Stories by Kate Gudsell

West Coast councils are lobbying the government to exclude the region from its mining ban on conservation land stating economic development would ultimately suffer.

A petition to ban bottom trawling on underwater mountains has amassed 20,000 signatures in one week.

The goal of becoming predator free in 30 years could be hampered by conflicts, inadequate planning and uncertainty, a report warns.

The government's move to tackle climate change is being characterised as hopeful but flawed.

The most comprehensive report on the global state of biodiversity to date has found one million species are threatened with extinction.

A part of the world's largest ice shelf - Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica - is melting ten times faster than the rest of it, and water heated by the sun is responsible, a study shows. Audio

Experts say serious marine issues such as fish stocks, bycatch, and marine habitat destruction are glossed over in the country's latest environmental report card from the government.

The government's state of the environment report shows fertile land for food production is under threat as more lifestyle blocks are developed on the fringes of urban areas.

The government's report on the state of the environment estimates the economic losses associated with soil erosion and landslides is at least $250 to $300 million a year.

A bleak picture of the state of New Zealand's environment has been painted by the government's official report, Environment Aotearoa 2019.

Councils around the country will be looking to the Greater Wellington Regional Council as it plans for an erosion buffer zone and relocates buildings as part of a retreat from the Kāpiti Coast.

The rules governing forestry are too light and need to be reviewed, environmental groups say.

Forty percent of New Zealanders rely on groundwater for their drinking supply, but scientists say they don't properly understand the crucial resource and need more funding.

The West Coast Regional Council is considering removing the Waiho River's stopbanks at Franz Josef and letting it revert to its old flood plain.

Pressure is piling on the Thames Coromandel District Council to sign a declaration on climate change after figures revealing ratepayers could end up forking out millions of dollars to replace…

A man who moved his family to this country from the United States to be safer says the Christchurch mosque attacks have "left an indelible mark in the history of New Zealand".

The president of Local Government New Zealand says its climate change declaration is purely aspirational and no one is being pressured into signing up.

A push to get local authorities to sign up to a declaration on climate change is "politically charged and driven", Sandra Goudie says. Audio

A council has stamped a flooding hazard notice on a retirement village despite giving it the go ahead to build a new apartment block just a year-and-a-half before.

A large North Canterbury irrigation scheme is being allowed to exceed recommended levels of nitrate in the water, potentially for years. Audio

The West Coast Regional Council wants more scientific evidence to prove human-driven climate change is happening before it will commit to reducing emissions.

More than 80 percent of New Zealanders want tougher rules protecting rivers and lakes from pollution, a new survey has found. Video

Nearly 50 people in the last three years have contracted a severe syndrome which can be deadly and is linked to a bacteria detected in Canterbury rivers. Audio

Scientific testing of three rivers in Canterbury has revealed strains of a severe pathogen which can cause kidney failure and, possibly for the first time, antibiotic resistant E. coli.

A review of the law which governs how DNA is used in criminal investigations has raised the possibility of a databank which would hold every New Zealander's DNA.