Topics tagged with 'Technology'
Electrification could save households $10 billion a year and slash climate pollution
28 Aug 2024
Electrification could save New Zealand households $10.7 billion per year by 2040 and drastically reduce emissions.
NZ and UK set to partner on offshore wind
26 Aug 2024
Favourable winds may see New Zealand collaborating with the UK on renewable offshore power generation.
Could geothermal power stations go carbon-negative?
12 Aug 2024
Retrofitting a geothermal power station could allow carbon capture from other sources like forestry residue, according to a new study.
Solar and battery use continues to rise
15 Jul 2024
Solar generation and battery storage are rising rapidly according to analysts.
Farms could be the backbone of Aotearoa’s renewable energy future
17 May 2024
If each of New Zealand’s 50,000 farms installed a midsize solar array they would generate about two-thirds of the country’s current electricity needs.
Aotearoa gives $17 million for PNG renewable energy
15 May 2024
A $17 million contribution to a renewable energy project on the Island of Bougainville is part of a $44.9 million package announced by foreign minister Winston Peter in Port Moresby earlier this week.
Kiwi company aims to make alternative protein from carbon emissions
6 May 2024
A New Zealand-based start-up has raised $1 million towards commercialising production of an alternative protein made with carbon emissions.
Fast-charger trickle begins
1 May 2024
The government has announced the first of its promised 10,000 new high-speed EV chargers will be in service by mid this year.
Kiwis still don’t understand electrifying benefits
29 Apr 2024
It will come as a surprise to many in the sector that many New Zealand households still don’t understand the benefits of electrification.
Is a storm brewing for NZ dairy production?
22 Apr 2024
By Nick Swallow | OPINION: Animal proteins make up 40% of New Zealand’s exports. So why aren’t we talking about alternative proteins, which look set to disrupt the dairy industry along with a major source of our country’s wealth?
New wind installations hit a record last year, report says
18 Apr 2024
The global wind industry installed a record 117 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity last year but needs to add triple this amount annually by the end of the decade to meet climate targets, according to an industry report.
Net zero emissions target may need strengthening: Climate Change Commission
9 Apr 2024
By Jeremy Rose | New Zealand’s current Net Zero 2050 emissions reduction target may need to be strengthened, the Climate Change Commission says in a discussion document released yesterday.
Commission rejects basis for review of methane targets - but methane vaccines could be good news for ag sector
9 Apr 2024
The Climate Change Commission has rejected the basis of a new, separate review of Aotearoa’s methane target in its advice released yesterday.
BYD warned road user charges would collapse EV market
8 Apr 2024
BYD – the manufacturer of one of New Zealand’s bestselling EVs – warned a select committee hearing submissions on the introduction of road user charges for electric vehicles that the way it was being done would collapse the country’s EV market.
New $100m ‘green’ industrial development for Auckland
2 Apr 2024
A $100 million industrial complex under construction in Auckland will incorporate low-carbon concrete and rainwater harvesting as well as generating its own solar electricity.
It’s now cheaper for Kiwis to go fully electric
18 Mar 2024
New Zealand is one of the first places in the world where electric appliances and vehicles are now more affordable than their fossil fuel equivalents, according to a new report.
BP among recipients of EECA low emission grants
22 Feb 2024
Fossil fuel giant BP is among the latest batch of recipients of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority's Low Emissions Transport Fund.
Green building retrofit designed for extreme climate change
21 Dec 2023
An Auckland building has undergone a low-carbon retrofit to withstand extreme climate change, and more than 300 tonnes of waste was diverted from landfill during construction.
Best by the rest...
1 Dec 2023
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in local media: Helter smelter - the Tiwai Point dance begins again; the new government's climate plans include some surprises; and will reviving oil and gas exploration make NZ a ‘pariah’ state?
Call for incoming government to allow micro-cars on our roads
20 Nov 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Long-time micro-car advocate Toa Greening is calling on the incoming government to change road regulations to allow microcars - increasingly popular in Asia and Europe - on New Zealand roads.
Aotearoa could make a real impact on cutting greenhouse gas emissions internationally: Thomas Pogge
7 Nov 2023
By Jeremy Rose | The director of Yale University’s Global Justice Program, Thomas Pogge, says for a relatively small investment of, say, US$100 million, New Zealand could make a significant impact on cutting the greenhouse gas emissions of the developing world.
RB governor warns of climate change induced supply side shocks
3 Nov 2023
Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr has warned that climate change is likely to cause supply side shocks similar to those of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID pandemic.
Power between the tracks
31 Oct 2023
The gap between New Zealand’s more than 4000 kilometres of rail tracks could one day be home to solar panels generating up to 0.78 terawatt hours of electricity or 3% of the electricity produced by hydropower last year.
Climate adaptation projects sometimes exacerbate the problems they try to solve – a new tool hopes to correct that
31 Oct 2023
By Ritodhi Chakraborty and Claire Burgess | When United States aid money was used to build a seawall on Fiji’s Vanua Levu island to shield the community from rising tides, it instead acted as a dam, trapping water and debris on its landward side.
Energy companies team up on windfarm ventures
27 Oct 2023
Manawa Energy is teaming up with Pioneer Energy on plans for a new 300 MW wind farm in South Otago, expected to cost $750m to $900m. And Meridian Energy and NZ Windfarms have agreed to a 50-50 joint venture to repower and extend the Te Rere Hau wind farm in Tararua.
Profitability of status quo standing in the way of renewable energy transition
27 Oct 2023
Lack of political leadership and an industry that profits from the status quo are standing in the way of the transition to renewable electricity, according to Octopus Energy chief operating officer Margaret Cooney.
Kiwi carbon capture company wins place in Bill Gates’ climate tech programme
26 Oct 2023
Christchurch carbon capture company Aspiring Materials has scored a place in Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ climate tech programme.
Sustainable Business Network calls on incoming govt to step up
18 Oct 2023
The Sustainable Business Network is calling on the incoming Government to keep up action on sustainability.
Climate action could boost Auckland economy by $22 billion by 2050
29 Sep 2023
Decisive climate action could deliver $22 billion to Auckland’s regional economy by 2050, while lack of action could cost the region $800 million over the same period.
Shell CEO under pressure from within on renewables shift
29 Sep 2023
Shell's CEO Wael Sawan has come under pressure over his strategy from within the energy company after two employees issued a rare open letter urging him not to scale back investments in renewable energy, sparking an internal debate.
Outgoing EECA boss on energy efficiency policy
25 Sep 2023
Despite the rapid expansion of the Government’s retrofitting housing for energy efficiency, there is still easily five years of work at the current pace to make a serious dent in improving New Zealand’s housing stock, says the outgoing head of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Andrew Caseley.
Renewables are cheaper than ever yet fossil fuel use is still growing
21 Sep 2023
Wind and solar are the world’s fastest growing energy sources and together generated 12% of global electricity in 2023. The amount of energy produced by wind and solar is expected to increase and accelerate.
NZ’s climate emissions at historic low
20 Sep 2023
New Zealand is set to announce its lowest emissions this century, Climate Change minister James Shaw told the Climate Change and Business Conference in Auckland yesterday.
Shining a light on the parties’ solar policies
20 Sep 2023
By Jeremy Rose | Labour and the Greens are both promising subsidies for rooftop solar, despite experts - including the Climate Change Commission chair - saying regulatory barriers and grid limitations are the main reasons households and businesses aren't taking advantage of the renewable energy going to waste on their roofs.
NZ green investment finance provides $15m debt facility to fund Lightyears Solar’s future farms
18 Sep 2023
Lightyears Solar has received $15 million from New Zealand Green Investment Finance to help finance construction of a pipeline of consented, ground-mounted solar farm projects.
Upcoming conferences focus on climate change and degrowth
15 Sep 2023
New Zealand's first degrowth conference is coming up this weekend in Wellington, with international and local speakers looking at the transition to a less energy-intensive future.
On-farm solar energy could significantly increase profits for sheep farmers
14 Sep 2023
Media release - Adding solar panels to sheep and beef farms could improve their profitability, and environmental and animal welfare outcomes, finds new research.
Apple’s first ‘carbon neutral’ products are a red herring
14 Sep 2023
Apple announced that its Watch Series 9 marks its first carbon-neutral product. But focusing on the watch distracts from the bigger picture of the company’s climate impact.
NZGIF supports Eastland Generation with up to $25m in long term lending
30 Aug 2023
Media Release | NZGIF will supply up to $25m to fund the construction of connection assets for the new ~50MW TOPP2 geothermal plant.
Solar promises slowly rise
28 Aug 2023
After much talk and numerous announcements and re-announcements, it appears some grid-scale solar farms are finally nearing completion and others crawling closer to starting.
Hydrogen summit coming to Wellington
15 Aug 2023
New Zealand’s second international hydrogen summit, in Wellington next month, will feature international speakers representing global shipping and aviation.
Can vacuums slow global warming? Biden administration bets $1.2 billion on it
14 Aug 2023
Texas and Louisiana will become a global testing ground for giant machines that suck carbon from the air.
Floating solar near the equator could power the world
11 Aug 2023
Researchers in Australia suggest that floating solar on parts of the ocean near the Equator could power the entire world several times over.
Govt launches consultation on five areas of energy transition policy
10 Aug 2023
The Government has launched consultation on New Zealand's transition towards a low emissions economy, with five streams of energy policy out for feedback.
Meeting the long-term climate threat takes more than private investment – 10 ways NZ can be smart and strategic
10 Aug 2023
By Kevin Trenberth | The announcement of a partnership between the government and the world’s biggest investment manager BlackRock in a NZ$2 billion climate infrastructure fund suggests the company is expecting renewable energy in New Zealand to increase its own profitability.
Climate mitigation patent program boosts green tech financing
10 Aug 2023
The US Patent and Trademark Office’s newly expanded program aimed at accelerating patents for climate mitigation technology is critical to garnering the funding necessary to advance the clean energy transition, researchers say.
$2 billion climate fund to back 100% renewable electricity
9 Aug 2023
Investment giant BlackRock has announced a $2 billion climate infrastructure fund in New Zealand to unlock investment to support 100% renewable electricity generation.
What would it look like for the NZ ETS to be aligned with 1.5C?
9 Aug 2023
By Christina Hood | The government needs to prioritise gross reductions in long-lived gases much faster to be consistent with 1.5C of warming - with a 90% reduction in gross emissions needed by 2050.
Investment positive - but still hurdles to overcome to reach renewable electricity target
9 Aug 2023
By Ralph Sims | It’s been a good week for encouraging the uptake of renewable electricity generation in order to get closer to the Government’s 100% target by 2030.
Can new tech make carbon offsets trustworthy?
9 Aug 2023
Technology providers are launching automated products to boost transparency in voluntary carbon markets, but human auditors remain crucial.
What happens to net zero if the trees don’t survive?
Wed 20 Aug 2025
When climate change undermines the climate plan.
The US Department of Agriculture bans support for renewables, a lifeline for farmers
Today 12:30pm
The agency said it’s concerned that farmland is being consumed by wind and solar facilities – which occupy a tiny fraction of the country’s productive acres.
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
Why plane turbulence is becoming more frequent - and more severe
6 Aug 2025
As climate change shifts atmospheric conditions, experts warn that air travel could become bumpier: temperature changes and shifting wind patterns in the upper atmosphere are expected to increase the frequency and intensity of severe turbulence.
Certainty crucial to emissions cuts – Watts
Wed 20 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says that policy certainty is the Government’s primary lever for unlocking private capital and meeting climate targets, telling a carbon forestry conference that ETS settings are 'locked' through 2030.
Media round-up
Fri 15 Aug 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Australia could be about to leapfrog New Zealand on climate targets; 'strangled' rivers are fighting back; and 10 rangatahi will join Aotearoa New Zealand’s delegation at the United Nations' major climate conference in Brazil.
Govt opts for status quo for ETS auctions
Tue 19 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has chosen not to increase auction volumes in the Emissions Trading Scheme, a decision applauded by carbon market insiders and climate campaigners alike, despite it contradicting the Climate Change Commission’s advice.
‘A climate of unparalleled malevolence’: are we on our way to the sixth major mass extinction?
Today 12:30pm
Churning quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the rate we are going could lead the planet to another Great Dying.
Forestry the source of all ETS risk, says top economist
Fri 15 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Forestry is the source of all of the risk in New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme and it's inevitable that the scheme has to be reformed, according to Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment chief economist Geoff Simmons.
Activists facing intimidation tactics at Bathurst mine
Tue 19 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate Liberation Aotearoa activists suspended 80m high in a coal bucket at a the Stockton mine on the West Coast say coal mining company Bathurst Resources is using ‘hostile’ tactics to try and remove them.
Is extending Huntly power station to 2035 in consumers’ best interest?
22 Jul 2025
By Simon Orme | COMMENT: Genesis Energy is proposing a cartel to keep high-emitting Huntly Power Station in business to 2035. If extending Huntly has economic benefits, is a cartel necessary?
What does 'drier' really mean in 'green' homes?
1 Aug 2025
Media release - Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland | Researchers say green-rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and using two measures of humidity.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
Mon 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.”
Dry winter pushed up Spark’s emissions
Today 12:30pm
By Pattrick Smellie | Increased use of coal and natural gas to generate electricity in the last year caused a spike in scope 1 and 2 emissions reported by telecommunications operator Spark NZ.
Key orange roughy population on verge of collapse, govt considers closure
9 Jul 2025
Media release - Deep Sea Conservation Coalition | New data reveals that New Zealand’s main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country’s total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government’s considering closing it.
'Sam the Trap Man' on why he's running for council
Today 12:30pm
By Zita Campbell, Local Democracy Reporter | From the bush to Gisborne’s council chambers is what “Sam the Trap Man” hopes to achieve this October.
Latest trawl bycatch numbers 'a grim wake-up call'
24 Jun 2025
Media release – Greenpeace | The latest fisheries bycatch data paints a grim picture, with trawlers hauling up thousands of kilograms of coral and killing hundreds of fur seals and seabirds over a 12 month period.
Cyclone Gabrielle’s intense rainfall made landslides inevitable
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Cyclone Gabrielle was one of the most extreme landslide-triggering events ever recorded globally.
Shane Jones on climate change – it’s real, but…
Fri 15 Aug 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones believes climate change is real, but is uninterested in what is causing it and primarily focused on adapting to it.
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.
Governments in Global South get dedicated support to tap into carbon markets
Today 12:30pm
Media release – VCMI | A new toolkit will help emerging markets and developing economies decide how best to generate and sell carbon credits to access climate finance, accelerate innovation and help close the $1.3 trillion climate finance gap.
Will reflective roofs help beat the heat?
Fri 15 Aug 2025
Media release - University of Auckland | About 500 roofs across four continents have been painted with a reflective coating, as part of research into tackling the health impacts of climate change.
How the meat industry uses environmental groups to make beef seem climate-friendly
11 Aug 2025
The meat industry may have enlisted environmental groups to persuade people to “feel better” about eating beef, despite the sector’s ballooning emissions of climate-heating pollution.
Watts talks big on energy reform, but barriers persist
29 May 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Energy and Climate Change minister Simon Watts says the government is doubling down on efforts to boost renewable energy generation, streamline regulation, and drive private sector investment as New Zealand faces mounting energy security and affordability challenges.
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.
Why insurers worry the world could soon become uninsurable
11 Aug 2025
Top insurers fear the climate crisis could soon outpace industry solutions, effectively threatening to make entire regions around the world uninsurable.
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.
Forestry sector could take legal action over ETS changes
14 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The forestry sector is threatening legal action against the Government over changes to legislation intended to limit whole farm-to-forest conversions in the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Fund for low emissions transport winds up
31 Jul 2025
New Zealand’s Low Emission Transport Fund has officially wrapped up, ending a nine-year programme that put hundreds of millions of dollars towards accelerating the country’s shift to cleaner transport.
Carbon price underperforming: Environment secretary
13 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | The government has been focussed on reducing the Emissions Trading Scheme ‘stockpile’ and carbon prices should rise soon, according to the Secretary for the Environment.
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.
Oil states accused of using scare tactics in bid to sink green shipping deal
12 Aug 2025
Saudi Arabia, Iran and other oil-reliant countries are campaigning to stop the adoption of the IMO’s Net-zero Framework in October.
Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of COP30
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans.
Backlash over govt conservation changes
4 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The government’s proposed changes to the Conservation Act are the most significant roll back in conservation protections in a generation, according to the Green Party.
Failed plastic treaty 'significant disappointment'
Mon 18 Aug 2025
The failure of negotiations on a legally-binding global plastics treaty is a "significant disappointment," but no treaty is still better than a weak one, according to a New Zealand expert.
Strong NZ representation in upcoming global climate report
Today 12:30pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams and Liz Kivi | Eighteen New Zealanders are among more than 600 experts appointed by the IPCC for its next painstaking scientific deep dive into the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks.
'Not giving up' – Right to repair bill in doubt
Today 12:30pm
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A bill that would make it easier for New Zealanders to access spare parts and the information to repair a product themselves while also cutting carbon emissions is looking unlikely to make it into law.
Govt rejects Te Kuha coal mine fast-track bid
13 Aug 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The controversial Te Kuha coal mine on the West Coast has had its application for fast-track approval declined, after failing to meet seven of the application criteria.
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.
Climate groups want UK wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy
17 Jul 2025
Growing number of campaigners urge government to ensure green investment is not done ‘on backs of the poor’.
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.
African $60 billion high-speed rail project takes shape
Fri 15 Aug 2025
One of the largest infrastructure projects in Africa has received a new update that could see construction begin soon.
'Yet another rate': Franz Josef ratepayers balk at $2.8m stopbank extension
4 Aug 2025
By Lois Williams, Local Democracy Reporter | Franz Josef ratepayers have given the thumbs down to plans for a $2.8 million stopbank extension to protect the town’s sewerage plant from the Waiho River.
Warmer end to winter but dry spell expected over southern lakes
5 Aug 2025
As hydro lake levels hover just below average levels, climate forecasts indicate that warmer than usual weather conditions will reduce demand, but there will likely be less rain over the southern hydro lakes as New Zealand moves towards spring and summer.
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.
For the first time, China invests more in wind and solar than coal overseas
29 May 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, long derided for its heavy carbon footprint, was dominated by wind and solar power projects for the first time from 2022 to 2023, according to a new analysis. But coal plants financed in earlier years are still coming online.
