Scientists are keen to discover what effect the hustle and bustle of downtown Auckland has on those who walk its streets every day.

A petrol company says it should not have to pay clean-up costs for decades of petrochemical pollution on prime waterfront land.

A law change to limit how long companies can discharge pollution into New Zealand's waterways has been shot down by a parliamentary select committee.

The current school holiday-related reduction in traffic demonstrates our roading network works well when we take cars off the road, writes Sudhvir Singh.

Commuters in Auckland and Christchurch are exposed to levels of air pollution similar to those found in other large cities around the world, a new study reveals.

A fast-growing global company which salvages non-recyclable waste items and turns them into new products is about to be launched in New Zealand.

Individually wrapped coffee servings, plastic-wrapped produce in polystyrene trays and the 180 million disposable cups Kiwis use a year are choking our landfills unnecessarily.

Scientists are trying to solve the mystery cause of persistent high levels of water pollution at some of Auckland's west coast beaches.

If you're worried about dressing ethically, chances are you think about sweatshop conditions in developing countries, writes Tullia Jack.

Up close, after it has travelled more than 300km, the Waikato River is so muddy that you cannot see your feet if you are standing just knee-deep beside its banks.

New Zealand is perfectly positioned to road-test the next generation of ultra sustainable "green cars", which could play a crucial role in our future, a visiting US innovator says.

Godwits fly here every year from Alaska, but new developments in China threaten their route. How many will be back? A new book reveals the threat to their continued globe-spanning migration.

Wanganui residents are fed up with the "disgusting" foul stench coming from the city's water treatment plant, but know it will be a while before the problem is fixed.

Hu Li's heart sank when she realised that she could gauge how close she was to home by the colour of the air.

Lime will be spread over Wanganui's wastewater treatment ponds from today to try and stifle the foul odour coming from the plant and drifting across most of the city.

International wastewater experts Cardno BTO are in Wanganui to look at ways of reducing the smell from the city's water plant.

People feel uncomfortable seeing discarded plastic bags out of place, such as in the landscape, writes Al Gillespie. Plastic bags are virtually without substance.

International wastewater experts will be in Wanganui today to begin looking into whether the city's wastewater treatment plant can be saved.

The foul-smelling black sludge clogging up the river mouth at a Northland beach is not human or animal effluent, but it's still not a good idea to swim in the area, officials say.

A beachgoer is disgusted with the state of one of Auckland's top beaches, after it was left with so much rubbish on the sand it resembled "a dump".

People are being warned to protect themselves and their dogs against toxic algae in Masterton's Waipoua River after levels increased.

Some of Wanganui's largest businesses could be temporarily shut down if the Wanganui District Council receives an expected abatement notice from Horizons Regional Council.