Ahead of #COP30 a new article from me, unpacking whether New Zealand's 2035 Paris Agreement target (a 51-55% reduction) meets Paris Agreement criteria. TLDR lol no. (outside the paywall, thanks Carbon News!)

At every turn, the Government has opted for whatever would actually lead to more pollution and a warmer world – even if it costs more, jeopardises NZ’s reputation, overturns a campaign promise or clashes with the Government’s other priorities. The long retreat: newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/07/g...

@desmog.com reviewed US tax records which show Bill Gates’ charity has donated more than $3.5 million to a think tank run by Danish academic and climate crisis denier Bjørn Lomborg www.desmog.com/2025/11/05/b...

I mean what’s a little plea deal on a Thursday afternoon

When I wrote this just two-ish months ago, the premise was that the architecture of the CCRA (zero carbon act) remained, but the policies that sustained it had been hollowed out. With the CCRA changes today, I feel like that no longer holds www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-dept...

The Govt quietly announced a loosening of climate rules at 8pm last night: - Decoupling the ETS from Paris - Shifting ETS resets to every 2 years - Delaying the public sector target by 25 years - Removing CCC advice from *before* emission reductions plans: www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

I just called someone for input on a story and said, "are you busy?" and they said "not too busy to say no comment" and hung up. A+

Things that cost approx $16 billion -Northland road -Lake Onslow power scheme

A stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This whole bus vs EV situation has reminded me that when we lived in Tauranga if we parked our electric car outside the local pub people would corner us and start yelling about lithium or veganism or the climate hoax or whatever to the point we started taking our petrol car

You know, there’s this pervasive view that people don’t care about climate change / are bored of it / find it overwhelming but I wrote this story this week and social media went crazy over it. People care!!!! They really care are they need a way to channel it www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

thisisfine.gif #ClimateCrisis #nzpol #fossilfools

I wrote this up for RNZ www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

The climate-related disclosures were one of the top points of "significant progress" list in our Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement. Not any more I guess www.nzherald.co.nz/business/com...

Climate Minister Simon Watts admitted the Government's new methane target may not be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5C.

Hypothetically if you were a minister of the crown and you were overseas and you sent a staffer to a Very Important Meeting in your absence would you expect them to take notes or ???

Seems like a good time to share this again - given the government's decision to weaken the methane emissions target and not to put a price on agricultural emissions northandsouth.co.nz/2021/10/18/n...

I thought I’d have a go at answering the question: what’s the flow on effect on emissions budgets from the methane cuts? The answer was worse than I had anticipated www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

I thought I’d have a go at answering the question: what’s the flow on effect on emissions budgets from the methane cuts? The answer was worse than I had anticipated www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

If you are fuming about the derailment of climate ambition in AoNZ, how about helping fund an investigation into where this came from 👇

Can’t wait to see the regulatory impact statement that outlines the impact of this decision on everyone who isn’t a farmer www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Because it’s going so well and all www.nzherald.co.nz/business/com...

"Spain’s rapid renewables build-out means its power prices were set by fossil generation just 19% of the time, down from 75% in 2019. As a result, wholesale electricity was almost a third cheaper than the EU average" Imagine having cheaper power Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

“We must stop expecting carbon offsetting to work at scale. […] We have assessed 25 years of evidence and almost everything up until this point has failed.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"Data shows in almost all parts of the country, there were more people unemployed than there were jobs available." www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

I went to speak to Samuel Leason's father, Adi, in Ōtaki. Others from the flotilla have told that "Israeli commandos" have taken 18-year-old Samuel, but neither the New Zealand nor Israeli governments have confirmed this. Nevertheless, Adi is very proud of his son. www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/3...

If you're trying to get your head around the energy market announcement (or non-announcement) this piece by @marcdaalder.bsky.social is great newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/01/g...

Really want to hear predictions on the Fronteir energy market report + reforms dropping tomorrow. The focus on drilling for gas remains perplexing to me given we haven't found anything usable in decades despite spending billions. But will the govt move to ration our remaining gas in some way?

EXC: Plans are underway for a coordinated strike across the public sector on October 23 featuring: - Nurses - Teachers - Doctors - and more If the ballots go ahead it could well be the biggest coordinated strike in NZ history www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Fewer than one in five countries don’t recognise Palestine. www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

The Department of Energy has added these terms to its growing “list of words to avoid” because words are dangerous: climate change green decarbonization emissions energy transition sustainability sustainable clean energy dirty energy carbon footprint CO₂ footprint tax breaks tax credits subsidies

Me: attempts hold child protection agency accountable over three children missing for three years Agency:

Every single sentence in @bernardchickey.bsky.social's newsletter this morning was bleaker than the last but this really stood out to me even amid that

This is good news but Luxon doesn’t mention Family Court …. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Tom Phillips is dead after a police shooting, and his three children have been found alive. The immediate danger is over. But a larger question lingers: who decided Tom Phillips was safe enough to be left alone with his children - and why? My story: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

"If New Zealand is to learn anything from Tom Phillips' abduction of the children there must be an urgent and full independent inquiry, informed by specialists in family violence, into the entire response to this case," said Backbone Collective co-founder Deborah Mackenzie.

Tom Phillips is dead after a police shooting, and his three children have been found alive. The immediate danger is over. But a larger question lingers: who decided Tom Phillips was safe enough to be left alone with his children - and why? My story: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Until now I have resolutely stayed out of the Phillips' case because at one point several years ago I wrote so much about Family Court that it began to impact my mental health and possibly my fertility BUT today I wrote a backgrounder and I really want to point something out /1

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has hinted a long-awaited decision on whether to weaken methane targets is due "very, very shortly." But what is the "no additional warming" approach and why is it so controversial? New from me: www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Opinion: Amazon's NZ boss makes one of the clumsiest and most embarrassing attempts to spin good news out of a fiasco, in a long time, writes Jonathan Milne. - Newsroom Pro - $ -

Officials warn workplace safety reforms risk repeating the failures identified after the Pike River disaster. WorkSafe cautioned changes could create loopholes where unsafe companies escape prosecution. 70 people were killed at work last year. Full story: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

More sterling work from @kirstyjohnston.bsky.social here…

Officials warn workplace safety reforms risk repeating the failures identified after the Pike River disaster. WorkSafe cautioned changes could create loopholes where unsafe companies escape prosecution. 70 people were killed at work last year. Full story: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Anyone who’s tried to get their head around the energy market knows it’s absolutely mind-bending. Here’s a summary of the millions things I’ve read and people I’ve talked to that probably won’t make you feel better but might explain your existential dread open.substack.com/pub/kirstyjo...

To quantify the policy shift in my story on the Zero Carbon Act today I dug through multiple reports, addenda, and leaned on the Parliamentary Library - trying to track what’s happening. I’ve put some links to the key documents here open.substack.com/pub/kirstyjo...

The Zero Carbon Act in 2019 represented then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's promise to tackle her generation's "nuclear-free moment" head on. Six years on, analysis (by me) suggests the law has been hollowed out to little more than a husk. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

I listened to a lot (A LOT) of Nate Hagens excellent podcast on maternity leave and was resolute that when I got back to work I'd get my head around the energy market. I would have absolutely made another resolution if I'd known

Pretty accurate take on being a journalist in 2025. Thanks @frankritchie.bsky.social and team for doing this work www.nzherald.co.nz/business/med...

"Without significantly investing in alternative modes, and then investing the revenue in frequent buses, protected bike lanes, or better train services, this isn't a congestion charge, it's just a tax on those who can't afford it” - Tim Welch www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

An incredibly powerful collection of women hearing and submitting to the People's Select Committe on Pay Equity today - Dame Sylvia Cartwright speaking now www.payequity.org.nz/hearings