Wellington, May 21 NZPA - Government plans to allow mining on seven areas of the Coromandel Peninsula threaten to deal a "devastating blow" to the critically endangered Archey's frogs, says a conservation expert.

Wellington, May 3 NZPA - The Government is not racing into a decision about whether to mine areas of conservation land, Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee says.

Wellington, Nov 23 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key has dismissed as a photo opportunity December's United Nations conference in Copenhagen aimed at clinching a new global climate deal.

Wellington, Nov 18 NZPA - Lucy Lawless and Jim Salinger only got as far as the Beehive front desk when attempting to give Prime Minister John Key a boarding pass to Copenhagen today.

Wellington, Nov 18 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key will be offered $4781 by Lucy Lawless and Jim Salinger today in an attempt to get him to a climate change conference in Denmark next month.

Wellington, Aug 6 NZPA - Prime Minister John Key says he is "more than happy" to have a chat with Whale Rider star and climate change campaigner Keisha Castle-Hughes. Labour is calling on Mr Key to apologise for saying she should stick to acting.

Wellington, Aug 6 NZPA - Labour is calling on Prime Minister John Key to apologise for saying Whale Rider star Keisha Castle-Hughes should stick to acting.

Over the weekend, Climate Change Minister Nick Smith told TVNZ's 'Q and A' programme that he thought that the 40 percent carbon emissions reduction target was not achievable and far too expensive. Instead he wants New Zealand to sign onto a lesser target of around 25% by the year 2050.