Topics tagged with 'Tax'
National will have to do better than announce old policy , says Anderton
16 Jan 2009
The National Party is to be congratulated for finally recognising the importance of climate change mitigation for farmers, but it’s a bit cheeky to act as if it has a new fund of money, Opposition agriculture spokesman Jim Anderton says.
ETS select committee opens for business
19 Dec 2008
Submissions on the review of the emissions trading scheme are now open.
The new slavery - some say it's time to face up to the curse of oil
19 Dec 2008
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sees dependence on oil as the modern version of slavery.
Biofuels obligation removed
19 Dec 2008
Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed the passing of the biofuel law, describing it as a pragmatic environmental step.
Dunne to bar time-wasters from ETS review hearings
16 Dec 2008
Groups wanting to relitigate the science of climate change or to grandstand on the issue are likely to find themselves shut out from appearing before the select committee reviewing the emissions trading scheme.
NZ should be backing geothermal brains, says expert
16 Dec 2008
The skills of New Zealand scientists and engineers in the area of geothermal energy could make a real difference to global climate change, says Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) regional manager Michael Shirley.
National will have an ETS, says Brownlee
12 Dec 2008
National will bring in an emissions trading scheme, says Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee.
Brownlee decision disappoints biofuel makers
12 Dec 2008
The Government’s decision to repeal the obligation placed on oil companies to sell a certain proportion of biofuel has polarised opinion in the biofuel sector.
Government does not support any form of mandatory bio fuel obligation
12 Dec 2008
Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee yesterday tabled in Parliament a Bill to repeal the obligation placed on oil companies to sell a certain proportion of biofuel.
ETS review committee announced
9 Dec 2008
The ETS review is shaping as a bun-fight, with Rodney Hide, David Carter and Jeanette Fitzsimons all on the committee that will do the work.
Dunne at the helm: We need an ETS quickly
9 Dec 2008
New Zealand needs a robust emissions trading scheme in place as quickly as possible to reassure businesses and shore-up our international credibility, says the man who will chair the ETS review.
UN defends American attack on carbon trading scheme
9 Dec 2008
The UN’s top climate official has defended a global trading scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the US government released a report questioning its efficacy.
Emissions scheme 'sound', but Treasury issues warning
5 Dec 2008
Treasury says that the emissions trading scheme is sound, and warns that giving “generous treatment” to emitters would simply transfer the costs to taxpayers.
Wait for trading road to clear, foresters told
5 Dec 2008
Forest owners are being advised to wait out the current period of emissions trading uncertainty amid calls for the carbon trading sector to be regulated.
Nader: Why we need a global carbon tax
5 Dec 2008
If President Barack Obama wants to stop the descent toward dangerous global climate change, and avoid the trade anarchy that current approaches to this problem will invite, he should take Al Gore's proposal for a carbon tax and make it global, says veteran American consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
UK airport tax 'reprisal' for NZ stand on food miles
5 Dec 2008
Britain’s $240-a-head airport surcharge scheme amounts to a reprisal against New Zealand's stance on the food miles issue, some industry sources believe.
Hawaii signs up for electric car network
5 Dec 2008
Hawaii has become the first US state to confirm it will establish a network of electric car stations to wean the islands off oil.
We're risking our clean reputation, says organics chief
2 Dec 2008
New Zealand risks scoring a “spectacular own-goal” if it backs away from its proactive stance on climate change, a leading agricultural lobbyist says.
District council factors in 10% cost of ETS
2 Dec 2008
Stratford District Council will factor in a 10 per cent increase in operating costs from 2011 to cover the increased transport and reporting costs under the current ETS, and “perhaps” a 5 per cent increase in its farm operating budget from 2013.
Anxious EMA wants to meet ministers on ETS review
28 Nov 2008
The Employers and Manufacturers' Association is seeking urgent meetings with government ministers to express concern that a review of the emissions trading scheme might include questioning whether human-induced climate change is real.
Govt mum on position for Poznan
28 Nov 2008
Government ministers and officials are tight-lipped the position New Zealand will take at next week’s Poznan talks preparing for next year’s Copenhagen conference on the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Key seeks further talks on UK's passenger tax
28 Nov 2008
Prime Minister John Key has requested further discussions with British counterpart Gordon Brown over the UK Government’s increases in air-passenger duty.
Why you should know your carbon footprint
28 Nov 2008
Taxes aren’t a barrier to operating profitably in a carbon economy, but a lack of knowledge is, says Landcare Research’s carboNZero technical manager Ann Smith.
Don't panic, emissions expert tells NZUs sellers
25 Nov 2008
There are still opportunities for foresters looking to sell NZUs, says Kensington Swan partner Bryan Gundersen.
Oil companies hail move to look at carbon tax
25 Nov 2008
Oil and gas companies are applauding National's moves to revisit carbon tax and to overhaul the Resource Management Act, and say they are confident of a better working relationship with the new government than with the old one.
Economic Development Minister to open Pike River coal mine
25 Nov 2008
Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee will formally open Pike River’s new underground mine on Thursday as coal stockpiles start to grow.
We're now a joke in Europe, says carbon trader
21 Nov 2008
Delaying the emissions trading scheme is costing New Zealand the chance to be the major Asian carbon market hub, says a leading New Zealand trader.
Hold on to your carbon credits, experts advise
21 Nov 2008
New Zealanders shouldn’t buy or sell carbon credits until the Government’s plans for the emissions trading scheme are clear, says a prominent law firm.
NZ businesses told: Get used to it, carbon rules
21 Nov 2008
New Zealand business will have to account for its carbon – regardless of whether it is through an emissions trading scheme or a carbon tax, says PricewaterhouseCooper partner and sustainability specialist Julia Hoare.
Protests follow UK’s first carbon permits auction
21 Nov 2008
The UK government is facing protests from various quarters after it said that the proceeds of the sale of carbon permits would not necessarily be used to tackle climate change issues.
National already breaking promises on climate change, says Labour
21 Nov 2008
National leader John Key's U-turn on the Emissions Trading Scheme is his first broken promise, says the outgoing Minister for Climate Change Issues, David Parker.
NZUs 'dead' as carbon market struggles with confusion
18 Nov 2008
Sales of NZUs are effectively dead as carbon markets struggle to understand the implications of the new government's moves on the ETS.
ETS delay deal scuppers forestry project worth millions
18 Nov 2008
A $125 million forestry project has been scrapped and scores of forestry jobs lost as a result of a deal between the Act and the new National government to review the emissions trading scheme.
Worried investors back off renewables sector decisions
18 Nov 2008
Investment decisions in the renewable energy sector are hanging in the balance because of uncertainty over the future of the emissions trading scheme.
Nats' ETS position changes from promise to preference
18 Nov 2008
The National Party has changed its pre-election promise to have an emissions trading scheme up and running by January 1, 2010 to a “preference”.
National reneges on climate change commitments
18 Nov 2008
The Environmental Defence Society has expressed “profound dismay and disappointment” at National’s confidence and supply agreement with ACT.
Fundamental change towards government spending
18 Nov 2008
Decisions made by the incoming Government signal a fundamental change in attitude to government spending, says Business NZ.
Exxon Mobil chief slams Australian ETS modelling
14 Nov 2008
Oil giant Exxon Mobil has taken a potshot at the Australian Treasury's view of the likely economic effects of emissions trading, saying it wanted no part of the carbon reduction scheme.
Hide stands firm: ETS should be scrapped
11 Nov 2008
The future of the emissions trading scheme is back on the table today as National and Act continue negotiations to form a government.
Ditch ETS and we're in big trouble, say business bosses
11 Nov 2008
Business leaders are warning against scrapping the emissions trading scheme, saying New Zealand risks international trade sanctions and missing out on business opportunities.
Time for another look at carbon tax, say farmers
11 Nov 2008
Federated Farmers wants the carbon tax revisited.
Shell chief urges Canadian governments to take control
11 Nov 2008
One of Canada’s top oil men says voluntary efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have failed and should be replaced by coherent and consistent government-mandated rules.
Obama 1: Dark days ahead for fossil fuels
7 Nov 2008
The election of Barack Obama as US President signals a tectonic shift in the nation’s attitudes to future energy sources and to the environment.
New EU states team up against parts of climate plan
7 Nov 2008
Seven eastern members of the European Union have upheld a joint stand against parts of the bloc's climate package which they fear could harm their economies.
Steel manufacturer calls for global carbon regime
4 Nov 2008
Glenbrook steel mill owner Bluescope is calling for a global carbon scheme.
Science, agriculture and New Zealand's future - Anderton
4 Nov 2008
Federated Farmers is to be congratulated for its contribution to the debate about the economy's future direction, Agriculture Minister and Progressive Leader Jim Anderton said today.
Rudd government to go easy on emissions trading scheme
4 Nov 2008
The Australian Government has no ambitions to set an example by moving dramatically ahead of other countries with its emissions trading regime, Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says.
Nats' research stance worries wind turbine pioneer
24 Oct 2008
A New Zealand wind-energy pioneer says that plans by a National government to cut the research and development tax credit would hamper his company’s plan to provide affordable wind turbines for householders.
Now is the time to get out of Kyoto, says Hide
24 Oct 2008
ACT party leader Rodney Hide says New Zealand should pull out of the Kyoto Protocol in the face of increased pressures on businesses and households caused by the global financial crisis - but it won’t be a make-or-break issue during any post-election discussions with National.
Labour commits to R&D tax credits and Fast Forward
22 Oct 2008
Prime Minister Helen Clark and Research Science and Technology Minister Pete Hodgson today confirmed Labour’s commitment to significant investment in innovation saying it would produce a step change in New Zealand’s economy.
UN limits staff at COP30 climate summit over accommodation concerns
Today 11:45am
High hotel prices for Brazil's COP30 climate summit in November have prompted the United Nations to urge its staff to limit attendance, while government delegations are still scrambling to find rooms within their budgets.
Govt passes law to limit farm-to-forest conversions
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government has passed legislation intended to limit farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme, with ministers saying the changes “restore balance,” while opponents call it a band-aid that risks climate targets.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
Researchers say sealing old oil wells with bio-oil from crop waste is a dual carbon-removal solution
Today 11:45am
A new analysis shows that oil made from corn husks, wood chips, and other waste could plug greenhouse gas-belching abandoned oil wells while sequestering carbon for about $152 per ton.
Carbon price steady after failed quarterly auction
Tue 16 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | The carbon price has continued to trade in its familiar moribund range in the high $50s following last week’s failed quarterly auction, with ample supply still trading on the secondary market at about $10 below this year’s $68 auction floor.
EU set to miss UN deadline for new target under Paris climate accord
Today 11:45am
The delay is intended to allow countries more time to agree to an ambitious goal.
No bidders front to carbon auction - again
10 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Today’s quarterly carbon auction was a non-event yet again, making it the third consecutive auction this year with no bidders, with the secondary market price still limping along at nearly 20% below the auction floor.
Industry struggles with double-digit power price hikes
Mon 15 Sep 2025
As power prices surge by double-digit amounts for the second year in a row, industrial users can’t keep absorbing cost increases, the Major Electricity Users’ Group says.
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.
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.”
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
Gentailers told to behave as ministers weigh Frontier review
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The chief executives of Contact, Meridian, Mercury and Genesis met Energy and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts on Thursday for their regular monthly session.
Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
11 Sep 2025
A new study shows a significant change in Antarctic phytoplankton over time that could cascade through the marine food web and affect the ocean’s capacity as a carbon sink.
Lobby group launches ‘blueprint’ for ocean management reform
Thu 18 Sep 2025
The Environmental Defence Society yesterday released its plan to tackle widespread ecological decline in our oceans.
Marginal drop in last year's regional emissions
27 Aug 2025
Regional greenhouse gas emissions were down slightly last year, with a fall in gas supply leading to a big drop in Taranaki, but more coal burnt leading to higher emissions in Waikato, according to new figures from Stats NZ
Australia leapfrogs NZ on climate ambition
Today 11:45am
By Liz Kivi | Lawyers for Climate Action say Australia’s new 2035 climate target should be a wake-up call for ‘clean, green’ New Zealand.
Exxon and Shell sue the Netherlands in secret tribunals for closing Europe’s biggest gas field
Today 11:45am
Following billions in profits and over a thousand gas extraction-related earthquakes, the oil and gas giants filed claims against the Dutch state in four separate investor-state disputes concerning compensation for home damages and the permanent closure of the Groningen gas field.
A modest geothermal strategy
31 Jul 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The Government has unveiled a far more modest geothermal energy strategy than its primary backer, Resources Minister Shane Jones, had sought.
Why mega-polluters have little to fear from the European Central Bank and its new climate policy
12 Sep 2025
The European Central Bank plans to raise borrowing costs for climate offenders – but a new FTM analysis shows that big polluters such as Shell will barely feel it.
Science cuts will hold back climate research
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | A crisis in government-backed science funding is worsening, with dire implications for climate research in New Zealand, according to experts from the scientific community.
Media round-up
5 Sep 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: The great methane debate; law change scuppers legal challenge to irrigation scheme consent; and what are the energy and climate implications of the $7.5 billion Amazon Web Services data centre deal?
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.
Media round-up
29 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Changes to road user charges will increase New Zealand's emissions; Climate Change Minister Simon Watts promises better access to hazard data for homeowners; and Kiwis borrow over $1 billion in ‘green loans’ for heat pumps and electric cars.
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.
Young activists won a landmark state climate trial. Now they’re challenging Trump’s orders
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Young climate activists and their attorneys who won a landmark global warming trial against the state of Montana are trying to convince a federal judge to block President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels.
Forest carbon stores massive blind spot - study
4 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Aotearoa New Zealand’s planted forests hold significant deep soil organic carbon — with over half of it stored below 30 cm, and much of it over 1,000 years old.
Govt tweaks offshore energy bill with 'declared areas' model
Wed 17 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is making changes to the Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to address offshore wind developers' concerns about competing for space with other industries.
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.
A steady ocean pattern just failed for the first time ever observed
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The failure of the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has left scientists wondering what happens next.
Australia's 2035 climate targets on path to net zero judged by the experts
Today 11:45am
After much anticipation, Australia has set its new climate targets: a reduction of 62 to 70 per cent within the next 10 years.
‘Plastic Cup’ competitions are cleaning up rivers in Hungary
1 Sep 2025
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.
Can certificates solve NZ's heavy vehicle emissions problem?
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Sustainable Business Council has launched a new framework for a national system to cut freight emissions.
Climate change collaboration and competition law
Thu 18 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The revamped competition law regime needs to be able to take into account the benefits of companies that collaborate for action on climate change, says the panel that reviewed both the Commerce Commission and the Commerce Act.
Underestimating support for climate action limits political decision making, study says
8 Sep 2025
Research reveals huge disparity between perceived and actual willingness of public to contribute to fixing climate.
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.
One city’s race to ‘solarise everything we possibly can’
Thu 18 Sep 2025
Bordeaux is quickly transforming itself into France’s top solar-powered city, banking on innovations like transparent panels that preserve its historic architecture.
Turning squashed bugs into climate change data
Today 11:45am
Media release: University of Auckland | What if the insects you hit with your car could contribute to research on climate change?
Ara Ake backs 13 projects to unlock NZ’s energy flexibility
11 Sep 2025
Media release | Ara Ake has approved over $600,000 in funding from the National Flex Discovery Fund for 13 flexibility service providers (FSPs).
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.
Most EU carmakers on track to meet emission targets: study
10 Sep 2025
Almost all European carmakers are on track to meet EU emission targets after winning a reprieve this year as electric vehicles (EV) sales pick up, a study showed.
Echo Tech secures growth investment to tackle NZ's e-waste crisis
Mon 15 Sep 2025
Media release | Echo Tech Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of e-waste recycling and IT asset recovery services, is proud to announce a strategic investment from growth equity firm Altered Capital.
La Niña set to prolong NZ hydro shortfall
9 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With La Niña favouring a drier-than-normal spring across much of the South Island, hydro lakes are unlikely to recover without substantial rain and late snowmelt – keeping national storage levels below average.
Record UK wildfires have burned an area twice the size of Glasgow in 2025
12 Aug 2025
Wildfires have scorched more than 40,000 hectares of land so far this year across the UK – an area more than twice the size of the Scottish city of Glasgow.
Which countries are scaling solar and wind the fastest?
12 Sep 2025
The leaderboard is quite different depending on what metric you look at.
