The government’s fossil fuel folly
The following is an op-ed I wrote which ran in The Post on April 7th 2026. It’s not often a government’s chickens come home to roost so quickly, let alone within a single term. But here we are.
Fuel supplies are strangled by a war halfway across the world, revealing the folly of a system so reliant on fossil fuels.…
29 Comments We already have a plan for the fuel crisis
The world’s fuel situation is becoming clear, and it’s beginning to feel a lot like early 2020, where an incoming crisis is looming on the horizon.
America’s war in Iran has resulted in a drastic cut in fossil fuel supply from the Middle East.…
What Should We Do?
Or rather:
What We Should Do…
…about the maybe imminent – but always possible – imported liquid fuels crisis.
And by “we”, I mean the New Zealand Government, whose job this is.
First, and above all: we should think and act strategically, not just reactively.…
“Splashing out” on climate resilience?
On Saturday, an online headline in the NZ Herald hollered: “Auckland Council’s $3.9 billion splurge: Where buyouts, tunnels and a busway took the cash.”
A shorter version graced the print edition wrapper: “BIG SPENDERS: Auckland’s $3.9b infrastructure splurge.”
Right next to “Early warning signs: Missed chances to clear Mt Maunganui campground revealed.”…
How to buy a home in a warming world
This is a guest post from Wellington-based Kasey McDonnell, which originally appeared on their blog threesixtysix,. It is republished here with kind permission.
Kasey’s story is grounded in Whanganui-a-Tara examples, but of course we’re keen to hear from our readers with similar experiences in Tåmaki Makaurau.…
Electric cars aren’t a climate solution
This guest post by Tim Adriaansen, an advocate for accessibility and sustainable transport, originally published on LinkedIn and cross posted here with permission. Electric cars aren’t a climate solution.
So why do they keep popping up as a focus for climate action, everywhere from government advisors to environmental advocacy groups?…
Time to get off the gas
With energy policy and the cost of power in the headlines this week, here’s a timely guest post by regular reader, and freelance Business Analyst specialising in pricing and operations management, Stephen Reynolds. (Header image: Wikimedia, CC-BY-SA4.0) Many New Zealanders view exhausting our fossil fuel reserves as inevitable and enabling us to move on from the emissions they generate.…
How to fill Council’s climate leadership vacuum
This is a guest post by Heidi O’Callahan, about one way to improve the sorry state of climate leadership in Auckland.
For a frank and fair assessment of where Auckland is at, have a read of the Committee for Auckland’s recent report The State of the City, as covered by Patrick here.…
Why you won’t hear me advocate for electric cars
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate. I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to electric cars.…
When Should You Consider Retreat? – The Sooner the Better
This is a guest post by Waitematā local board member Dr Alex Bonham, about the Auckland Council’s Shoreline Adaption Plans. Currently consultation is open for the Auckland Central & Ōrākei to Karaka Bay SAPs until December 18th. If the sea bowls through your front door, through the house and onto your back lawn, leaving your home and belongings unsalvageable, you would retreat.…
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