Environment

Air New Zealand says it is unfair to be accused of greenwashing because of its environmental messaging and that many of its compostable hot beverage cups end up in landfill.

Seventy years ago today, Kiwi Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mt Everest. Now, mountaineering is hugely popular and commercial but that has come with consequences, write tourism researchers.

Auckland Airport is turning off natural gas in favour of electricity for its air conditioning systems.

Envirohub Marlborough is supporting Earth Day 2023 with a family-friendly, zero-waste picnic event.

More than 80% of North Island lakes and 45% in the South Island are suffering from poor health, according to a new study.

Hokitika Scenic Tours and West Coast Treetop Walkway and Zipline are partner on a regenerative programme that encourages people to purchase native plant seedlings as part of a fundraising effort for predator traps.

Lake Wānaka Tourism has opened entries for its second Monster Children Film Awards, celebrating the theme of regeneration.

A study into how tourism could be affected outlines scenarios from orderly to severe.

Rotorua Lakes Council is installing public glass recycling ‘bintainers’ around popular holiday hotspots around Lake Rotomā and Rotoiti.

The annual Ōkārito GorseBusters event is returning again in 2023 with a strong contingent of local and international visitors taking part in the cleanup.

New research suggests New Zealand is one of the least vulnerable countries to the dangers of glacial lake floods.

A new way to apportion carbon emissions taxes on airline passengers could be the answer to creating a fairer system that does not discriminate based on travel class.

The travel and tourism sector’s emissions in Asia Pacific grew 4% between 2010 and 2019, while GDP rose an average of 7.3% during the same period, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

The industry group puts its “stake in the ground” on the worldwide industry’s emissions target.

“This new guidance will help central and local governments work together to put our climate plans into action as we make the transition to a low-emission, resilient future that benefits everyone,” said Minister of Climate Change James Shaw.

Queenstown Lakes District is aiming to make the destination’s tourism industry the first to carbon-zero by 2030 but is yet to reveal details of how it will achieve the ambitious target.

New Zealanders are being encouraged to have their say on how the country plans its transition to a low-emissions future that is fair and inclusive for everyone.

A new visitor fee, a commitment to zero carbon, and operator co-operation are part of an initiative to improve the coastal village of Mārahau on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park.

The rate of sea level rise has rapidly increased in recent decades and will continue to do so due to the effects of climate change, according to Stats NZ.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s annual Clean Up Week begins this Saturday and members of the public are encouraged to play their part in tidying up their communities.

Scenic Hotel Group says it is taking steps to improve its business sustainability and aligning the group’s activities with six United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as benchmarks.

Tohorā southern right whales are taking longer to re-establish a habitat in mainland waters, scientists at the University of Auckland have found.

Nine Abel Tasman tourism businesses are involved in a new regenerative tourism initiative that aims to support the village of Mārahau and the region.

A nationwide tsunami evacuation map is now available online to help improve people’s preparedness in the event of a disaster.

Auckland Council will invest “hundreds of millions of dollars” into six or seven new electric and low-emissions ferries as part of climate action proposal within Annual Budget 2022/23.

Food waste from staff kitchens and food and beverage outlets across the terminal will be processed in three CarbonCycle Compost Bins.

Okarito Kayaks’ Barry Hughes has declared the annual GorseBusters 2 cleanup of the Ōkārito Lagoon “possibly the busiest we’ve ever seen the remote South Westland wetland”.

Tourism is one of the country’s most exposed industries.

The key is investing in both small-scale infrastructure and conservation, write researchers.

People in Auckland, Hamilton, Hawke’s Bay, New Plymouth, Wellington, Christchurch, and Invercargill are invited to use the iNaturalist app to gather nature observations, find species, and engage others.

Donor rewards include trips with South Pacific Helicopters, Whale Watch Kaikōura, as well as luxury accommodation at Hapuku Lodge and Treehouses.

The aviation industry has welcomed the New Zealand and Singapore governments’ Sustainable Aviation Arrangement to create a more sustainable future for aviation.

New Zealanders unable to travel throughout the country during 2020’s Covid-19 lockdowns saw a reduction in emissions, according to Greenhouse Gas Inventory report from the Ministry for the Environment.

Reducing air travel is one of the recommendations made to tackle climate change.

New Zealand tourism should introduce and accelerate its own ‘net-zero carbon’ goal to help the country get there by 2050, says a Canadian tourism expert.

Becoming a National Park City could creating “immense” benefits to identity, regional pride, tourism and business.

Okarito Kayaks and locals will offer free accommodation, food, kayaking and entertainment to participants.

The funding will provide an initial 14 jobs in an area hard-hit by the downturn in tourism.

Glaciers are melting at a faster rate in the last 10 years, with the three worst years in the last 35 being since 2011.

The government is introducing a sustainable biofuels mandate to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.

Closed borders was mainly responsible for a drop of 58% to 1.33 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions at Air New Zealand, according to the airline’s 2021 Sustainability Report.

Christchurch Airport is committing 400 hectares of its Harewood campus to a new solar farm.

The Hotel Britomart at Auckland says it will plant a native tree Bay of Islands’ The Landing for every booking it takes for its Stay Green package.

A successful effort could serve as a model for other industries and help boost the image of tourism.

A select group of Wellington operators have graduated from a three-month pilot designed to help meet their sustainability aspirations.

RealNZ is seeking 24 people for a Fiordland cruise that will also see them get involved in the area’s history and conservation.

Queenstown Airport has achieved Toitū Carbonreduce certification.

A declaration to tackle climate action will be signed by global tourism stakeholders in Glasgow as part of COP26.

Destination Queenstown, Lake Wānaka Tourism, and Queenstown Lakes District Council are jointly funding an initiative that enables local businesses and schools to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions and take action to reduce them.

Smoky emissions from Queenstown’s Lady of the Lake could be consigned to history.