Topics tagged with 'NZ ETS'
ETS changes leave Kiwis with $820m Kyoto bill
1 Oct 2010
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme will leave the public with an $820 million deficit for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Former MP heads agriculture advisory group
1 Oct 2010
Former National Party MP Katherine Rich is to head the group advising the Government on the rules governing agriculture’s entry to the Emissions Trading Scheme.
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.
Mexican stand-off in market, says Westpac
1 Oct 2010
The NZU market has ground to a halt, with light trade in small parcels occurring this week, Westpac reports.
Market awaits flow of new fishing carbon credits
24 Sep 2010
The fishing industry is moving to sell its allocation of NZUs in large parcels.
Combet admits carbon tax an option
24 Sep 2010
Australian Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has given a clear sign the Government is prepared to consider introducing a carbon tax.
Coal comfort: New climate minister vows support
17 Sep 2010
Australia's new climate change minister, former coal engineer Greg Combet, has been quick to reassure the country's coal mining industry of its vital role in the country's economy.
… but major miner says to look beyond coal
17 Sep 2010
Australia should ''look beyond coal'' and toward other energy sources, says the head of the world’s largest miner, BHP Billiton.
Owners await NZU allocations
10 Sep 2010
Owners of pre-1990 forests have applied for NZUs, but so far none have reached the market.
Forest owners call for roadshow encore
10 Sep 2010
Government officials are considering taking their Emissions Trading Scheme roadshow on the road again – this time for the owners of post-1989 forests.
Early Greens pressure could see an Aussie ETS
10 Sep 2010
Australia is now much more likely to introduce a price on planet-warming carbon pollution after support by independents and Greens returned the Labor Party to office this week.
Pressure builds to change ETS obligation rule
3 Sep 2010
Some companies are buying carbon credits to offset the cost of carbon in fuel and energy as pressure builds to change the rules over who is responsible under the Emissions Trading Scheme for accounting for carbon.
Mighty River likes look of carbon market
3 Sep 2010
Mighty River Power says it has ideas that could see its involvement in the carbon market stretch beyond buying credits to offset its own liabilities.
We pay $11m too much, say major power users
3 Sep 2010
The Emissions Trading Scheme is costing large commercial electricity users $11 million a year more than it should, the Major Electricity Users Group claims.
India to start market-based carbon trading
3 Sep 2010
India will soon start a market-based emission trading system to check industrial pollution, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has announced.
Traders demand EU act to bolster market
27 Aug 2010
European carbon market traders have called on the European Union to act now to inject some much needed confidence into the market.
Supply light on local market
27 Aug 2010
This week we have seen prices trading between $18.40 and $18.75, Westpac reports.
Quota owners slow to hook carbon accounts
20 Aug 2010
Fewer than half of the owners of fishing quota have taken the crucial step of opening accounts on the New Zealand Emissions Unit Register.
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.
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.
Tasman challenge: Cut emissions by 15 per cent
13 Aug 2010
Australia and New Zealand can cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 15 per cent by 2020 in economically beneficial ways, say business leaders at the 6th Australia-New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Sydney.
Local trading picks up
13 Aug 2010
While trade remains relatively light, there has been an increase in trading activity this week, Westpac reports.
How to avoid emissions reporting penalties
6 Aug 2010
Businesses entering the Emissions Trading Scheme should minimise the risk of heavy penalties for getting it wrong by getting their systems approved by officials, a lawyer is warning.
Fuel prices mainly unaffected by ETS
6 Aug 2010
Retail fuel prices remained virtually unchanged during July, despite the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme, says a petrol-price watchdog.
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.
Credits due for pre-1990 forests
30 Jul 2010
Owners of pre-1990 forests can start applying for carbon credits from Sunday.
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.
We want emissions trading, say Aussies
30 Jul 2010
Most Australians are not pleased that they don’t have an emissions trading scheme.
No country for farmers? ... what Federated Farmers said on carbon forestry
30 Jul 2010
Twenty per cent of New Zealand's sheep and beef farms could be replaced by oxymoronic 'carbon forestry', if the ambitions of foreign owned carbon foresters and the Government are realised.
Greens applaud AA advice on tyre pressure
23 Jul 2010
New Zealanders could save money and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions by inflating their car tyres correctly, says the Green Party.
Carbon credits ready to roll for big emitters
16 Jul 2010
Carbon credits allocated to industrial emitters to help them to adjust to the Emissions Trading Scheme could start flowing on to the market in the middle of next month.
Rain and recession cut our pollution figures
16 Jul 2010
New Zealand’s emissions of greenhouse gases have fallen, thanks to rain and the recession.
Foresters: Farmers can't see wood for the trees
16 Jul 2010
The Emissions Trading Scheme makes farm forestry even more viable – but many farmers just don’t get it yet, says the Farm Forestry Association.
Japan's ETS plans hit electoral snag
16 Jul 2010
An upper-house election in Japan has cast doubt on the government’s plans to develop an emissions trading scheme to meet an ambitious carbon reduction target.
Has Australian cabinet hit on quick carbon fix?
16 Jul 2010
The Australian Government has agreed to a climate-change policy based on a series of measures, including a commitment to set an interim carbon price that it will introduce over the next two years, says a national newspaper.
Labour: National needs a plan, not just a recession and rain, to beat emissions
16 Jul 2010
The Government can claim no credit for today's official greenhouse gas emissions statistics, which show the first ever reduction in transport sector emissions and a decrease in electricity sector emissions due to less coal-fired generation, Labour's environment spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.
Greens: Govt relies on rain and recession to reduce emissions
16 Jul 2010
The Green Party says John Key’s Government is relying on heavy rain and recession to lower greenhouse emissions, while simultaneously building more motorways.
Big firms can now ask for free carbon allocations
9 Jul 2010
Applications for free carbon credits for trade-exposed heavy emitters are open at last – for some industries, at least.
Foresters test carbon sales through Trade Me
9 Jul 2010
Foresters are trying Trade Me as a platform to sell carbon.
Soil saviour Flannery to tell our farmers how
9 Jul 2010
Australian scientist and environmentalist Tim Flannery is heading to New Zealand to push the idea of sequestering carbon in our soil.
Sellers few and far between
9 Jul 2010
The New Zealand market remains firm as emitters continue to pick up units in the $18 range, reports OMFinancial.
Businesses could carve $2b off energy bills
2 Jul 2010
New Zealand businesses could shave $2 billion off the country’s $16 billion annual energy bill – and cut the country’s Kyoto bill - by adopting some simple, relatively inexpensive measures.
NZ carbon market catching buyers' attention
2 Jul 2010
New Zealand’s domestic carbon market is hotting up.
Obama optimistic on climate bill despite senate rifts
2 Jul 2010
US President Barack Obama spent 90 minutes trying to convince senators to move forward with climate change legislation yesterday … and came away optimistic that a climate bill can be passed in spite of rifts.
We're doing our fair share, says Smith
2 Jul 2010
The entry of transport fuels, electricity and industry into the emissions trading scheme this week marks an important step in New Zealand doing its fair share on climate change, Climate Change Minister Nick Smith says.
Gull: We'll hold off ... at least for a week
2 Jul 2010
Independent fuel retailer Gull says it won't use the ETS to put up fuel prices - not until next week, at least.
UN gives bad Bulgaria the Kyoto boot
2 Jul 2010
Bulgaria has been suspended from United Nations carbon trading for violating greenhouse reporting rules set under the Kyoto Protocol.
$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.
