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Government was told it would have to quit fossil fuel group if new exploration started
An international coalition for phasing out fossil fuels says it told the government after the election it would have to quit the group if it re-started looking for new oil and gas, contradicting what the climate change minister told the media.
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Oyster farmers' 7-year battle with Watercare
2 Jul 2025A group of oyster farmers in the north of Auckland have reached their breaking point over sewage overflow and want the government to intervene. Audio
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Looking after New Zealand's rarest freshwater fish
1 Jul 2025A tiny native fish with the nickname 'Jaws' is under threat from introduced trout.
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NZ pulls out of global coalition for phasing out fossil fuels
25 Jun 2025The move follows the Budget announcement of $200 million to support new drilling for fossil fuel fields.
Environment headlines with summaries.
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How to get the best payoff from solar panels
24 Jun 2025Solar now stacks up financially in all three of our biggest cities - but there are exceptions, according to a new study. Audio
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A deadly bird flu strain is coming. Are we ready?
17 Jun 2025New Zealand is one the last places in the world where H5N1 has not yet been detected.
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Bodies of four weasels found inside Zealandia eco-sanctuary
12 Jun 2025Unwanted visitors have made their way into Wellington sanctuary.
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Emperor penguin populations declining faster than expected
11 Jun 2025Previous projections showed the species would be near extinction by the end of the century. It's now much worse.
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Conservation trust prepares to dramatically scale back work
10 Jun 2025QEII National Trust relies largely on government funding, and its budget is set to shrink.
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Booming space industry could hurt ozone layer's recovery
10 Jun 2025The rapidly growing number of rocket launches could slow the recovery of the ozone layer, a NZ-led study shows.
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What is the High Seas Treaty to protect world oceans?
10 Jun 2025While many countries have agreed to take steps to protect the vast, ungoverned swathes of the world's oceans, they have yet to see their High Seas Treaty go into effect.
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Fuel tank left open caused large diesel spill at Christchurch prison
9 Jun 2025About 14,000 litres of diesel has leached into the ground at Christchurch Men's Prison, after the hatch of a fuel tank was left open.
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Solving green sea turtle mysteries
10 Jun 2025Scientists are hoping to unravel the secrets of the green sea turtles that spend their formative years along Aotearoa's shores.
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Fibreboard manufacturer fined $12k for large wastewater spill
4 Jun 2025The company responsible for a wastewater spill that killed thousands of fish in a North Canterbury creek has been convicted and fined $12,000.
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New Zealand’s air quality improving, but winter smoke still an issue
3 Jun 2025The overall improvement in air quality was thanks to individuals making good decisions about how they heated their homes or travelled around their cities.
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Antarctica's sea ice is changing, impacting the marine food web
29 May 2025Changes could ripple through ecosystems further afield with the potential to affect key fisheries in the Southern Ocean, Jacqui Stuart and Natalie Robinson write.
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Science heats up in the fire lab
29 May 2025From flaming tornadoes to burning couches, scientists are setting stuff on fire to prepare for our changing wildfire risk.
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'Nank would be chuffed' - Native bush stays in public hands thanks to donation from late conservationist
28 May 2025When Wellington's regional council placed the winning bid on a huge block of farmland and native bush in the hills behind Eastbourne, it was only possible with the help of a million-dollar donation…
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Underground storage and overhead doubts for carbon capture
28 May 2025Climate fix, or fossil fuel lifeline - the truth behind the country's first carbon capture and storage project
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Behind the scenes of the spade-toothed whale dissection
22 May 2025It made international headlines last year. What does a scientific dissection of the world's rarest whale involve?
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Amazon fires drive unprecedented global forest loss in 2024
21 May 2025Massive fires fueled by climate change led global forest loss to smash records in 2024, according to a new report.
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Government may face big hole in climate plan
A huge chunk of the nation's next emissions budget rests on a single project, which the owner now says probably won't happen.
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Burrowing into the mystery of Great Barrier Island's black petrels
15 May 2025A research team monitoring a dwindling population of tākoketai hopes to head to Ecuador to gather clues about why so many birds never make it back to Aotearoa.
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'Heat a bigger problem than anticipated': Auckland prepares for climate change realities
12 May 2025However, figures show our biggest city is way off target.
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Canterbury council's freshwater management challenged in court
12 May 2025The first of two back-to-back court cases challenging the Canterbury regional council's freshwater management begins at the Christchurch High Court today.
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Native jumping spider found in restored Rotorua forest
12 May 2025A native jumping spider boasting great eyesight and tiny genitalia has been discovered at a Rotorua forest that is being restored.
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The good news about NZ's 10 million fossil-fuelled machines
7 May 2025New Zealand has 10 million fossil-fuelled machines, and more than 80 percent of them could be replaced by electric alternatives, according to a new report. Audio
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Winners of 2024 Prime Minister's Science Prizes announced
6 May 2025From helpful plant-fungus combos, to studying anxiety - the latest Prime Minister's Science Prizes have been awarded.
Top News stories
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- Auckland Council reveals new proposal for Takapuna Golf Course
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