The Government has opened consultation on proposed updates to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) settings and regulations.

The latest Energy Quarterly data release from the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) shows renewables generated 94.5% of all electricity in the March 2026 quarter, up from 83.2% in the same quarter last year.

The Government has released its formal response to the independent National Infrastructure Plan, setting out how it will respond to the Infrastructure Commission’s sixteen recommendations.

EDS has lodged a submission supporting Fisheries New Zealand’s proposals for stronger protections for Hauraki Gulf shellfish across the Auckland-Coromandel region.

The Government has introduced legislation to change New Zealand’s outdated environmental reporting regime and improve decision-making on the country’s environmental considerations.

This edition comes at an important point in the transition to New Zealand’s new planning system. Work is underway to build a more effective, nationally consistent system that supports housing and infrastructure, while protecting what matters to New Zealanders – including our natural environment.

The Government has approved the following new national environmental standards as part of the Resource Management Act 1991 National Direction Programme.

The Climate Change Commission is inviting evidence and insights to inform an update of its 2024 advice on emissions budgets.

The Government has proactively released Cabinet papers on simplifying local government (5 May 2026), which reveal that decisions regarding the national environmental regulator will be delayed until the next Parliamentary term.

The Environment Court has directed Waikato Regional Council to make 20 specific changes to finalise a landmark plan to improve water quality in the Waikato and Waipā rivers.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment provided comment to the Department of Conservation on a proposed land exchange related to the Tukituki Water Security Project in the Hawke’s Bay region made under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 (FTAA).

MfE has published documents relating to the system transformation work programme that replaces the RMA.