Environment

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.

And it says it will help set up an industry-led group to advise on cutting aviation emissions.

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.