Signatory News

New Zealand’s biggest solar power plant will produce enough electricity to power 30,000 homes, and allow planes to pull up and recharge.

The $100 million plant will cover the equivalent of 262 rugby fields at Christchurch Airport. Alongside it will go green fuel production, data centres and vertical farming.

Announced on Wednesday, the whole precinct will be known as Kōwhai Park. It will be built on 400 hectares of airport land just west of the airport’s runways and terminal, and be scaled up over 30 years.

New Zealand needs a lot more renewable energy to power our future, and we’re already seeing a wave of new projects that include significant innovation and diversification of our energy sector.

However, getting projects off the ground can be a complex exercise that requires collaboration across science, engineering, construction and finance — and banks have a critical role to play in helping this happen.

An ambitious $1 billion climate action package to reduce carbon emissions and deliver more buses, ferries, cycling and walking and urban tree canopy is the signature policy in Mayor Phil Goff’s proposal for Auckland Council’s Annual Budget 2022/23, released today, 1 December 2021.

In a major new initiative aimed at fighting climate change, we’re proud to announce that by 2030 we will halve the carbon footprint of infrastructure designs and advice provided to our clients. This complements an internal science-based decarbonisation target, which will see us cut our own greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030.
THURSDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2021 – NEW ZEALAND

Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) has today reported operational emissions reductions of 50% since 2019, increased sustainable finance lending and initiatives and tools to support business customers to reduce emissions.

We know we must do better by the planet, but when will we start? As Aotearoa’s awareness of climate change and its impact increases, Stuff’s latest NowNext survey asked Kiwis how that knowledge is influencing decisions in their everyday lives. The findings shine a light on how important sustainability really is to Kiwis.

Fonterra has been working with others and partnering on innovative projects to achieve its environmental goals.

Reducing methane emissions is one of the biggest challenges facing the dairy sector and the co-op has teamed up with AgResearch to find a solution.

The result of this collaboration is Kowbucha, which has moved from Fonterra’s Research and Development Centre in Palmerston North to the farm.

Fonterra researchers have moved out of the lab and onto the farm for the next stage of trials on the company’s in-house Kowbucha project, aimed at offering a solution to livestock methane emissions.

The project has centred on developing a culture-based solution to emissions, sourced from the co-operative’s extensive library of culture strains that encompass almost 80 years of assorted cultured product strains used in cheeses and yoghurts.

Fonterra head of strategy and innovation Mark Piper says after sorting through thousands of culture strains some had been identified as having potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cows.

Craigmore Sustainables, one of the largest diversified farm management companies in Aotearoa, has secured nearly $80 million in funding from ASB in an innovative sustainability-focused deal.

The sustainable transition loan provides a pathway to develop and embed Craigmore’s sustainability strategy and targets. The company’s portfolio includes a mix of dairy, grazing, forestry and horticultural properties covering almost 20,000 hectares throughout New Zealand.Under the loan terms, Craigmore has committed to providing a robust sustainability strategy with targets and an action plan, within 12 months of drawdown.

Tairāwhiti’s first solar power plant is one step closer, with an application for resource consent lodged with Gisborne District Council this week after 12 months of development work.

Gisborne Airport is the proposed location for the 5MW plant, which is being developed by Eastland Group in partnership with Infratec NZ Limited.

The Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund has announced a $1 million funding pool to drive innovation around financing and incentivising the decarbonisation of Aotearoa.

The Innovation Fund is powered by Westpac NZ and jointly administered with the government. It runs two themed intakes per year, and applicants are invited to apply for funding to help them work towards solving key issues and challenges.

Transpower’s specialist metering and market services business Energy Market Services (EMS) today launched a new service and dashboard to track the real time carbon emissions intensity of the electricity system.