Environmental Reporting Data

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "Ocean acidification" indicator (available at  www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/ocean-acidification).

This data set measures the pH at selected coastal sites via the New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NZOA-ON) from 2015 to 2021.

Ocean acidification describes the long-term decrease in the pH of our oceans and coastal waters. This indicator measures:

• pH at selected coastal sites (New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network, NZOA-ON) from 2015 to 2021.

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More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.

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Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "Ocean acidification" indicator (available at  www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/ocean-acidification).

This data set measures the change in pH in subantarctic surface waters at a station east of Otago from 1998 to 2020.

Ocean acidification describes the long-term decrease in the pH of our oceans and coastal waters. This indicator measures:

• change in pH, acidity and pCO2 (a measure of dissolved carbon dioxide) in New Zealand’s subantarctic surface waters (Munida Transect) from 1998 to 2020.

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More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.

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Note that this is a large dataset so is provided as a shapefile, and will need a GIS application to view.

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "River water quality: phosphorus" indicator (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-p...).

Phosphorus in river waters is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New Zealand’s river water quality and how it is changing over time. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants and is a natural component of healthy rivers. Agricultural and urban land use, and infrastructure such as wastewater treatments plants, can add more phosphorus to waterways, which can increase algae growth and biomass. This in turn causes deterioration of river habitats.

This dataset includes:

• concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) modelled for New Zealand’s river length, expressed as percentiles for the period of 2016–2020

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf. Summary report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea...

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Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the “River water quality: Nitrogen” indicator, (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-n...).

Nitrogen in river waters is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New Zealand’s river water quality and how it is changing over time. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants and algae. Some nutrient supply is a natural component of healthy rivers, but agricultural and urban land use, and infrastructure such as wastewater treatment plants, can add more nitrogen to waterways. Too much nitrogen can lead to excessive growth of algae, which can deteriorate river habitats. In very high concentrations, some forms of nitrogen, including nitrate-nitrogen and ammoniacal nitrogen, can be toxic to aquatic life.

This dataset shows:

• concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), nitrate-nitrite-nitrogen (NNN) and ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4N) modelled for New Zealand’s river length, expressed as percentiles for the period 2016–2020

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.

Summary report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea...

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "River water quality: clarity and turbidity" indicator (available atwww.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-c...).

This dataset contains two attributes of water quality based on measurements made at monitored river sites:

• Clarity
• Turbidity

Clarity and turbidity in river waters is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New Zealand’s river water quality and how it is changing over time.

This dataset includes:

• clarity and turbidity as modelled median values for New Zealand’s river length for the period 2016–2020

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.

Summary report available atenvironment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea... .

Note that this is a large dataset so is provided as a shapefile, and will need a GIS application to view.

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "River water quality: Escherichia coli" indicator (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-e...).

This dataset contains one parameter of water quality based on modelled data for rivers:

• Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli in river waters is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New Zealand’s river water quality and how it is changing over time.

This dataset includes:

• E. coli concentrations modelled for New Zealand’s river segments without monitor sites for the period 2016–2020

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.

Summary report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea....

Note that this is a large dataset so is provided as a shapefile, and will need a GIS application to view.

Note that this is a large dataset so is provided as a shapefile, and will need a GIS application to view.

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "River water quality: macroinvertebrate community index" indicator (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-m...).

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Benthic macroinvertebrates are small animals without backbones (for example, insects and worms). They live on and under submerged logs, rocks, and aquatic plants on the beds of rivers and streams during some part of their life cycle. Macroinvertebrates play a central role in stream ecosystems by feeding on periphyton (algae), macrophytes (aquatic plants), dead leaves and wood, or on each other. In turn, they are an important food source for fish and birds.

The macroinvertebrate community index (MCI) is used as an indicator of water quality and overall stream health. It is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New Zealand’s river water quality and how it is changing over time. This data shows:

• MCI scores as modelled median values for New Zealand’s river length for the period 2016–2020

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf. Summary report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea....

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "Wetland area" indicator (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/wetland-area).

This dataset measures change in wetland area in New Zealand from 1996 to 2018. We report on net change in wetland area for New Zealand and by region. When a wetland is lost or gained, we also show how the underlying landcover might have changed as this can provide insights into what is causing the loss or gain in wetlands.

Wetlands are taonga, supporting high levels of biodiversity, and contribute vital ecological functions. They provide habitat and breeding grounds for taonga species including indigenous invertebrates, plants, fish (for example, kōkopu and tuna (eels)), and bird species (for example, mātātā (fernbird)), many of which live only in wetlands. Wetlands act as ‘kidneys’ and giant sponges – they clean the water of excess nutrients and sediment, control flood water and pollutants, and act as carbon sinks (removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). Wetlands have strong cultural, economic, and spiritual importance for Māori. They are a key source of mātauranga (knowledge), material and resources for mahinga kai (traditional food resources), rongoā (traditional Māori medicine), raranga (weaving), and whakairo (carving).

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf. Summary report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea....

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "River water quality: macroinvertebrate community index" indicator (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-m...).

Benthic macroinvertebrates are small animals without backbones (for example, insects and worms). They live on and under submerged logs, rocks, and aquatic plants on the beds of rivers and streams during some part of their life cycle. Macroinvertebrates play a central role in stream ecosystems by feeding on periphyton (algae), macrophytes (aquatic plants), dead leaves and wood, or on each other. In turn, they are an important food source for fish and birds.

The macroinvertebrate community index (MCI) is used as an indicator of water quality and overall stream health. It is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New Zealand’s River water quality and how it is changing over time. This data shows:

• trends in median MCI scores for the 10-year period from 2011 to 2020, the 20-year period from 2001 to 2020, and the 30-year period from 1991 to 2020.

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf. Summary report available atenvironment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea... .

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the indicators: "Extinction threat to indigenous freshwater species", "Extinction threat to indigenous land species", and "Extinction threat to indigenous marine species" (available atwww.stats.govt.nz/indicators/extinction-threat-to-... , www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/extinction-threat-to-..., www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/extinction-threat-to-...).

We report on the extinction threat to indigenous, resident, living species that have been assessed by expert panels under the ++New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS)++.

Many of New Zealand’s indigenous freshwater, land, and marine species are endemic – found nowhere else in the world – and are our national taonga (treasure). New Zealand species make a significant contribution to global biodiversity, which is important for ecosystem processes and resilience, culture, and recreation. Indigenous taonga species (species of cultural significance) have particular importance to Māori, whose mātauranga (knowledge systems), tikanga (cultural practice), and mahinga kai (traditional food resources) are dependent on the wellbeing of indigenous species. Understanding the status of indigenous species provides vital information for New Zealand conservation and kaitiaki decision-making.

More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf. Summary report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotea....