New Zealand emission factors 2026 (Ministry for the Environment)
The Ministry for the Environment's 2026 emission factors for organisations in New Zealand: electricity (0.07866 kg CO2e per kWh in 2025, every year back to 2010), fuels, travel, freight, waste and water. Each page has a calculator, the CO2, methane and nitrous oxide split, and a worked example.
The figures come from Measuring emissions: A guide for organisations, published by the Ministry for the Environment (now part of the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport). We hold the 2026 guide (version 2), so apart from electricity each page shows that one edition. For the grid in other countries, see electricity factors by country; for UK activity, see the UK government factors.
Reporting UK and New Zealand sites together? Carbon Recycling works out each line of your bills, mileage and travel and writes your reports.
Electricity and fuels
| Factor | Headline figure for | kg CO2e | Per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | electricity used from New Zealand's grid (2025) | 0.07866 | kWh |
| Natural gas | natural gas burned for commercial use | 0.1954 | kWh |
| Diesel | diesel used in vehicles | 2.672 | litre |
| Petrol | regular petrol | 2.361 | litre |
| LPG | LPG burned for commercial use | 2.972 | kg |
| Fuel oil | light fuel oil burned for commercial use | 2.971 | litre |
| Coal | coal burned for commercial use, where the type is not known (the default) | 2.088 | kg |
| Aviation fuel | aviation fuel (jet kerosene) | 2.519 | litre |
Travel and staff
| Factor | Headline figure for | kg CO2e | Per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working from home | a day of working from home with heating | 0.8161 | employee day |
| Taxi | a regular taxi | 0.159 | km |
| Domestic flights | a domestic flight (national average, without radiative forcing) | 0.1159 | passenger-km |
| International flights | a long-haul international flight (average passenger, without radiative forcing) | 0.09043 | passenger-km |
| Bus, train and ferry | travel by bus (average bus) | 0.1449 | passenger-km |
Freight
| Factor | Headline figure for | kg CO2e | Per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road freight | freight carried by road (all trucks) | 0.135 | tonne-km |
Waste and water
| Factor | Headline figure for | kg CO2e | Per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste to landfill | general waste sent to a landfill without gas recovery | 0.6353 | kg |
| Water and wastewater | water supply | 0.03776 | m3 |
Our other New Zealand electricity page shows Ember's independent lifecycle estimate per kWh generated; the Ministry's factor here is the official figure per kWh used.
Source: Ministry for the Environment. 2026. Measuring emissions: A guide for organisations: 2026 emission factors (version 2). Crown copyright, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Carbon Recycling is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Ministry.