Environment

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.

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.