Topics tagged with 'Transport'
Chinese companies seek global carbon market for green hydrogen
9 Aug 2022
Three Chinese organisations are leading the charge to create an international carbon market for green hydrogen.
Best by the rest...
5 Aug 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Former Green Party leader Russel Norman on greenwashing and He Waka Eke Noa; political journalist Branko Marcetic on why the pundits are getting the Green Party leadership stoush all wrong; and land use expert Keith Woodford underlines the significance of recent government announcements for forestry rules and carbon pricing.
Cycling surges 47% in England as fuel price hikes bite
4 Aug 2022
Compared to 2021, cycling levels in England rose by 47% on weekdays and 27% on weekends in the five months to the end of July, according to the latest statistics from the U.K.’s Department for Transport.
Tourism expert calls to scrutinise cruise ships’ emissions
29 Jul 2022
By Liz Kivi | A sustainable tourism expert wants greater scrutiny around cruise travel, including the impacts of mega cruise ships and their carbon emissions, ahead of the vessels’ return to New Zealand waters in October.
Local Government New Zealand passes free fares remit
29 Jul 2022
Media Release - On Thursday morning, the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Annual General Meeting passed a remit supporting the Free Fares call for central Government to fund free public transport for under-25’s, tertiary students, Community Services Card Holders, and Total Mobility Card holders and their support people.
Active transport subsidy a hit with staff
28 Jul 2022
A $750 active transport subsidy has proved a hit with employees of the New Zealand arm of the international engineering consultancy WPS.
Soot from rockets has 500 times the climate impact as soot from airplanes
28 Jul 2022
Air pollutants released by rocket launches, re-entry, and space debris have a disproportionate effect on global warming, according to a new study. They also have the potential to undo some of the recovery of the ozone layer achieved by the Montreal Protocol, the 1987 treaty regulating ozone-depleting substances that is considered one of the most successful examples of international environmental action in history.
New e-bike subscription service electrifies Christchurch commutes
27 Jul 2022
By Liz Kivi | A new e-bike subscription service is on a mission to reduce barriers for light electric vehicle uptake and help users decarbonise their commute.
Time to fix Europe’s dumbest climate policy
27 Jul 2022
Deforestation, billions of euros wasted, and soaring food and fuel prices; the charge sheet against biofuels is damning. Introduced to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, the burning of food crops for fuel has been an unmitigated disaster.
Mercury partners with Hikotron on a nationwide EV charging network
22 Jul 2022
Media Release - Mercury is supporting Hamilton start-up Hikotron in its rollout of a New Zealand-made smart AC charging network for electric vehicles.
India plans $10 billion electric bus contract to curb emissions
21 Jul 2022
State-controlled Convergence Energy Services Ltd. is planning a $10-billion tender for 50,000 electric buses that will drive India’s plans to decarbonize public transport and help meet its goals for net zero emissions.
Micro-EV promoter disappointed by government’s inaction
20 Jul 2022
Toa Greening, who’s been campaigning for a change to New Zealand’s laws regarding micro-EVs for close to a decade, says safety concerns are over-blown when compared to the risk posed by e-scooters which can be legally driven on our roads.
Shared transport could reduce emissions: Researchers
19 Jul 2022
A team of researchers from multiple universities are looking at shared transport as part of the solution to New Zealand’s currently unsustainable systems, which they say are belching greenhouse gases, inequitable, and congested.
PSA launches Vote Climate campaign
18 Jul 2022
The Public Service Association (PSA) has launched a campaign to get voters to support local government candidates who will invest in reducing transport emissions.
Micro EV regulations to be reviewed… sometime
15 Jul 2022
Transport minister Michael Wood says regulations that currently prohibit the sale of some of the world’s most popular EVs will be reviewed but not any time soon.
Why shipping might be about to get a little bit slower
14 Jul 2022
If shipping is the beating heart of global trade, its pulse is about to get slower.
"Sparky" the tug set to electrify Auckland ship moves
13 Jul 2022
The world's first full-sized ship-handling electric tug could be plying Auckland’s waters by the end of the month, with “Sparky” on track for handover and commissioning by July 25.
High Court decision sets high bar for climate change litigation
11 Jul 2022
The High Court’s rejection of All Aboard Aotearoa’s case against Auckland Transport and Auckland Council, released on Friday, sets a high bar for those wanting to hold government bodies to account for their climate policies.
New Kiwi tech electrifying jetboats
8 Jul 2022
Kiwi tech is electrifying jetboats here and around the world, with an Auckland startup going global with the world’s first turnkey electric jet propulsion system for boats; while the iconic Shotover Jet has completed a prototype conversion of one of its ICE models.
‘Insane’ lithium price bump threatens EV fix for climate change
8 Jul 2022
Lithium, the highly reactive silver-white metal that is a crucial ingredient in batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs), is becoming much more expensive – and fast.
Closing the gaps for public EV charging in South Island
7 Jul 2022
Media Release - Key gaps in the South Island’s public EV charging network will be closed with support from the Government’s Low Emissions Transport Fund (LETF), Minister for Energy and Resources Megan Woods announced today.
Minister defends government's preferred light rail option for Wellington
6 Jul 2022
Transport minister Michael Wood says an Infrastructure Commission review of the government’s preferred rapid transport plan for Wellington, which found it “fundamentally counter-productive” to achieving carbon reduction targets, fails to take account of emission reductions resulting from densification.
Should government put the brakes on fuel tax cuts?
5 Jul 2022
The government isn’t ruling out further fuel tax cuts, but experts say policy makers should be looking at a targeted approach to inflation rather than continue with a “knee-jerk response” to rising fuel prices.
Australia prioritizes reducing emissions and cheaper EVs
4 Jul 2022
Australia’s new government is putting climate change at the top of its legislative agenda when Parliament sits next month for the first time since the May 21 election, with bills to enshrine a cut in greenhouse gas emissions and make electric cars cheaper
The US city where all buses are free
1 Jul 2022
Ever since Canek Aguirre got elected to the Alexandria City Council, he wanted to make the city’s bus transit service, known as DASH, free.
110km speed limit on Waikato Expressway predicted to increase C02 emissions by nearly 38,000 tonnes
30 Jun 2022
Waka Kotahi modelling predicts the decision to allow drivers to travel at 110km/h on the Waikato Expressway will result in 37,903 tonnes of emissions between 2031 and 2041.
EU ministers reach agreement on climate bills, zero emission cars by 2035
30 Jun 2022
EU member states have approved the end of fossil fuelled passenger cars in 2035 and found compromises on emissions trading and a “Social Climate Fund”.
Climate change puts another nail in quarter acre pavlova paradise’s coffin
29 Jun 2022
It’s been a long time coming but the climate emergency is finally beginning to reshape the future of our cities. This morning’s announcement that the government is throwing its support behind light rail from the Wellington railway station to Island Bay is driven by a vision of a much higher density city where the motorcar takes a back seat to public transport, cycling and walking.
Japan pushes to remove zero-emission vehicle target from G7 statement, draft shows
29 Jun 2022
Japan is pushing to remove a target for zero-emission vehicles from a G7 communique expected this week, according to a proposed draft seen by Reuters, a move that would water down language on climate change from the leaders' summit in Germany.
MicroCar e-volution: The microcars already on our roads
23 Jun 2022
By Jeremy Rose | The Fiat 500 – better known in New Zealand as the Bambina - weighed in at just under 500 kilos but it was its 500cc engine that gave its name.
Best by the rest...
23 Jun 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: New Zealand’s offshore energy revolution; climate policy’s winners and losers; and how climate change is putting marae at risk.
Avis shifts gears to launch NZ's largest electric car rental fleet
23 Jun 2022
Media Release - Avis New Zealand has added close to 100 electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet with more to be on boarded in the next two years - making it New Zealand’s largest electric car rental fleet.
Transport-related GHG emissions cost society $1.68 billion a year
22 Jun 2022
By Liz Kivi | Transport-related greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are costing society $1.68 billion a year, according to a recent report commissioned by the Ministry of Health.
Parliamentary questions often a let down
21 Jun 2022
There is a climate crisis, but deflating people’s tyres is not okay, that in a nutshell was climate change minister James Shaw’s response to a written question from ACT’s climate change spokesperson Simon Court.
MicroCar E-volution: Citroen Ami punches above it weight
17 Jun 2022
By Gregor Thompson | When the Citroën Ami first hit Parisian streets in the middle of the pandemic, it provoked some intrigue, maybe even the odd insult. It is true, the little bluish-grey plastic electric vehicle does have a peculiar aesthetic. For one, the front and back panels of the car were made identical to cut costs - only differentiable by the colours of the brake and headlights.
How much can e-bikes reduce carbon emissions?
15 Jun 2022
E-bikes could take the place of enough car trips to cut transportation emissions in England by as much as 24.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to a new study. What’s more, the greatest per capita benefits of e-bikes—with the potential to shave more than 750 kilograms of carbon dioxide off a person’s annual carbon footprint—are seen in rural and exburban areas.
Aussie banks discount loans for EVs, but Kiwis still pay full price
14 Jun 2022
By Liz Kivi | Westpac Australia has announced discounted loans for electric vehicles (EVs), however its New Zealand subsidiary has no immediate plans to follow suit.
Transport minister off to Norway to check out EVs
13 Jun 2022
Transport minister Michael Wood is off to Norway today to attend the International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exhibition in Oslo.
Best by the rest...
10 Jun 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: Climate change driving extreme autumn weather; the view from Tuvalu on the climate crisis; and how the government broke its own climate rules to subsidise airlines.
Auckland Council approves Climate Action Budget
8 Jun 2022
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff’s Climate Action Budget was approved yesterday, with a clear majority of councillors supporting it at a Finance and Performance Committee meeting.
Global cities becoming cycle friendly after "seismic shift" during pandemic
8 Jun 2022
With the coronavirus pandemic forcing a rethink of our urban centres, Dezeen spoke to experts about how municipalities around the world are striving to become "magical" cycling cities.
Waiheke Island leading the charge with EV uptake
7 Jun 2022
By Liz Kivi | Tiny Waiheke Island, with its resident population of 9500 people, is speeding ahead with the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
Carbon pricing on the agenda at Marine Environment Protection Committe this week
7 Jun 2022
This week sees the 78th gathering of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a meeting that is likely to bring shipping closer to a global carbon levy.
Best by the rest...
3 Jun 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: The farming lobby split over climate policy; the Reserve Bank takes on fuel prices; and Australia pledges climate action in the Pacific.
Carbon offsets may ease your flight guilt, but they aren’t saving the planet
3 Jun 2022
Book a flight and you’ll usually get the option to pay to offset your carbon emissions. In essence, your contribution funds tree planting and other projects intended to counterbalance the carbon you emit.
Auckland's billion-dollar climate budget
2 Jun 2022
Auckland Council's billion-dollar package to help tackle the climate crisis is a step closer, with the proposed annual budget for 2022-2023 released yesterday.
Canterbury cuts its planting programme
1 Jun 2022
Canterbury’s regional council is cutting nearly $3 million from its planting programme, almost two-thirds of the planned spend over 2 years, in a bid to reduce a predicted 24% rate rise.
Public transport missing from NZ California climate MOC
30 May 2022
The New Zealand California climate change memorandum of cooperation, signed over the weekend, makes no mention of public transport unlike an earlier deal between Japan and California.
Best by the rest...
27 May 2022
In our weekly round-up of the best climate coverage in the local media: How will the country meet emissions budgets? Different approaches to mode shift; and the disastrous effects of rising sea temperatures are already being felt.
Partnership aims to decarbonise NZ fleet
26 May 2022
Electric vehicle financer Carbn Group is joining forces with New Zealand fintech PowerFinance, in a partnership they say will accelerate Aotearoa’s transition to sustainable transport.
Farm-level emissions cuts possible, but almost everything stands in the way
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Progress to slash farming emissions is being blocked by limited farmer confidence in mitigation tools, inconsistent engagement, misinformation and a lack of clear policy signals, according to a new report.
State-owned farmer drives profit growth with emissions reductions
19 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Government-owned Landcorp, trading as Pāmu, is one-third of the way to meeting its 2031 emissions reduction targets, with five years left to run to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30.3% against 2021 emissions.
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.
Air NZ inks deal for its first internationally verified carbon credits
9 Oct 2025
By Liz Kivi | Air New Zealand has committed to buying 8000 tonnes of carbon removals by 2030, in partnership with local native forest investment platform My Native Forest.
‘Cali Fund’ aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just $1,000
16 Dec 2025
A major biodiversity fund – which could, in theory, generate billions of dollars annually for conservation – received its first donation of just $1,000 in November.
Govt launches strategy backing wood-based heat sector
23 Oct 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | Forestry biomass could replace as much as 40% of fossil fuel-generated process heat by 2050, but access to supply, regulatory settings and business cases for converting to wood-based heat sources are required, the Government says in a series of documents released yesterday.
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.
Seven quiet wins for climate and nature in 2025
19 Dec 2025
This year's environmental backdrop is familiar: emissions are rising and nature is continuing to decline. But there have nevertheless been bright spots in 2025.
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.
Global coal demand hit record high this year but is set to decline by 2030
18 Dec 2025
Global coal demand reached a record high in 2025 but is expected to decline by 2030 as renewables, nuclear power and abundant natural gas squeeze its dominance in power generation.
Investors must support positive climate-tech
28 Nov 2025
OPINION: We need better leadership than the current ‘climate opportunism’ that is rife in the Beehive, and we need to back a marketplace that will make it happen, writes Rob Campbell.
RMA’s successors hinge on two untested bets
17 Dec 2025
Two ideas sit at the heart of the Government’s replacement for the Resource Management Act: regulatory relief and spatial planning.
India at COP30: A mismatch between grandstanding and climate action
11 Dec 2025
Despite India’s attempt to anoint itself as the leader of the developing world, at the COP30 summit, New Delhi’s track record remains contradictory.
Govt warned that scrapping ag emission pricing comes with risks
11 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s move to halt plans for agricultural emissions pricing without replacing it with any other action will leave New Zealand facing a bigger gap to meet its third emissions budget, Environment ministry officials have warned.
NZ hydrogen regulation to catch up with the world
18 Dec 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | The government has announced a regulatory reset for New Zealand’s emerging clean tech hydrogen sector.
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.
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.
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.
Hydrogen emissions are ‘supercharging’ the warming impact of methane
19 Dec 2025
The warming impact of hydrogen has been “overlooked” in projections of climate change, according to authors of the latest “global hydrogen budget”.
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.”
Westpac NZ announces partnership to form Blue Economy hub in Nelson
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Westpac NZ has announced a new three-year partnership with the Nelson Regional Development Agency and Kernohan Engineering to help accelerate the development of a sustainable marine economy – also known as the blue economy.
NZ ‘clearly’ breaching international law on climate – Vanuatu Climate Change Minister
12 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says New Zealand restarting fossil fuel exploration and subsidies is an obvious breach of international law, exposing the country to international and domestic litigation.
Govt slammed for weakening methane target
15 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams The Government has pushed through legislation under urgency to almost halve New Zealand’s 2050 methane target – a move Opposition parties say disregards scientific advice, breaks the country’s hard-won political consensus on climate action, and shifts the burden of higher warming and higher future costs onto the next generation.
COP30 microcosm of difficult geopolitics, says Vanuatu's Climate Minister
15 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Despite ‘intransigent’ states blocking multilateralism and a disappointing official outcome, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu says he left the COP30 climate summit feeling more positive than after previous UN climate conferences.
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.
Insurers welcome govt decision to keep NHC levy unchanged
21 Nov 2025
Media release |The Insurance Council of New Zealand | Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has welcomed the Government’s decision to leave the Natural Hazards Commission levy unchanged, amid ongoing concerns around the cost-of-living.
Why I’m not outraged at the Govt’s latest climate backsliding
7 Nov 2025
COMMENT: The Government’s latest climate rollbacks underline New Zealand’s long history of a lack of genuine desire to cut emissions, writes Geoff Bertram.
Three Greenpeace activists removed by police from Fonterra
17 Dec 2025
Media release | Three Greenpeace activists were removed by police from Fonterra’s downtown Auckland offices, following a protest on Monday at the Shareholders’ Fund meeting over the corporation’s role in the contamination of rural communities’ drinking water.
Oil and gas majors would create $78bn more value by stopping exploration
11 Dec 2025
Media release | Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would create significantly more shareholder value by ending exploration and sharply curtailing upstream development, according to new analysis released today by ACCR.
Wetlands and biodiversity at risk as mining rules loosen: Greenpeace
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Greenpeace says Government changes to national direction instruments under the RMA paves the way for mining in wetlands and biodiversity hotspots and will expose some of Aotearoa’s most fragile ecosystems to irreversible damage.
NZ could become ‘dumping ground’ for dirty vehicles: Commissioner
16 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has warned the Government that its changes to the clean car standard could turn the country into a dumping ground for high emitting cars, making future emissions budgets harder to achieve.
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.
Offshore windfarms enhance function of coastal waters and diversity of aquatic life
19 Dec 2025
Media release | A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
‘A shift no country can ignore’: where global emissions stand, 10 years after the Paris climate agreement
16 Dec 2025
The watershed summit in 2015 was far from perfect, but its impact so far has been significant and measurable.
Govt consulting on Pacific Resilience Facility
12 Dec 2025
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is calling for submissions on its international treaty examination of the Agreement to Establish the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Govt green lights rural recycling scheme
4 Dec 2025
The Government has approved new regulations to bring rural waste schemes under one unified framework.
KiwiRail pauses coal trains amid rising climate protests
9 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate activists are ramping up actions this week, with a Christchurch protest leading to KiwiRail pausing some coal train operations on Saturday, and another protest against the Fast-Track Amendment Bill planned for parliament today.
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.
Could tidal energy one day power NZ?
18 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests Aotearoa holds some of the world’s strongest tidal-stream energy potential – enough to generate up to 93% of today’s electricity use – but one expert cautions that extracting energy at such a scale could have significant impacts and remains highly uncertain.
NZ could lose nearly all glaciers this century without stronger climate action
16 Dec 2025
New Zealand could see 97% of its glaciers vanish by 2100, with new international modelling projecting a rapid acceleration in glacier extinction from the 2030s onward – even under lower-warming scenarios.
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.
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.
Kaicycle celebrates ten years of collective climate action in Pōneke
14 Nov 2025
Media release: Kaicycle | Since 2015, Kaicycle has grown from a humble pilot project growing kai and collecting compost on bicycles into the thriving urban farm and composting hub that Wellingtonians know and love.
Heatwaves, downpours and droughts – Auckland on track for more extreme weather
1 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New projections show Auckland will face more heatwaves, heavier downpours, worsening droughts and growing coastal threats as climate extremes intensify, according to a new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand.
NZ just had its hottest spring in at least 116 years
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | This year New Zealand had its hottest spring since records began, with widespread heat, rainfall extremes and destructive wind driven by sudden stratospheric warming.
Media round-up
12 Dec 2025
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Another offshore wind firm exits New Zealand over a clash with seabed mining; Fonterra falls behind on its climate goals as farm emissions remain flat; and the businesses trapped by the gas 'death spiral'.
