Environment
Featured Environment stories
High Court rules Otago set net ban lawful despite hoiho decline
An environmental charity's claim that a set net fishing ban around Otago Peninsula didn't go far enough to protect hoiho has been dismissed.
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New earthquake faults discovered near North Island towns
3:34 pm todayA new study has uncovered new earthquake faults in the Wairarapa valley, four of which are close to some of the region's towns. Wairarapa's Emergency Management…
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Using vibrations to deter pest insects
3 Feb 2026Researchers are translating pest insects' vibrational language to use it against them.
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Microplastics found in one-third of surveyed Pacific Island fish
29 Jan 2026The scale of contamination varied significantly across locations however, and the researchers warned against "alarmist" interpretations.
Environment headlines with summaries.
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'How do the people break through?' - third of Māori land considered landlocked
12 Jan 2026Landlocked whenua has been identified as one of the biggest challenges to public access in 2025.
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'Darkwaves': The phenomenon killing ecosystems
13 Jan 2026The underwater events affect the entire underwater food chain, and may get more common.
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ECan 'put on notice' over rule-making for discharges
24 Dec 2025The High Court stopped short of ordering the regional council to change the rule relating to the discharge of nitrates because of the amount of time that has lapsed.
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DoC warns dog owners after rare fairy tern nests disturbed
23 Dec 2025Only about 40 adult tara iti survive in the wild, and of those just 10 are breeding females.
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The farmers working to shrink the environmental footprint of their cows
16 Dec 2025Can the planting of special crops and experiments with new winter grazing systems make a real difference? Audio
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Most NZ glaciers on track to disappear - study
16 Dec 2025At the current rate of global warming, just a few hundred of the country's 3000 glaciers could remain by the end of the century.
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Emergency set net fishing ban to protect threatened hoiho extended
10 Dec 2025Meanwhile, the Oceans and Fisheries Minister is critical of recent legal action over hoiho protection.
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Bringing the bounty back to Porirua Harbour
9 Dec 2025A renewed coordinated effort aims to restore the former kai moana bounty of Te Awarua o Porirua, or Porirua Harbour.
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NZ rejecting emission targets risks international law breach
5 Dec 2025Analysis: The government rejected the Climate Change Commission's emissions target recommendations.
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Kiwis putting cost of living ahead of environment, ministry boss says
5 Dec 2025The Ministry for the Environment boss believes New Zealanders are more concerned about immediate pressures on households, than the environment.
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Will they or won't they? Ministers at odds over key policy
3 Dec 2025Willis says the government won't be sending "cheques for billions of dollars" offshore, but an expert says this could have real-world trade and legal risks. Audio
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New weapon in war against invasive yellow-legged hornet
3 Dec 2025Tracking technology will allow hornet hunters to follow them back to the nest. Audio
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'We're basically stuffed': Oyster farmers shut down by another overflow
1 Dec 2025Growers have been told to halt harvesting after 1200 cubic metres of wastewater spilled into a river.
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Overseas counterparts never raised concerns over climate policies - Trade Minister
The Trade Minister said no one had raised concerns with him directly about New Zealand's oil and gas developments.
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Rare fish seen for first time in over a decade in Auckland
27 Nov 2025The black mudfish hadn't been seen since 2014 - but that all changed a couple of months ago. Audio
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Biggest source of microplastics in our ocean revealed
27 Nov 2025It was found broken down tyres were the largest source of microplastics in New Zealand's coastal waters. Audio
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'Forever chemicals' found in NZ whales, dolphins
24 Nov 2025Species feeding mid-water were just as exposed to PFAS as coastal Māui dolphins or deep-diving species like beaked whales, new research found.
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COP30: Minister defends NZ's lack of committment to phasing out fossil fuels
24 Nov 2025Simon Watts says New Zealand has already committed to "transition away" from fossil fuels. Audio
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NZ silent so far on climate summit push for a 'fossil fuels' roadmap
20 Nov 2025About 80 countries at this year's COP30 meeting want the world to develop a fossil fuel phase-out plan - but New Zealand is still considering whether to join them. Audio
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Caulerpa invasion: 'Government isn't taking it as seriously as they need to'
17 Nov 2025Caulerpa went from covering 60 hectares around Great Barrier Island to more than 2000 hectares.
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Climate change minister defends weakened methane target
13 Nov 2025Simon Watts says he is prepared for questions about New Zealand's lowered target when he heads to the annual UN global climate summit in Brazil.
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New find of rare native parasitic plant in Wellington sparks hopes of return
11 Nov 2025They were thought extinct in the region for 100 years, now the race is on to save a rare parasitic plant in the capital.
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Nine rangatahi Māori depart for the Brazillian Amazon for COP30
10 Nov 2025Te Kāhu Pokere will be sharing stories and solutions to the climate crisis with indigenous peoples at COP30. Audio
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COP30: Get your skates on, experts urge NZ over climate targets
10 Nov 2025Ahead of this year's COP climate summit, experts say New Zealand risks has no credible plan to honour its Paris Agreement promises. Audio
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