To mark Auckland Council environment month, Mayor Phil Goff writes about the challenges facing the city and surrounds – and how the new targeted rate will be used to address them. Auckland is blessed with a beautiful natural environment. It is sited on three harbours, with 1,000 beaches, numerous maunga and reserves and flanked by … Read more
Almost 30% of organic waste goes straight to landfill, sparking two leading businesses in the composting sector – Innocent Packaging and We Compost – to team up and launch The Full Package, the first citywide compost collection of its kind in New Zealand. On December 31, 2017, China decided that enough was enough. Sick of … Read more
Squawk Squad is the social enterprise using modern technology to not only make predator traps more effective but keep its wider community of donors connected with its work. Every year, a massive 25 million native birds are said to be killed by pests, leaving many of our most beloved species – the takahē, kākāpō, and … Read more
Beef + Lamb New Zealand says farmers care just as much about the environment as everyone else, and with its new Environment Strategy and Implementation plan, it plans to help sheep and beef farmers promote reduced carbon emissions, cleaner water, thriving biodiversity, and healthy productive soils. I recently spoke at a farmer’s event in Christchurch with … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Kristy Lorson, the founder of popular Facebook group Zero Waste in NZ! about her latest business venture, EarthSavvy. ONE: How did EarthSavvy start and what was the inspiration behind it? We all like to think … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: New Zealand’s land is in bad shape, medicinal cannabis submitters warned, and a symbolic day for Pike River families. New Zealand is losing 192 million tonnes of soil every year, according to a new environmental report. Radio NZ reports a bit under half of that soil loss is … Read more
The government sprung a surprise today by announcing an end to offshore oil and gas exploration permits. The response was mixed, with criticism from industry and acclaim from environmental groups. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, formally revealed the move in this speech to students at Victoria University of Wellington. I want you for a moment to think … Read more
Should further oil and gas exploration in New Zealand be banned? Cameron Madgwick, CEO of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) weighs in. Should we keep exploring for more oil and gas in New Zealand? This is the big question the government is currently weighing up with a decision due soon. In … Read more
The Environmental Protection Authority CEO’s complaint to Massey University about the freshwater ecologist sparked a disciplinary process, yet the agency seems strangely disinclined to speak out on climate change denial, writes Shaun Hendy. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), New Zealand’s statutory environmental regulator, says that it is worried about science denial in New Zealand. “Debate the … Read more
The PM famously called climate change her generation’s ‘nuclear free moment’. Branko Marcetic asks environmental critics of the original agreement whether the deal updated as CPTPP allays their concerns Climate change is here. It’s only March, and we’ve already experienced a record-breaking heatwave, a “revved up” tropical cyclone, and now scientists are freaking out over … Read more
The idea that New Zealand’s threatened species can somehow safely ‘co-exist’ with the onslaught of introduced predators is irresponsible and untrue, writes the Department of Conservation’s Nicola Toki. New Zealand is facing a biodiversity crisis. With more than 4000 species in trouble, some scientists have given us the dubious honour of the country with the … Read more
Having observed the failure of many governments to effect real change at climate conferences, former Greens co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons shares what she has learned about community engagement to help the environment. Do we lobby the government to reduce climate emissions, or change our own light bulbs? Well, both of course – but actually, neither will … Read more
In the first story in a series celebrating the amazing things young New Zealanders do every day, James Kehoe Rowden talks to Angela Cuming about his commitment to protecting the environment, and how little can make a big difference. There are some people who see rubbish littering our streets and beaches and think to themselves … Read more
The chief scientist of the Environmental Protection Agency has been making waves since her appointment, articulating a pro-farming message around water use. Has agri-business captured our environmental regulator? Outspoken farming critic Rachel Stewart thinks so. Apparently if you don‘t trust the decisions made by the Environmental Protection Agency, you’re part of a growing trend in … Read more
Climate change is arguably the single greatest issue facing society today, but too much focus is being put on the likely challenges and costs. The Sustainable Business Council’s Abbie Reynolds argues that instead of worrying about the negatives, businesses need to understand that New Zealand’s transition to a low emissions economy is an opportunity for … Read more
As the government announces an end to new extraction on conversation land, Sefton Darby – whose position on the debate has shifted over the years – says the crucial issue is how we decide at all A lazy no. Then a full-hearted they’re all corrupt, no. Then yes. Then maybe. Then it depends. Those are, … Read more
The High Court has dismissed law student Sarah Thomson’s audacious bid for a judicial review of the last government’s emission-reduction goals. But the ruling delivers some remarkable victories, Thomson writes. Read Sarah Thomson’s explanation of why she took the government to court here I received the judgment at the same time as the rest of … Read more
With much of New Zealand’s water infrastructure particularly vulnerable to the growing dangers of climate change, Iain White and Alexandra Keeble argue that investing in new systems and flexible solutions are key to future-proofing for an uncertain future. It’s not something you expect to see on the streets of New Zealand: raw sewage bubbling up … Read more
Combining the power of US capital and Kiwi engineering, O2O2 Facewear is on the forefront of anti-pollution technology. Jihee Junn talks to CEO Dan Bowden about how the future of filtration is transparent. In densely populated megacities like Beijing, surgical face masks have become a regular sight. But despite their near ubiquity, woven cloth masks … Read more
Can families live in tiny houses without driving each other mad? Carole Payton talks to a mum who lives in a 15 square-metre home with her family of four to find out what it’s really like to live tiny. The popularity of ‘tiny houses’ keeps growing. All over social media teeny palaces of perfect proportions … Read more
Why did Bill English raise the prospect of slaughtering the dairy herd yesterday? As farmers prepare to protest in Jacinda Ardern’s hometown Morrinsville, Simon Wilson wants to know why we are suddenly being asked to believe there is a deep urban/rural divide. I’ve driven through quite a bit of the North Island in the last … Read more
Yesterday Bill English said climate change isn’t important to Kiwis. Megan Rich, the principal of Granity School near Westport, says he’s wrong. The prime minister’s assertion that most Kiwis don’t wake up thinking about climate change is little comfort for those of us lying awake on the West Coast. Perhaps he might like to speak … Read more
Freshwater is fast becoming one of the hottest topics ahead of the September vote. What are the main policy differences when it comes to ownership, pricing and exportation? Nicole Buxeda dips her toe in This post is the first in the Policy A Day series which launches today at Andrew Chen’s Mashed Calculus and Differential … Read more
New Zealand has a long history of introducing foreign insect predators to control crop pests and weeds. How risky is that? Thanks to a lack of long-term monitoring of our native insect populations, nobody really knows, explains the University of Auckland’s Margaret Stanley. “Is there any evidence that an introduced insect, other than a social … Read more
It was a dank but not very stormy night. The school hall was filled with people, and home baking. And some politicians. Simon Wilson was also there. There are things you can say in Titirangi that you wouldn’t dream of in some other parts of the city. Deborah Russell, Labour candidate for New Lynn, which … Read more
Climate change is the defining challenge of our times. The Spinoff is devoting a week of coverage to the issue, its advocates, complexities, and solutions. Today, five journalists discuss the intricacies and importance of covering climate change. Climate change is the biggest story on any editor’s newslist right now. Legendary environmentalist David Suzuki wants journalists to … Read more
This week massive seabed mining was approved off the Taranaki coast. Former environmental lawyer Dale Scott believes the potentially flawed application of the law will have significant consequences for all of New Zealand. At every level, environmental issues raise the most pressing questions of who gets the benefit and who carries the cost. In every … Read more
Artist Sarah Smuts-Kennedy told Kim Hill on Saturday that she has been repeating a ritual used by Peruvian banana farmers in the 1980s to treat diseased kauri. Yes, we need more research, but leave the comment to the scientists, writes Cate Macinnis-Ng. Art can be a powerful tool for connecting and mobilising communities around scientific problems. Art … Read more
Nearly half our mayors have signed a letter calling for a compulsory charge on plastic bags, and surveys show strong public support for the idea. Still the government remains staunchly opposed. If other countries can do it, why can’t we, wonders Kristin Hall. Update, 10 August 2018: PM Jacinda Ardern has announced that New Zealand … Read more