Greenhouse Gas Emissions: December 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 2.0 percent, or 384 kilotonnes (kt), in the December 2024 quarter.

Figures compare December 2024 quarter with September 2024 quarter unless otherwise stated.

• Electricity, gas, water, and waste services emissions decreased 45 percent (1047 kt).
• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing emissions decreased 0.3 percent (36 kt).
• Construction emissions decreased 5.3 percent (25 kt).
• Mining emissions decreased 3.2 percent (10 kt).
• Services excluding transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased 1.5 percent (9 kt).
• Transport, postal, and warehousing emissions increased 3.1 percent (48 kt).
• Manufacturing emissions increased 5.0 percent (92 kt).
• Total household emissions increased 0.2 percent (3 kt).

Emissions intensity was 37 percent lower in the December 2024 quarter compared with the start of the emissions series, the March 2010 quarter.

Industry and household greenhouse gas emissions by gas type

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

• decreased for carbon dioxide by 4.8 percent (403 kt)
• increased for methane by 0.3 percent (27 kt)
• decreased for nitrous oxide by 0.9 percent (15 kt)
• decreased for fluorinated gases by 0.4 percent (1 kt).

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 December 2024 quarter, gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.7 percent and industry emissions, excluding households, fell 2.2 percent (379 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) was 37 percent lower in the December 2024 quarter compared with the March 2010 quarter.

Key industry changes and contributions to emissions

The table below summarises key industry contributions to total emissions in the year ended December 2024, the change in industry emissions when 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 2024 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 - DataInfo+ presents the data sources and methods used for producing all the quarterly emissions accounts, including Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): December 2024 quarter.

Technical enquiries

Adam Tipper
04 931 4944
[email protected]

ISSN 2703-5263

Next release

Greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): March 2025 quarter will be released on 22 July 2025.