A official government report released Wednesday says greenhouse gas concentrations over New Zealand have reached record highs, with carbon dioxide up 30% since monitoring began in 1972 and methane at its highest level yet. The Our Atmosphere and Climate 2026 report, produced by the environment ministry (Mcert) and Stats NZ, notes the country has warmed 1.36C since 1909 and that its roughly 3,000 glaciers have shrunk from 56 to 30 cubic kilometres in volume between 1997 and 2023. It warns that more frequent heatwaves, warming seas and further glacier losses of up to 100% by 2100 under high-emission scenarios could strain communities, native species and the economy.