The Government has announced its strong support for a global initiative to promote storage of carbon dioxide underground.
The Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee says New Zealand has become a founding member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, which was set up in Australia on Thursday.
The aim of the technology is to pump carbon dioxide produced by combustion into depleted gas or oil pockets under the earth, to prevent it getting into the atmosphere and increasing climate change.
Mr Brownlee's decision contrasts with the stance of the previous Labour Government which said carbon capture and storage was unproven and uneconomic.