Topics tagged with 'Politics'
Back below $4
18 Oct 2013
NZUs edged under $4 yesterday, finishing the day at $3.95, OMFinancial reports.
Expert dismisses Wellington rail plan
11 Oct 2013
Wellington’s Public Transport Spine Study is not backed by science and should be dismissed, says an international expert in sustainability.
Greens vow to bring power to the people
11 Oct 2013
The Green Party says it would implement policies promoting small-scale distributed energy generation, such making it more affordable for families to install solar panels on roofs.
Aussies rush to back Flannery’s climate body
11 Oct 2013
The minute climate change champion Tim Flannery opened the doors of his independent Climate Council, Australians opened their wallets.
Obama's strategy guru joins LanzaTech
4 Oct 2013
Digital communications strategist and Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina is applying his talents to New Zealand-born LanzaTech.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
4 Oct 2013
IPCC report, fraud charges, farming key, Kiribati worried, European ETS, climate-think, water bills ...
What is NZ doing to help Pacific?
4 Oct 2013
CARBON MARKET SOLUTIONS continues its look at what New Zealand is doing to help its Pacific island neighbours adapt to climate change:
100% Pure? We're ranked at a lowly 36
27 Sep 2013
“100% Pure” New Zealand ranks at just 36th in the world when it comes to environmental sustainability, according to a new international energy report.
Brussels aims to chop through EU forest rules
27 Sep 2013
An agriculture council is to discuss the European Union’s new forest strategy, which aims to cut through the mass of rules governing the protection of forests.
Political parties back Palmer on RMA
13 Sep 2013
Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s call for environmental protections to be written into a New Zealand constitution is gaining political traction.
Start now, science chief tells businesses
13 Sep 2013
New Zealand’s chief science adviser says that businesses should not be distracted by apparent argument over the validity of anthropogenic climate change.
Shane Jones: It's all about balance
6 Sep 2013
Labour MP Shane Jones says that a Government led by him would balance environmental and economic interests.
Labour thermal power bid fails
6 Sep 2013
A bid by Labour MP Moana Mackey to bring back the ban on new thermal electricity generation has fallen at the first hurdle.
Environment first, vows Labour contender
30 Aug 2013
A government led by Labour leadership contender Grant Robertson would make all legislation subject to an environmental impact assessment.
ANALYSIS: Australians' vote will affect carbon market
30 Aug 2013
The 2013 Federal Election in Australia will have a significant impact on Australian carbon markets, regardless of who wins, Westpac says.
Spot NZUs hold and forward curve tightens
30 Aug 2013
Spot NZUs closed at $4.50 yesterday; it was reasonably well bid at $4.50 and was given there on the close. OMFinancial reports:
New forum to boost sustainable development
23 Aug 2013
The United Nations has established a new high-level forum to boost efforts to tackle global economic, social and environmental challenges.
Academic links climate change and civil wars
23 Aug 2013
A Harvard University academic is looking for connections between climate change and civil war.
Free market doesn't do it for us, say academics
16 Aug 2013
The free market will not deliver the innovation New Zealand needs to move to a high-tech, high-income, low-carbon economy, says the author of a book launched in Wellington last night.
Africa vows tougher stance on e-waste
16 Aug 2013
African nations have called for continent-wide action to staunch the import of electronic waste, including old computers and mobile telephones from Europe.
Palmer: Why we must protect environment
9 Aug 2013
New Zealand needs a constitution that includes environmental protection, says constitutional expert and former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer.
Bathurst can dig up Denniston, rules court
9 Aug 2013
The Environment Court has given Bathurst Resources approval to mine coal on the Denniston Plateau.
California shuns linking emissions schemes
9 Aug 2013
The head of the Californian emissions trading scheme – which will ultimately become the world’s third largest – says the US state has no plans to link with Australia’s carbon price.
Aussie emitters await election outcome
9 Aug 2013
Australia's Federal election has been September 7 and the outcome will determine the fate of the Carbon Price Mechanism, but in the meantime, the business of compliance goes on. Westpac reports:
NZ eyes move to natural capital cost
2 Aug 2013
Government officials are working on ways to bring in policies recognising the economic value of New Zealand natural capital.
Scientists link ocean warming to aerosols
26 Jul 2013
Australian scientists have identified causes of a rapid warming in the upper subtropical oceans of the Southern Hemisphere.
Australia makes early move to carbon trading
19 Jul 2013
Australian households will benefit from an average $380 reduction in the cost of living next financial year after the country moves to a floating price on carbon emissions, the Rudd Government says.
Business not doing job, says green analyst
12 Jul 2013
Business is still failing to address climate change and environmental sustainability despite a talkfest in the capital this week, says one of our leading environmental policy analysts.
Labour seeks help for fossil fuel action
12 Jul 2013
Labour is looking for cross-party support for its attempt to bring back a ban on new fossil fuel electricity generation in New Zealand.
New forum will boost sustainable development
12 Jul 2013
A new high-level political forum has been set up by the United Nations to boost efforts to tackle global economic, social and environmental challenges.
Rudd aims to redraw carbon reduction plans
28 Jun 2013
Recycled Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is rumoured to be revisiting Australia’s carbon reduction scheme.
President promises to slash emissions
28 Jun 2013
United States President Barack Obama has unveiled the country’s first national climate action plan, pledging to limit carbon emissions from power plants.
What the power industry players think
28 Jun 2013
United States power industry interest groups were quick to give their assessment this week on President Obama’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power generation.
UN climate chief applauds Obama
28 Jun 2013
President Barack Obama’s climate action plan can be a critical move forward on the path toward a new, global climate agreement, the United Nations climate chief believes.
Big news from the US, Australia
28 Jun 2013
There have been significant policy developments over the past week in the global emissions arena, Westpac reports.
Yes, we can make steel without coal
21 Jun 2013
Our ancestors made steel without coal, so why don't we? Former Green Party co-leader JEANETTE FITZSIMONS examines the feasibility of coal-less steel:
People come first, say UN leaders
21 Jun 2013
Governments should that land and mineral wealth are managed wisely, transparently and yield benefits for the people, senior United Nations officials said this week
Dunne decider on thermal power future
14 Jun 2013
Beleaguered MP Peter Dunne could be called on to cast the deciding vote over whether new thermal electricity generation is banned or not.
Industry sees bioenergy as key to jobs
14 Jun 2013
Legislation supporting bioenergy production of electricity will provide employment and economic growth in rural areas, says the Bioenergy Association.
China set to roll out trading scheme
14 Jun 2013
China next week will launch an emissions trading scheme in the southern city of Shenzhen, marking its first attempt to cut emissions using market mechanisms.
Experts rule fracking too risky
14 Jun 2013
German environmental experts doubt that developing shale gas is economically profitable and worthwhile for the country's energy transition.
Profit-taking comes as no surprise
14 Jun 2013
European carbon corrected overnight, with EUAs for December 2013 delivery closing down 9 cents to €4.41, OMFinancial reports.
Farmers slam fracking opposition
7 Jun 2013
Environmental and health concerns over the practice of spreading fracking fluids on pasture are being described as scare-mongering by Federated Farmers.
WWF seeks $40b to back renewable energy
7 Jun 2013
Governments and financial institutions worldwide have been urged to increase investment in renewable energy by at least $US40 billion over the next 12 months.
Minister defends Denniston decisions
31 May 2013
Conservation Minister Nick Smith says he deliberately approved Bathurst Resources’ mining application for the Denniston Plateau just one day before the new Crown Minerals Act came into effect.
China holds key to cleaner skies
17 May 2013
It’s time for China to adopt tighter laws and more regional efforts to fight air pollution through market mechanisms such as the carbon trading system, says an American expert.
Leaders to talk climate change
10 May 2013
Business and political leaders from across the spectrum will come together next month to see whether they can find common ground on climate change policies.
Why coal looks like a bad investment
3 May 2013
Coal investors could suffer heavy losses in the future as carbon assets are frozen by regulators to achieve global warming targets, a new research report has found.
Backloading might go to second vote
26 Apr 2013
A European Union plan to “backload” or withhold 900 million carbon allowances to see-saw their falling price, rejected by the European Parliament in a plenary session last week, could return for a second-round vote in June.
New law protects EEZ, says minister
19 Apr 2013
A law which the Government says will enable the comprehensive environmental management of activities in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone will come into force in June.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
Fri 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.
Media round-up
Fri 20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
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.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
Greens slam move to disband Environment Ministry
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The Green Party has joined climate and health advocates in condemning the Government's decision to disestablish the Ministry for the Environment as part of a multi-ministry merger.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
Thu 19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
Wed 18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
California, Connecticut preparing 'attack' against Trump's repeal of basis of US climate regulation
Fri 20 Feb 2026
California and Connecticut are working together on a multi-state "plan of attack" against President Donald Trump's repeal of the foundation of federal climate regulation of vehicles, the states' attorneys general told Reuters on Tuesday.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
Flawed decision-making around taxing electricity to fund LNG import terminal
16 Feb 2026
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: The Government's decision to back an LNG import terminal exemplifies an egregious failure in public policy and energy sector governance.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
Thu 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 market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
DOC trims costs and winds down jobs for nature
10 Nov 2025
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is entering a new phase of tighter budgets and structural change as it winds down the pandemic-era Jobs for Nature programme and reshapes its operations to absorb long-term cost pressures.
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.
Slash for cash turns storm debris into jobs and climate resilience
Thu 19 Feb 2026
A community-led initiative in Tairāwhiti is transforming storm-damaged forestry slash into jobs, soil regeneration and long-term climate resilience.
Calls for action to reduce emissions as extreme weather bites
Tue 17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Renewable energy advocates and environmental groups are calling for more action to reduce emissions and increase resilience as severe weather wreaks havoc across the country.
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.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Green Member’s Bill aims to give whales legal ‘personhood’
9 Feb 2026
The Green Party wants to give whales legal rights, including the right to sue.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
Wed 18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
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.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
Australian gas producer Santos wins court fight over net zero claims
Wed 18 Feb 2026
An Australian court on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against gas producer Santos that alleged the company misled the public on its plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
Govt unveils plans for carbon storage regulations – and ETS rewards
18 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government has released plans to regulate carbon capture and storage in natural geological formations, which include Emissions Trading Scheme incentives, with the aim of introducing related legislation in 2026.
Seabed miners quit South Taranaki fast-track bid
Fri 20 Feb 2026
By Craig Ashworth, Local Democracy Reporter | Would-be seabed miners have abandoned their fast-track bid to mine in South Taranaki waters, saying they can’t change the minds of the panel that rejected their application.
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.
Partnership to advance Pacific science and environmental leadership
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Media release | Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in Pacific-led science, research and capacity-building, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and ocean stewardship.
Lawyers seek answers on climate impacts of LNG import facility
13 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Lawyers for Climate Action has written to Climate Change and Energy Minister Simon Watts warning that the Government's plan for an LNG import terminal could be in conflict with New Zealand’s climate obligations and emissions reduction targets.
Commentators slam Govt inaction in aftermath of climate change-fuelled storms
30 Jan 2026
By Liz Kivi | Climate action - or inaction - is shaping up to be an election issue, with multiple commentators drawing a line between the Coalition Government’s backsliding on climate targets and the deadly extreme weather events of the past week.
Kiwi startup takes on global plastic pollution
12 Feb 2026
A New Zealand startup is launching what it says is the world’s first plastic-free effervescent drink tablet, with the ambitious aim of eliminating bottled beverages to reduce global plastic pollution.
78% of NZers want bottom trawling banned as Govt pushes to catch more coral in South Pacific
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Media release | New polling shows overwhelming support from New Zealanders for a ban on bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas, says Greenpeace.
Critical minerals talks with US questioned in Waitangi Tribunal climate inquiry
9 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand and the United States' negotiations over critical minerals have raised questions for the Waitangi Tribunal’s long-running inquiry into climate change.
IEA Declaration strengthens international co-operation on critical minerals
Fri 20 Feb 2026
Media release – NZ Government | New Zealand has joined international leaders at the 2026 International Energy Agency Ministerial meeting in committing to strengthen global co-operation on critical minerals to strengthen long‑term energy security.
Antarctic sediment core reveals past ice sheet retreat during warmer climates
Wed 18 Feb 2026
A record-breaking sediment core drilled from beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is giving scientists new insight into how the ice sheet responded to warmer climates in the past — and what that could mean for future sea-level rise.
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.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
Wed 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.
Climate ambassador moves on
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government is on the hunt for a new top climate diplomat, with previous climate ambassador Stu Horne moving on to a posting in Honolulu as New Zealand’s Consul General to Hawai’i.
EU to ban destruction of unsold clothes and shoes
12 Feb 2026
The European Commission has adopted new measures that will require medium and large companies to stop discarding unsold clothing and footwear, in the bloc’s latest move to target textile waste.
New research on climate adaptation as severe weather hits
16 Feb 2026
As extreme weather batters the country yet again, researchers have published the first ever empirical study of climate adaptation justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
Fri 20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
Hydrogen plant to start construction
10 Feb 2026
Construction is set to start this month on Hiringa Energy’s long delayed green hydrogen project in South Taranaki, after years of consenting fights that culminated in the Court of Appeal rejecting Greenpeace’s challenge in late 2023.
