Topics tagged with 'Tax'
ETS review looks at rewards for farmers
24 Jun 2011
The panel reviewing the Emissions Trading Scheme says that it has considered measures that reward farmers with carbon credits for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Emissions trading is best, says Shell chief
17 Jun 2011
Emissions trading schemes are a better way of tackling carbon pollution than government subsidies of renewable energy projects, says a senior Shell executive.
Climate fighter has a big job for NZ
10 Jun 2011
Scientist and climate change campaigner Dr James Hansen says that New Zealand could be the country he has been looking for to "stand up and tell the truth" - that our addiction to fossil fuels can be cured only by an honest, rising price on carbon.
Carbon tax soon, say Aussie Greens
3 Jun 2011
Australia may leapfrog New Zealand on pricing carbon, that country’s Green Party leader says.
Estimates pinpoint cost of ETS to farmers
27 May 2011
Bringing biological greenhouse gas emissions from farms into the Emissions Trading Scheme will cost dairy farmers about 2.8 cents per litre of milk solids, government estimates show.
No danger of Australia leading the world
27 May 2011
A common argument used by people in NZ and in other countries to avoid becoming involved in climate change mitigation and carbon pricing is the”why should we lead the world on this issue” argument.
ETS reviewers eye Australian farm plan
13 May 2011
The panel reviewing the Emissions Trading Scheme is looking at Australia’s plan to give tradable credits to farmers for storing carbon in soil.
Budget lines up carbon price programmes
13 May 2011
The Gillard Government says this week’s budget alters some climate change programmes to better align with its carbon price objective as Australia moves to a clean energy future.
Don't delay agriculture, says world body
29 Apr 2011
Agriculture should come into the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme in 2015 as planned, says one of the world’s most influential organisations.
How high-tech can steer cars in right direction
29 Apr 2011
Technology that measures and penalises or rewards us for how we use our cars could be used to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, says Business Council for Sustainable Development chief Peter Neilson.
Study shows most say no to motorways
29 Apr 2011
Some 66 per cent of New Zealanders now do not believe it is possible to eliminate congestion by building more roads and motorways, new reseach says.
ETS review predictable so far
29 Apr 2011
With the findings of the ETS Review due out in June, the consultation phase of the review is has drawn to a close.
Climate-fight billions can be raised, says EU
21 Apr 2011
The European Union says that it is possible to raise the huge amounts of money needed to address climate change in developing countries.
Synthetics answer might lie outside ETS
1 Apr 2011
Greenhouse gas emissions from the synthetic gases sector could be dealt with outside the Emissions Trading Scheme, says ETS review panel chair David Caygill.
What the IEA thinks of our ETS
1 Apr 2011
The International Energy Agency says there is no guarantee New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme will actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
EU emissary talks aviation
1 Apr 2011
Jill Duggan, who has been instrumental in the set up of the European ETS, spoke to a number of New Zealand audiences this week, offering some interesting insights into the future of emissions trading, CMS reports.
Ministers reveal more carbon details
25 Mar 2011
The Australian Government has released more details about its plans to put a price on carbon.
Australia will get over carbon tax drama
4 Mar 2011
The Gillard carbon tax drama In Australia will subside with time just as it did in New Zealand, Carbon News Solutions predicts.
The video footage that terrifies power companies
25 Feb 2011
By Nick Hodge. They won’t announce it yet, but utility companies are shaking in their boots.
Australia eyes 50% tax cut on new fuels
28 Jan 2011
Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten has released draft legislation for public consultation on the Australian Government's reform of the taxation of alternative fuels.
CANCUN: Give money to research, says FedFarm
17 Dec 2010
The Cancun climate change summit proved that a solution to global carbon emissions is still as elusive as ever, says Federated Farmers.
Let’s hear the truth about electric vehicles
10 Dec 2010
By Jeff Segal. - I want to clear up a few misconceptions about electric vehicles so that those of you who are looking to make a few bucks in this sector are not being swayed by tall tales and deliberate falsehoods.
Climate change talks must deliver - Oxfam
3 Dec 2010
Negotiators must begin UN climate talks with far more urgency and resolve following a year of weather-related disasters, record temperatures, flooding and rising sea levels, international agency Oxfam says.
Farming call vital for forests, says scientist
19 Nov 2010
Keeping agriculture out of the Emissions Trading Scheme beyond 2015 will affect forestry planting levels, warns a forestry expert.
Aussies go shopping for carbon information
19 Nov 2010
New Zealand will be on the call list when Australia goes shopping world-wide soon for carbon trading information.
Korea braces for carbon trading system
5 Nov 2010
The Korean government is pushing to introduce a cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide as early as next year.
Singapore welcomes big carbon traders
29 Oct 2010
Singapore's carbon market is growing and new firms are setting up shop on the back of increased interest in carbon trading in Asia.
Frankly speaking - Groser addresses Brazil conference
29 Oct 2010
The challenges of life as an international climate change negotiator have been revealed.
Whitehall grabs billions from emissions scheme
22 Oct 2010
The British government has carried out a $5.5 billion smash-and-grab on one of its predecessor’s more controversial market-based emissions reduction programmes.
Envious Aussies want action on carbon trading
15 Oct 2010
Interest in carbon trading is so strong in Australia that a New Zealand trader is predicting a price on carbon will be in place before the next Federal election.
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.
… 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.
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.
Carbon traders setting up shop in Singapore
3 Sep 2010
More companies trading in carbon offsets and those financing emissions reduction projects are setting up shop in Singapore.
Lomborg changes tune in new book
3 Sep 2010
Climate change sceptic Bjørn Lomborg, once compared to Adolf Hitler by UN climate chief Rajendra Pachauri, will publish a book next month that calls climate change “one of the chief concerns facing the world today.”
Journals not court is place for scientific debate - experts
20 Aug 2010
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) faces a legal challenge by climate sceptics group the Climate Science Coalition which is taking the Crown Research Institute to court over the accuracy of its climate data.
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.
How Portugal gave itself an energy makeover
13 Aug 2010
Five years ago, Portugal pledged to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels and embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects.
South Africa mulls over carbon tax at source
6 Aug 2010
South Africa is considering a proposal to introduce a carbon tax at source, probably of about 100 rand per tonne, according to industry sources.
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.
A nation run by cowards and thieves
30 Jul 2010
By Jeff Siegel. - Well, once again, politics have trumped progress.
We want emissions trading, say Aussies
30 Jul 2010
Most Australians are not pleased that they don’t have an emissions trading scheme.
Obama vows to fight on for climate bill
30 Jul 2010
United States President Barack Obama has pledged to fight on for a climate change bill, despite the collapse of US Senate legislation designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Senate failure dismays climate experts
30 Jul 2010
A global group of policy reserch experts is expressing dismay at the US Senate's inability to pass strong climate control law.
Canadian researchers hope to green the web
30 Jul 2010
Canadian researchers hope to stem the global IT industry's rampant output of greenhouse gas emissions by perfecting a way to host the Internet's content purely on green power.
Carbon quiet in NZ, dipping internationally
30 Jul 2010
Another very quiet week for the New Zealand carbon market, with emitters not prepared to push prices at this point, OMFinancial reports.
Gillard pledges 'people's assembly' on climate
23 Jul 2010
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will create a ''citizens' assembly'' of ''real Australians'' to investigate the science of climate change and consequences of emissions trading.
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.
Climate bill would save US billions, Congress hears
9 Jul 2010
Congressional sponsors of the stalled US climate change bill received a boost this week from a finding by a nonpartisan office that the measure would reduce the federal deficit by $19 billion during the next decade.
ETS free credits wrong, says watchdog
2 Jul 2010
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright is continuing her opposition to big-emitting companies being given free carbon credits by the taxpayer.
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.
From war to weather: A ‘super El Niño’ event poses fresh risks to global food costs
Fri 10 Apr 2026
An unusually powerful El Niño later this year could exacerbate food security fears as disruption caused by the Iran war strains supply for crucial fertilier products.
$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.
Media round-up
Fri 10 Apr 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Past fuel price spikes failed to shift Kiwis out of their cars with signs suggesting it’s happening again, a 'she’ll be right' attitude is not enough in a climate crisis, and should forestry be listed as critical in the government's national fuel plan?
Ocean protections clash with mining pressure in Indonesia’s most diverse marine ecosystem
Today 11:15am
Long regarded as a global model for ocean conservation, Raja Ampat ecosystems are now under pressure, as concerns grow over the expansion of nickel mining alongside a surge of international tourism.
New alliance wants renewable-led energy – and Govt to press pause on LNG
Thu 9 Apr 2026
A newly formed coalition of business, consumer and energy organisations has unveiled a renewable-led strategy it says will strengthen the country’s energy security, and it’s calling on the Government to pause its plan for an LNG import terminal.
Self-interest should drive investment in overseas climate action, says former climate commissioner
Today 11:15am
By Liz Kivi | Wealthy countries – including New Zealand – aren’t doing nearly enough to fund climate mitigation in the developing world, with new research saying we need to "change the conversation" to spark action in this vital area.
Microsoft is pausing carbon removal purchases
Today 11:15am
Microsoft has begun telling suppliers and partners that it is pausing future purchases of carbon removal, according to two people who have been informed of its plans.
Carbon ‘stockpile’ up 9 million in March quarter
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | The ‘stockpile’ of pollution permits (NZUs) in private accounts has increased by just over 9 million to almost 145 million since the end of 2025, according to the latest figures from the Environmental Protection Authority.
Activist ends five-day tree-top protest at West Coast coal mine
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A climate activist has ended a five-day tree-top occupation that blocked access to Bathurst Resources’ Cypress Mine on the West Coast, in a protest against plans to expand what could become New Zealand’s largest coal mine.
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.
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.
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.
Global uncertainty driving solar surge
Today 11:15am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Global instability and rising energy costs are pushing more New Zealanders towards solar, with companies reporting a surge in enquiries as households look for greater control and resilience in an increasingly uncertain energy landscape.
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.
NZ aid cuts put Pacific climate response at risk
Today 11:15am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s aid spending dropped 12.8% in 2025, with Oxfam warning the cuts risk undermining climate adaptation efforts in the Pacific as the region faces an accelerating climate crisis.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Govt tweaks consenting rules for EV chargers
Fri 10 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has announced a national reset of planning rules for EV chargers, which it says aim to address infrastructure shortages which have put the brakes on electric vehicle uptake in New Zealand.
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.
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.
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.
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.
