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November 19, 2025
Aotearoa just took a dive on climate change
Matthew Tukaki
Posted On November 19, 2025
Download Audio#climatechange – why Aotearoa should be embarrassed
You’ve heard of Bird of the Year, well now here is Fossil of the year and its not something we should be honoured to have! The award, presented each day of the UN climate conference by Climate Action Network International, is awarded to the country that is “doing the most to achieve the least” on climate change. The New Zealand Government recently announced that it will weaken the target for reducing methane emissions. The vast majority of methane emissions come from the livestock industry, which is New Zealand’s biggest contributor to climate change. Last week we asked the audience what they thought and 18,734 of you engaged in our Question of the day was: Is the Government doing enough on climate change? 678 of you made it very clear what your views were with more than 80% saying “no” – mind you Daniel said “Of course they are – there’s stuff being dispersed in the skies all the time! “Don’t look up”. That’s a reference to the Hollywood Movie where Earth was about to be hit by an Asteroid and there was a lot of skulduggery going on; While Llod said “When money talks, conservation stalls! Why?”
Aotearoa just took a dive on climate change
And on that front New Zealand has plummeted to 44th place out of 67 countries in the 2026 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), reflecting the Government’s extensive weakening of climate and environmental protections. The annual report, released today at COP30 in Brazil, shows New Zealand slip in the rankings, firmly labelling it as a “low performer”. The report’s most scathing assessment was for New Zealand’s Climate Policy, which received a “very low” rating.
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