It's Surrender Day for carbon emitters
31 May 2018
Today is Emissions Trading Scheme Surrender Day – the last day for emitters to surrender units to cover their emissions last year.
Shaw set to talk carbon markets in China
29 May 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is to visit the world’s largest carbon market – China.
EU trade deal could include carbon trading
24 May 2018
Linking New Zealand’s carbon market to the European Emissions Trading Scheme could be part of a new free-trade deal.
CCC bill points to cost of carbon-free economy
22 May 2018
The bureaucratic costs of shifting to a carbon-free economy are starting to be felt.
Tax system must go green, says enviro group
17 May 2018
Another organisation is telling the Government to shift the tax burden from the production of private wealth to the consumption of public wealth, aka the environment.
Use taxes for a better world, says thinktank
14 May 2018
Taxes should be aiming at keeping human activity within the planet’s physical capacity – and that means carbon prices that deliver fast, deep and sustained emissions reductions, the Government’s Tax Working Group has been told.
Fonterra front and centre of dairy industry review
9 May 2018
The Government’s overhaul of the climate-damaging dairy industry is under way.
Parker's new-look RMA might include climate
3 May 2018
New Zealand's resource management regime is to be overhauled – and it could mean the climate ramifications of projects are again taken into account.
Open up carbon capture rules, says Prod Com
3 May 2018
All carbon capture and storage in New Zealand should qualify for credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme – no matter where the carbon comes from, the Productivity Commission says.
Global markets and agriculture our Bonn targets
2 May 2018
Access to international carbon markets and getting the rest of the world to cut emissions from agriculture are two of New Zealand’s negotiating priorities at international climate talks this week.
PROD COM REPORT: Keep the ETS ... with changes
27 Apr 2018
New Zealand should keep the Emissions Trading Scheme, but it should include agricultural emissions and subsidises for heavy emitters should go, the Productivity Commission says.
PROD COM REPORT: Farmland into forests
27 Apr 2018
New Zealand might need to convert more than three million hectares of farmland into forests to meet its emissions targets, the Productivity Commission says.
PROD COM REPORT: Nats to take a look
27 Apr 2018
The Productivity Commission’s draft report will be high on the agenda for the National Party’s Bluegreens forum in Christchurch this weekend.
We're getting more worried about climate change
26 Apr 2018
New Zealanders are more worried about climate change than they have been for six years.
Government on global hunt for carbon credits
24 Apr 2018
The Government is locating sources of international units that could be used to meet New Zealand’s international climate obligations – but hasn’t decided yet whether to use them.
August date for public to have say on Shaw's ETS
18 Apr 2018
A new review of the Emissions Trading Scheme will be open for public consultation in August.
Govt announces body to steer climate transition
17 Apr 2018
The interim climate commission has just been announced.
Act now, says report, or watch carbon price rocket
4 Apr 2018
Carbon prices could hit $145 a tonne by 2050 if New Zealand delays decarbonising the economy, a new report warns.
PARKER POWER: The key is bringing it all together
3 Apr 2018
Environment minister David Parker says if you want to get his measure, look at the America’s Cup deal he’s just done.
Here's why we need a carbon price cap of $100
29 Mar 2018
An immediate carbon price cap of $100 a tonne and a $25 price floor is needed if New Zealand is to be carbon-neutral by 2050, says former Environment Secretary Dr Roger Blakeley.
Sign here for a once-in-10-years deal
29 Mar 2018
To mark 10 years of publishing, Carbon News is offering a special subscription rate.
Minister quiet on talks with big emitters
27 Mar 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is meeting with some of the country’s biggest industrial emitters – but isn’t saying what they’re discussing.
Carbon capture permits a no-go, says Shaw
26 Mar 2018
Climate minister James Shaw says he wants to cut New Zealand’s use of fossil fuels, not give the sector carbon credits.
Sign here for a once-in-10-years deal
22 Mar 2018
To mark 10 years of publishing, Carbon News is offering a special subscription rate.
Oil explorer wants credits for carbon capture
21 Mar 2018
New Zealand’s largest oil and gas exploration company wants carbon credits for capturing and storing emissions from fossil fuel production – and says it’s viable at a carbon price of just $18 a tonne.
$235 billion worth of NZ buildings exposed to flooding
Today 11:00am
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
Today 11:00am
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
Today 11:00am
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
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.
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
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?
Today 11:00am
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.
Foresta welcomes Government support for Kawerau plant
Today 11:00am
By Diane McCarthy, Local Democracy Reporter | A $9 million Government boost to wood energy production has been welcomed by a company with its sights set on building a torrefied wood pellet plant in Kawerau.
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
Fri 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
Fri 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
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.
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.
