Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Climate issues and the 2023 Election: Is Aotearoa heading in a sustainable direction?
30 Aug 2023
By Ralph Chapman | COMMENT: In the glare of now daily global climate disasters, climate change is taking a higher profile as an election issue in Aotearoa.
Govt cuts more than $200 million from climate funds to “tighten belts”
29 Aug 2023
The government is slashing funding to climate emissions reduction programmes as part of “belt tightening” measures, with more than $235 million in cuts to projects planned to reduce emissions.
Green Party announces climate adaptation fund
28 Aug 2023
The Green Party has announced a $750 million fund for councils to put in place nature-based solutions, aiming to cut emissions and protect communities from climate change impacts.
RMA comes to an end - but for how long?
22 Aug 2023
Thirty years of the Resource Management Act has come to and with the passage of two reform bills, but how long they will last and what they could be replaced with will depend on the outcome of the election.
Greens slam govt’s transport plan as prioritising roads over climate
18 Aug 2023
The Green Party has slammed the government’s $20 billion transport plan, announced yesterday, saying the decision to prioritise new roads shows the Labour Party is not serious about climate change.
National suggests a different path for RMA reform
17 Aug 2023
A senior National MP has suggested that if the Government had sent the resource management law reform bills back to select committee, it may have been possible to get cross-party agreement with tweaks.
Green Party announces new policy to slash energy bills and carbon emissions
14 Aug 2023
The Green Party has announced a new policy it says will save households up to $1,200 on energy bills every year and slash carbon emissions.
Māori forestry lobby welcomes Nat’s commitment to leave ETS unchanged
7 Aug 2023
Māori forestry group Te Taumata has welcomed a National Party statement that they would not make major changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme if voted into government at the upcoming election.
Climate change requires true leadership, not party-political point-scoring
7 Aug 2023
The very laissez-faire approach with which most people greeted the news that July was the world’s hottest month on record, and possibly the hottest in 120,000 years, should concern us as much as the fact itself.
India’s parliament clears contentious bill that seeks to amend forest act
4 Aug 2023
Hundreds of legal and environmental experts have flagged potentially damaging clauses in the bill that might endanger as much as 25% of India’s forest cover.
Energy Council releases wish list for the next govt
31 Jul 2023
The BusinessNZ Energy Council says the next government should set long-term energy goals and stick to them - without reactive kneejerk policy changes.
Labour votes down bill to stop new mines on conservation land
27 Jul 2023
The Government has voted down a Green Party’s members’ bill to stop new mining on conservation land.
RMA reform bill makes progress in Parliament
24 Jul 2023
Resource management law reform bills completed their second readings in Parliament last week with Labour on track to pass them with Green Party support and National and Act adamant they will repeal them before Christmas if elected to government.
Govt funding to reduce climate emissions from commercial buildings
11 Jul 2023
The government is fronting up $40 million to help commercial building tenants and owners improve the climate and energy efficiency of their buildings.
Major energy policy papers delayed
10 Jul 2023
Clashes between different streams of advice and political imperatives have been blamed for the delay in the release of four important energy policy papers last week.
Next stage of RMA reform met with virtual silence
3 Jul 2023
The release of the select committee report on the resource management reform bills last week was noticeable for the near silence that greeted it.
China and New Zealand strengthen forestry cooperation
29 Jun 2023
Media release - A bilateral meeting between New Zealand and China will pave the way for further cooperation in forestry, climate change and trade, Forestry Minister Peeni Henare said.
UN to unmask fossil fuel lobbyists at climate talks
19 Jun 2023
Oil, gas and coal representatives will have to disclose their industry ties at future climate meetings, the UN says.
Best by the rest...
16 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Antarctic tipping points: the irreversible changes to come if we fail to keep warming below 2℃, climate change minister says NZ must pick a team; and warming seas threaten Māori food sources.
UN Chief: world needs to wake up to impending climate disaster
16 Jun 2023
The U.N. secretary-general said that the world is racing toward a climate disaster but refuses to wake up, as he took aim at the fossil fuel industry for being at the epicenter of the climate crisis.
What the EU’s new border tax could mean for carbon markets
16 Jun 2023
The European Union’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism should incentivize more countries to put a price on carbon, but not the U.S.
Coalition of 30 environmental groups launches 10-point climate action plan
15 Jun 2023
Media release | A coalition of over 30 organisations from across Aotearoa has come together to launch a 10 point plan called “Climate Shift”, which calls for urgent climate action from parties across the political spectrum in the lead-up to the election.
National vows to keep agricultural emissions out of the ETS, restrict forestry planting
13 Jun 2023
By Liz Kivi | The NZ Institute of Forestry says the National Party’s newly unveiled climate and agricultural policy will hinder the country’s climate goals.
Govt invests in biomass research and bioenergy plant for Tairāwhiti
12 Jun 2023
The government is investing in a bioenergy plant, as well as research into biomass and better forestry practices, with the aim of making the forestry industry more sustainable.
Fuel bills get differing responses
12 Jun 2023
Two fuels sector bills made progress in Parliament last week.
Best by the rest...
9 Jun 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Climate scientist James Renwick says, on a finite planet, never-ending growth of anything is unsustainable; National says He Waka Eke Noa is “dead”; and Taranaki council wants seabed mining banned.
New report: regional plans could transform freshwater quality
9 Jun 2023
Media release | A report laying out weaknesses in planning that have seen the deterioration of our high-country lakes should be compulsory reading for all regional councils as they develop their new regional plans according to academics.
Call for moratorium on new mines on conservation land after Labour fails to fulfil its promise
8 Jun 2023
Media release | The Government has failed to support a Bill which would have ended new mines on conservation land. Forest & Bird says that is a broken promise which will threaten native species and allow further extraction of coal in the middle of a climate emergency.
No FERT tax - govt running out of time and patience with agri sector
2 Jun 2023
With an election looming the Government is running out of time to lock in an alternative pricing mechanism for agricultural emissions. More than running out of time, the government is reportedly running out of patience as the agricultural sector pushes back again and calls for more delay. Meanwhile, emissions keep fueling climate catastrophes.
‘Systemic vulnerabilities’ led to insufficient protection of Canterbury lakes
30 May 2023
A new report from the ministry of environment has found “no systems were in place that allowed a timely response” to the decline of the Ōtūwharekai/Ashburton Lakes area of Canterbury.
DeSantis accused of ‘catastrophic’ climate approach after campaign launch
29 May 2023
Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, accused of a “catastrophic” approach to the climate crisis after he launched his campaign for US president saying he rejects the “politicization of the weather”.
COP28: Government defends oil boss Jaber to head talks
29 May 2023
The UK government has defended the United Arab Emirates' appointment of oil executive Sultan al-Jaber as head of this year's UN COP28 climate summit.
Climate change: most significant threat to Pacific lives and livelihoods
24 May 2023
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins this week met with Cook Islands Prime Minister, Mark Brown. The leaders met in Papua New Guinea to discuss the ongoing recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
Govt, NZ Steel to take action towards a low emissions economy
22 May 2023
The government will invest up to $140 million to subsidise one of the country’s largest greenhouse gas emitters, making it New Zealand’s biggest decarbonisation plan to date.
G7 Nations Wrangle Over Ambitious Climate Commitments
22 May 2023
The U.S. finds itself caught between defending President Biden’s climate change agenda and aiding allies intent on increasing their access to fossil fuels.
Government account green hydrogen rebate as part of Budget 2023
19 May 2023
The Government cements its long term commitment to green hydrogen playing an intrinsic role in New Zealand’s low emissions future with the Budget announcement of $100 million being set aside for the introduction of a green hydrogen rebate, with $32.5 m allocated for the first four years.
Cop28 host UAE’s approach is ‘dangerous’, says UN’s ex-climate chief
18 May 2023
The United Arab Emirates’ approach to the Cop28 climate summit it will preside over in November is “very dangerous” and a “direct threat to the survival of vulnerable nations”, according to the UN’s former climate chief.
UNESCO study: climate change impact on education in Asia-Pacific region
18 May 2023
UNESCO has published a new regional report analysing the impacts of climate change and displacement on the right to education in the Asia-Pacific region.
Land Use Inquiry does not safeguard against climate change: Forestry owners
15 May 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use will not safeguard forest owners against the long-term impacts of climate change.
Carbon capture key to Biden’s new power-plant rule: is the tech ready?
15 May 2023
The administration of US President Joe Biden has proposed a landmark regulation that aims to curb emissions from the power sector in the United States over the next two decades.
Youth-led climate change lawsuit challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies heads to trial
15 May 2023
A US judge says a climate change lawsuit from young people challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies will proceed to trial despite efforts by the state to derail the case.
Select committee waters down bill designed to balance profit with environmental and social outcomes
12 May 2023
A private members bill that could have seen the climate recognised as a stakeholder in private companies has been watered down at select committee.
Government in the dock over ETS decisions
10 May 2023
Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand (LCANZI) has filed high court proceedings challenging Cabinet’s rejection of the Climate Change Commission’s advice on the emissions trading scheme settings.
Green Investment Finance gets $300m govt boost
10 May 2023
In a pre-budget announcement yesterday, Climate Change minister James Shaw said New Zealand Green Investment Finance will receive an additional $300 million in investment capital from the government.
El Paso voters soundly reject Proposition K Climate Charter
9 May 2023
El Paso voters on Saturday shot down the controversial Proposition K measure that sought to install policies designed to address climate change into the city’s charter. The Climate Charter was rejected by almost 82% of voters.
Agriculture minister attends US/UAE sponsored summit
8 May 2023
Agriculture minister Damien O’Connor is in Washington DC attending the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate Summit organised by the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Australian government's new ‘net zero’ body gets green light from key union and Climate Council
8 May 2023
The Albanese government’s new ‘National Net Zero Authority’ – a body that will help workers in fossil fuel industries to transition into other employment – has won high praise from two key bodies that savaged past governments over their climate change policies.
Haere rā to unhealthy hospital coal boilers
4 May 2023
Coal boilers will be a thing of the past in nation’s hospitals and tertiary institutions by the end of 2025.
Market indifferent to commission’s advice
3 May 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Last Wednesday, journalists covering the release of the Climate Change Commission’s draft advice on the second emissions plan had to surrender their cellphones during a seven-and-a-half hour lock-up, and were under a strict embargo to coincide with the closing of the secondary carbon market.
Fifty years of observations, no reversal of glacier climate damage
31 Mar 2026
Media release: Earth Sciences New Zealand | Fifty years on from the first aerial survey of our Southern Alps glaciers, late snow and variable summer weather delivered a temporary reprieve from rapid ice loss, says Earth Sciences New Zealand.
Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?
Tue 7 Apr 2026
An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Signs of jet fuel hoarding emerge in Asia on Iran oil shock
26 Mar 2026
Signs are growing that Asian countries are hoarding jet fuel after the Iran war sent oil prices surging, reflecting growing strain on the aviation industry.
Environmental groups launch legal action over Govt's 'tick-box approach' to conservation land
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Forest & Bird and the Environmental Defence Society are taking the Government to court over decisions about the future of publicly-owned land on Te Tai Poutini/the West Coast.
Genesis fires up pellet study with Nature’s Flame
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Genesis Energy is extending its quest for locally produced torrefied wood pellets to supplement coal and gas to fuel its Huntly power station, announcing it is investigating plant construction with established local solid fuels player Nature’s Flame.
Supply-side pressures and political uncertainty ahead for carbon market
Tue 7 Apr 2026
By Kristen Green | ANALYSIS: With failed auctions, a surge of new forestry registrations, and an election a few months away, the NZ ETS in 2026 will be subject to a mix of supply-side pressures and political uncertainty.
Oil prices choppy after expletive-laden Trump threat to Iran
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Oil prices saw choppy trading on Monday after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy critical infrastructure in Iran unless it allows ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Economic contraction will impact carbon market
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | While higher fossil fuel prices strengthen the long-run economics of decarbonisation, the current fuel crisis won’t inspire near-term confidence in the carbon market, according to Lizzie Chambers of Carbon Match.
Asia ramps up use of dirty fuels to cover energy shortfall triggered by Iran war
2 Apr 2026
South Korea will delay the shutdown of coal-fired plants, while the Philippines also plans to boost the output of its coal-burning plants
Death toll in Afghanistan flooding increases to 28, authorities say
1 Apr 2026
Afghan authorities said Monday that the death toll from severe weather that has struck swathes of the country over the past four days has increased to 28, with 49 people injured. Dozens of people have died from extreme weather in the country so far this year.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon price: Ups and downs amid geopolitical uncertainty
26 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | After ups and downs in recent weeks, the carbon market again broke above the $40 mark this week, with questions around how the Middle East conflict will play out weighing on market confidence.
EA entrenches 10kW export limit for residential solar
Wed 8 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | The Electricity Authority intends to require all electricity networks to offer at least a 10 kilowatt (kW) export capacity for residential rooftop and other small-scale distributed generation.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Severe tropical cyclones Maila And Vaianu threaten communities in Solomon Islands, PNG and Fiji
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Media release: 350.org |Two Category 3 Tropical Cyclones are currently moving through the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, while experts watch a third system potentially developing in the North Pacific.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
Wellington planting nears one million trees
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greater Wellington’s parks restoration programme will hit one million native trees this year, with the first dams to rewet peat wetlands in Queen Elizabeth Park now completed after a years-long effort to bring these ecosystems – and their carbon sequestering superpowers – back to life.
Renewable build-out runs into grid and firming limits
Wed 8 Apr 2026
New Zealand's electricity market entered 2026 with renewable generation at record levels and a substantial build pipeline finally moving from paper to construction. The harder question is whether the wider system can absorb and firm that capacity fast enough.
A matter of strategy
Tue 7 Apr 2026
COMMENT: Even on the brink of a global commodities crisis, the possibilities for climate action aren't hopelessly foreclosed. Strategy can turn our fortunes around, writes David Hall.
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.”
FMA to ease conditions for green bond issues
31 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Green, social and sustainability-linked bonds will face lower disclosure requirements and regulatory costs under a class exemption newly granted by the Financial Markets Authority.
New protections for NZ migratory species under UN convention
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New international protections for migratory species, including several found in New Zealand, are a positive step – but global protections won’t halt the decline of migratory species on their own, experts say.
Fonterra admits ‘100% grass-fed’ claim breached law in greenwashing row
2 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Fonterra has admitted its “100% New Zealand grass-fed” claims on Anchor butter were misleading and breached the law, settling a case brought by Greenpeace Aotearoa over packaging used between December 2023 and April 2025.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
NZ prepares to join ‘gold rush’ for white hydrogen
25 Mar 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand may be close to commercialising the capture and use of naturally occurring ‘white’ hydrogen, with investment plans for developments in the Wairarapa region picking up pace in response to spiralling oil prices.
Media round-up
20 Mar 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Crown lawyers agree High Court could quash emissions plan if found unlawful; NZ is locked in 'disaster inertia'; and climate change is notably absent from new development laws.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
Lawyers complain to ombudsman over Govt failure to release LNG modelling
1 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action has made a formal complaint to the Ombudsman over the Government’s failure to release information about its controversial decision to build a LNG import terminal.
Labour mulls GIDI 2.0 as factory closures mount
1 Apr 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Factory closures across the country could have been prevented if the last Labour-led government’s GIDI fund to assist companies with the cost of electrification hadn't been scrapped, Labour energy spokesperson, Megan Woods, says.
NZ First targets regional share of mining royalties
30 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand First has proposed returning 50% of mining royalties to regional communities, saying that too much of the value from resource extraction is currently flowing to Wellington.
Tuvalu prioritises climate change in agreement with NZ
27 Mar 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand has pledged an additional $20 million to climate resilience work in Tuvalu, more than doubling Aotearoa's aid to the tiny island nation in the current financial year.
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.
Worst in a generation: Environmentalists slam fisheries reform bill
25 Mar 2026
Media release: Greenpeace | The Fisheries Amendment Bill, which will likely have its first reading in parliament this week, is being labelled the worst fisheries policy in a generation by environmental groups who are calling for it to be rejected to protect ocean health.
Free fares call as fuel crisis impacts school attendance
Wed 8 Apr 2026
An open letter is urging the Government to make public transport free for all school children and subsidised for students under 25, as rising fuel costs begin to impact attendance and access to education across the country.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
27 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Activists occupy controversial gold drilling site
25 Mar 2026
By Max Frethey, Local Democracy Reporter | Opposition in Golden Bay to a controversial gold mine at Sams Creek has flared up over the weekend after several activists briefly occupied a drilling site.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
Britain hits renewable power record in 2025, but fossil fuel use also up
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Renewable power such as wind and solar provided a record 52.5% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2025, government data showed on Thursday, but fossil fuel use also rose.
Sci-tech prioritisation report is a joke that could cost NZ dearly, says NZ Association of Scientists
2 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Association of Scientists | The Prioritisation Report released yesterday by the Prime Minister’s Science Innovation and Technology Council makes a poor case for further cuts and changes to our research system.
Carbon trading schemes cut more emissions than carbon taxes, according to global study
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Carbon trading schemes are more effective than carbon taxes at reducing emissions, cutting fossil fuel use, and accelerating the shift to renewable energy, a global study has found.
AI’s arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it’s locking in more fossil fuels
2 Apr 2026
Six years ago, Google was confident that by 2030 it would power all operations with electricity generated from clean sources, including wind and solar power, and remove as much pollution as it produced. Today it calls those goals a “moonshot.” Microsoft says it’s still aiming to remove more carbon than it creates by 2030 but now describes the effort as “a marathon, not a sprint.”
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Fuel crisis powers surge in EV interest in Asia-Pacific region
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Motorists across the Asia-Pacific region are switching to electric vehicles at a rapid pace, as rising fuel costs due to the Middle East war force consumers and companies to reconsider their reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
Dairy farmers' lack of climate action 'even bleaker' than water inaction – Upton
1 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Government projections for cutting agricultural emissions are being undermined by low farmer uptake, with the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment warning the country is relying on “heroic” assumptions to meet its methane targets.
AI tool predicts wildfire danger faster than current systems
26 Mar 2026
Media release | A wildfire forecasting system powered by artificial intelligence could help detect dangerous fire conditions earlier and reduce the cost of wildfire response, according to new research from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury.
Fast-track approved project could deliver NZ’s largest wind farm
Tue 7 Apr 2026
Media release: New Zealand Government |Fast-track approval has been granted for New Zealand’s largest wind farm project.
