Greenhouse Gas Emissions: December 2025 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, for all industries and households, were nearly unchanged in the December 2025 quarter, with a 0.05 percent, or 9 kilotonnes (kt), increase of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Figures compare the December 2025 quarter with the September 2025 quarter, unless otherwise stated.

• Transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased 2.0 percent (36 kt).
• Services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased 2.8 percent (16 kt).
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing emissions increased 0.04 percent (4 kt).
• Total household emissions decreased 0.2 percent (5 kt).
• Total household emissions were largely driven by emissions from transport, which were down 0.3 percent (6 kt). Emissions from heating/cooling were up 0.1 percent (0.1 kt), and other household sources were up 1.7 percent (1 kt).
• Mining emissions decreased 8.2 percent (20 kt).
• Construction emissions decreased 4.6 percent (23 kt).
• Manufacturing emissions decreased 7.8 percent (157 kt).
• Electricity, gas, water, and waste services emissions decreased 34.8 percent (491 kt).

Industry and household greenhouse gas emissions by gas type

Between the September 2025 and December 2025 quarters, seasonally adjusted emissions (for all industries and households):

• decreased for carbon dioxide by 59 kt (0.7 percent)
• increased for methane by 4 kt (0.0 percent)
• increased for nitrous oxide by 1 kt (0.1 percent)
• decreased for fluorinated gases by 1 kt (0.3 percent).

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

Primary industries such as agriculture and mining were the main drivers for methane and nitrous oxide 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.

Industry greenhouse gas emissions

In the December 2025 quarter, seasonally adjusted emissions for all industries were up 0.2 percent, or 35 kilotonnes (kt).

The main contributors to this increase were:

• the transport, postal, and warehousing industries (up 2.0 percent, or 36 kt)
• the services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing industries (up 2.8 percent, or 16 kt)
• the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries (up 0.04 percent, or 4 kt), due to higher emissions from the forestry, fishing, and support services to agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries (up 1.9 percent, or 4 kt).

Emissions from the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industries were down 34.8 percent (491 kt) in the December 2025 quarter. This decrease was primarily driven by lower emissions from electricity generation and gas supply industries (down 61.5 percent, or 489 kt).

Quarterly emissions from the manufacturing industry decreased 7.8 percent (157 kt) in the December 2025 quarter compared with the September 2025 quarter.

The main contributors to this decrease were:

• the food, beverage, and tobacco product manufacturing industry (down 10.9 percent, or 81 kt)
• the wood and paper products manufacturing and printing industry (down 10.6 percent, or 16 kt).

Industry emissions and GDP

In the December 2025 quarter, industry emissions increased 0.2 percent (35 kt) and gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.2 percent.

The overall emissions intensity of the New Zealand economy (industry emissions/GDP) was 38.2 percent lower in the December 2025 quarter compared with the March 2010 quarter.

The relationship between emissions and GDP over time is influenced by several factors, such as the structure of the economy and the emissions intensities of industries.

Annual emissions - year ended December 2025

Total annual emissions fell 2.3 percent (1,765 kt) in the year ended December 2025, compared with the year ended December 2024. Total emissions were the lowest annual total for a December year since the time series began in 2010.

In the year ended December 2025, the downwards drivers were:

• electricity, gas, water, and waste services (down 14.1 percent, or 968 kt)
• manufacturing (down 5.3 percent, or 430 kt)
• households (down 1.9 percent, or 163 kt)
• mining (down 11.6 percent, or 125 kt)
• construction (down 3.3 percent, or 65 kt)
• agriculture, forestry, and fishing (down 0.0 percent, or 19 kt)
• services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing (down 0.5 percent, or 12 kt).

In the year ended December 2025, the upwards driver was:

• transport, postal, and warehousing (up 0.3 percent, or 17 kt).

Electricity, gas, water, and waste services and manufacturing were the main contributors to the 2.3 percent drop in total annual emissions over the year ended December 2025.

Emissions from the electricity, gas, water, and waste services industry were down 14.1 percent, or 968 kt, in the year ended December 2025. Annual emissions from this industry were 41.5 percent (4,183 kt) below the annual peak of 10,080 kilotonnes in year ended December 2012.

The manufacturing industry emissions decrease of 5.3 percent, or 430 kt, was largely driven by the reduction in emissions from the food, beverage, and tobacco product manufacturing industry, which decreased 8.1 percent, or 239 kt. The annual emissions from manufacturing were down 35.7 percent, or 4,225 kt, from their peak in the year ended December 2014. Annual emissions from manufacturing were at their lowest level in the year ended December 2025.

Annual emissions from households decreased 1.9 percent, or 163 kt. This decrease was largely from household transport, down 1.3 percent, or 98 kt.

Key industry changes and contributions to emissions

The table below summarises key industry contributions to total emissions in year ended December 2025, the change in industry emissions compared with year ended December 2010 levels, and the average annual growth rates implied by those changes in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-e).

Definitions and metadata

Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): December 2025 quarter - DataInfo+ gives information on the methodology underlying the data and outlines revisions made in this release.

Quarterly greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Sources and methods presents the data sources and methods used for producing all the quarterly emissions accounts, including Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): December 2025 quarter.

Technical enquiries

Adam Tipper
[email protected]
04 931 4944

ISSN 2703-5263

Next release

Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): March 2026 quarter will be released on 22 July 2026.