Greenhouse Gas Emissions: March 2024 Quarter

The quarterly greenhouse gas emissions account provides timely estimates of New Zealand’s gross production-based emissions, using estimates from the annual greenhouse gas emissions by industry and household account and indicators to estimate emissions on a quarterly basis.

Key facts

Seasonally adjusted total emissions were down 2.7 percent, or 541 kilotonnes (kt), in the March 2024 quarter. Figures compare March 2024 quarter with December 2023 quarter unless otherwise stated.

• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing emissions decreased 1.4 percent (154 kt). This was primarily driven by a decrease in agricultural emissions.
• Manufacturing emissions decreased 4.0 percent (88 kt).
• Construction emissions decreased 12 percent (58 kt).
• Services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing emissions decreased 1.1 percent (6 kt).
• Mining emissions increased 1.2 percent (4 kt).
• Total household emissions increased 0.6 percent (12 kt). Total household emissions were largely driven by heating/cooling emissions, which were up 5.7 percent (10 kt). Household transport emissions were up 0.1 percent (3 kt), and emissions from other household sources were down 0.5 percent (0.3 kt).
• Transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased 0.9 percent (15 kt).
• Electricity, gas, water, and waste services emissions increased 7.7 percent (126 kt). This was driven by an increase in the use of natural gas for electricity generation in the March 2024 quarter.
• Emissions intensity was 35.0 percent lower in the March 2024 quarter compared with the March 2010 quarter.

Industry and household greenhouse gas emissions by gas type

Between the December 2023 and March 2024 quarters, seasonally adjusted emissions (for all industries and households):

• decreased for carbon dioxide by 253 kt (2.9 percent)
• decreased for methane by 136 kt (1.4 percent)
• decreased for nitrous oxide by 17 kt (1.1 percent)
• increased for fluorinated gases by 5 kt (1.4 percent).

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions largely come from primary industries (such as agriculture and mining).

Goods-producing industries such as manufacturing, construction, and electricity, gas, water, and waste services, were the largest contributors to carbon dioxide and fluorinated gas emissions.

Note: Emissions from methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases are expressed in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e). Seasonally adjusted emissions values are not additive and therefore do not sum to the total for all industries and households.

Emissions and GDP

In the March 2024 quarter, gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.2 percent and industry emissions, excluding households, fell 2.9 percent (531 kt).

The relationship between emissions and GDP over time depends on several factors, including the composition of the economy and the emissions intensities of industries. The overall emissions intensity of the New Zealand economy (that is, industry emissions/GDP) is 35.0 percent lower in the March 2024 quarter compared with the March 2010 quarter.

Annual emissions – year to March 2024

Total annual emissions rose 0.5 percent (396 kt) over the year to March 2024 when compared with the year to March 2023.

In the year to March 2024, the upward drivers were:

• transport, postal, and warehousing (up 1,116 kt or 20 percent)
• electricity, gas, water, and waste services (up 227 kt or 3.4 percent)
• households (up 40 kt or 0.5 percent)
• manufacturing (up 22 kt or 0.2 percent).

In the year to March 2024, the downward drivers were:

• agriculture, forestry, and fishing (down 839 kt or 1.9 percent)
• services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing (down 157 kt or 6.1 percent)
• construction (down 11 kt or 0.6 percent)
• mining (down 2 kt or 0.1 percent).

The most significant contributors to the 0.5 percent increase in the year ended March 2024 were the transport, postal, and warehousing industry, and the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industry.

Annual emissions from the transport, postal, and warehousing industry have increased 20 percent (1,116 kt) since the year ended March 2023, but remain 6.0 percent (422 kt) below the annual peak of 7,011 kt in the year ended March 2019.

Emissions from the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industry were up 3.4 percent, or 227 kt, in the year ended March 2024.

The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry had the biggest annual decrease of 839 kt or 1.9 percent, largely due to decreases from agriculture. The annual emissions from this industry are down 6.0 percent or 2,776 kt from their peak in the year ended March 2014.

Key industry contributions to emissions and average changes since year ended March 2011

The table below summarises key industry contributions to total emissions in the year ended March 2024, the change in industry emissions when compared with year ended March 2010 levels, and the average annual growth rates implied by those changes in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e).

Key industry contributions to emissions and average changes since year ended March 2011

Industry and households				YE March 2024		YE March 2011 – YE March 2024
		December 2023 quarter change (updated) (%)	March 2024 quarter change (%)	Contribution to total (% of total)	Annual change (%)	Average annual change (%)	Absolute change (kt)
		CO2-e
Primary industries		0.6	-1.3	56.0	-1.9	-0.3	1,886
	Agriculture, forestry, and fishing	0.6	-1.4	54.4	-1.9	-0.1	733
	Mining	9.5	1.2	1.6	-0.1	-4.8	1,152
Goods-producing industries		-2.3	-6.0	21.9	1.4	-1.4	3,448
	Manufacturing	-2.9	-4.0	11.0	0.2	-1.1	1,331
	Electricity, gas, water, and waste services	-18.1	7.7	8.6	3.4	-2.6	2,801
	Construction	-0.7	-12.3	2.3	-0.6	3.7	684
Service industries		-2.2	0.3	11.4	11.9	-0.03	40
	Transport, postal, and warehousing	-2.6	0.9	8.3	20.4	0.5	443
	Services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing	-3.1	-1.1	3.1	-6.1	-1.4	484
Total all industries		0.1	-2.9	89.3	0.5	-0.6	5,374
Households		3.0	0.6	10.7	0.5	0.5	507
Total		0.4	-2.7	NA	0.5	-0.5	4,866
Note: December 2023 quarter and March 2024 quarter percentage changes are seasonally adjusted. All calculations are done using carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2-e). Contribution to emissions is based on the March 2024 year. kt – kilotonnes; YE – year ended; NA – not applicable Source: Stats NZ

Definitions and metadata

gives information on the methodology underlying the data and outlines revisions made in this release.

presents the data sources and methods used for producing all the quarterly emissions accounts, including Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): March 2024 quarter.

Technical enquiries

Adam Tipper

ISSN 2703-5263

Next release

Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): June 2024 quarter will be released on 22 October 2024.