Environment

Air New Zealand is testing new eco-serviceware for its international inflight food offerings.

A trio of tourism organisations have taken steps to tackle their greenhouse gas emissions and boost their green credentials.

The airline says the agreement is “a step towards understanding how hydrogen-powered aircraft could become a reality in NZ”.

Owen River Lodge near Nelson has been certified carbon positive and says it is the first fishing lodge in the world to receive the certification.

There is agreement within government and industry that climate change is tourism’s most significant environmental challenge, but the way forward remains unclear.

Dunedin Enterprise has launched a carbon measurement incentive scheme for tourism businesses to encourage uptake of sustainable tourism practices and achieve net carbon zero by 2030 in the city.

Increasing global temperatures will impact sun and snow destinations as well as environmental assets critical for tourism.

An innovative role for Māori tourism is floated to help the country transition to net zero emissions by 2050.

Declines in non-compliance with rāhui highest in Waitākere Ranges.

Air Tahiti Nui customers will be able to start offsetting emissions on their flights from today, as a tie-up with New Zealand carbon offsetting provider CarbonClick begins.

A new study shows NZ’s glaciers are melting faster than expected.

Travellers can choose to contribute to range of environmental projects when booking.

Okarito Kayaks owners Gemma and Baz Hughes’ GorseBusters initiative in South Westland has attracted hundreds of enquiries from across the country.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s report has sparked volumes of commentary from the country’s academic sector.

The long-awaited report recommends a departure tax, stricter controls on commercial operations, and questions the public investment in the sector.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s latest report will not please everyone but deserves a hearing.

Australasian tourism consultancy TRC Tourism is officially a zero carbon company.

The Climate Change Commission’s landmark report on decarbonising the economy has signalled a stronger focus on emissions from the tourism sector is in the pipeline.

Air New Zealand backs the new standards saying biofuels are “a necessary step” in reaching NZ’s net zero emissions by 2050 goal.

The Environmental Defence Society is calling for a strengthening of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000 to better protect the landscapes of the Hauraki Gulf Islands.

Rewilding the forests lining the Kawatiri/Buller River could provide a unique river landscape visitor experience.

Waiheke-based operator EcoZip Adventures has secured climate positive certification for the second consecutive year from not-for-profit Ekos.

Bingo Bonanza will be offsetting carbon emissions created by Kiwis when they are exploring New Zealand.

An independent assessment by Ekos showed Ziptrek’s total carbon calculation for its financial year was 17.48tCO2.

Domestic tourists accounted for 59%, or 7063 kilotonnes, of tourism consumption-based emissions in 2017, according to new data from Stats NZ.

Four hāpuku have been transferred from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s Northland Marine Research Centre to the main Oceanarium exhibit at the National Aquarium of New Zealand.

New Zealand’s tourism rethink needs to forget old economic systems and focus on human values if the sector has any hope of reviving.

The funding, over four years, was part of the Government’s $1.3bn Jobs for Nature programme.

Conservation estate attractions could suffer more damage, become inaccessible or disappear, says a new report.

Researchers from Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington’s Antarctic Research Centre say there is a strong link between human greenhouse gas emissions and increased melting of glaciers.

Ruapehu District Council has installed solar-powered ‘Big Belly’ compacting rubbish bins at 11 high traffic sites around Ruapehu.

The Commerce Commission has released guidelines to help traders understand their obligations when making environmental claims.

Owner Uwe Kroll said it was a first for a TOP 10 holiday park.

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre has confirmed the existence of New Zealand’s long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) in its forest reserve.

New Zealand’s tourism-related greenhouse gas emissions jumped 16.3% in a decade.

Senior NZIER economist Peter Clough said the future of tourism should be “green and local”.

Stats NZ is preparing to launch the regular research series into the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Decarbonising tourism will include less reliance on long haul airline travel and more on rapid land transport, according to Dr Susanne Becken.

Work to improve safety and provide for the protection of the sensitive environment of the West Coast’s Ōpārara Basin is set to begin at alert level 2, says the Department of Conservation.

The Environmental Defence Society is supporting calls for a reset of the tourism industry to better protect the environment.

The Green Party is calling for $1bn to be invested in nature-based jobs over the next three years.

Five rare tūturuatu/shore plovers were relocated from their Christchurch captive breeding facility to pest-free Mana Island off the Wellington coast.

The Department of Conservation and Fisheries New Zealand will postpone public consultation on the proposed network of marine protection for the southeast South Island due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Queenstown Lakes District aims to become the country’s most sustainable tourism system in a new climate action plan being considered by council today.

Public submissions are now being called on regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships contained in a 1997 protocol.

LGNZ has welcomed a new report that calls for central government policy makers to step up the pace on progressing a national strategy on climate change adaption having highlighting the threat to the tourism industry.

The industry is failing to adapt to the consequences, says the new research.

New Zealand’s first circular economy lab launches on Thursday, at GridAKL in the Wynyard Quarter, Auckland.

Tourism New Zealand planted a native tree for every guest hosted at a sustainability-focused breakfast at this week’s Asia Pacific Incentives Meetings Event in Melbourne.

Air New Zealand has diverted more than 890 tonnes of in-flight waste – five planes’ worth – from landfill two years on from the launch of Project Green.