Soils Data

"This data records estimated erosion risk for different areas in the North Island.

New Zealand experiences high rates of soil erosion. In the North Island, this is mostly due to the historical clearance of forest for agriculture (see also Estimated long-term soil erosion). In contrast, erosion in the South Island is mostly due to natural processes, primarily high rainfall and steep mountain slopes.
Highly erodible land comprises land at risk of landsliding, gullying, or earthflow erosion if it does not have protective woody vegetation (Dymond et al, 2006). Landsliding occurs on steep slopes where the soils do not have the support of tree roots.
Gullying and earthflow erosion can occur on all slopes, irrespective of steepness, but the land is only considered at risk if it does not have woody vegetation.
Landslide erosion is the shallow (approximately 1m) and sudden failure of soil slopes during storm rainfall. Gully erosion is massive soil erosion that begins at gully heads and expands up hillsides, over decadal time scales. Earthflow erosion is the slow downward movement (approximately 1m/year) of wet soil slopes towards waterways.

This data set relates to the "Estimated highly erodible land in the North Island" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website."

Some areas of New Zealand’s North Island are classified as highly erodible land. They have steep slopes and are at high risk of mass soil movement due to the absence of woody vegetation cover with deep roots to hold the soil in place. This can lead to soil erosion. It is important to identify areas of land at risk of severe erosion to inform land use decisions and help prioritise soil conservation work.

This dataset relates to the "Estimated highly erodible land in the North Island" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Soil erosion reduces the productive capacity of land. Sediment entering waterways affects water quality, storage capacity, and biodiversity. Soil erosion in the North Island is primarily due to the historical clearance of forest on steep slopes for pastoral agriculture. South Island soil erosion is primarily due to high rainfall and steep mountainous terrain.

Column headings:
vol_tkm2yr = volume of soil lost per year measured in tonnes per square kilometer

This dataset relates to the "Estimated long-term soil erosion" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Soil erosion reduces the productive capacity of land. Sediment entering waterways affects water quality, storage capacity, and biodiversity. Soil erosion in the North Island is primarily due to the historical clearance of forest on steep slopes for pastoral agriculture. South Island soil erosion is primarily due to high rainfall and steep mountainous terrain.

Column headings:
vol_t_yr = volume of sediment entering wayerways each year measured in tonnes

This dataset relates to the "Estimated long-term soil erosion" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

DATA SOURCE: Fertiliser Association of New Zealand

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency

Dataset used to develop the "Fertilisers phosphorus and nitrogen applied" indicator [available at statisticsnz.shinyapps.io/farm_fertiliser_applied_...]

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This indicator measures the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus-based fertiliser (Urea, diammonium phosphate, superphosphate and ammonium sulphate) applied to agricultural land from 2002 to 2019 by region and dominant farm type.

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.

"This data describes the location of the different types of soil in New Zealand using the New Zealand Soil Classification.

This data set relates to the "Soils" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website."

High-class land is the most productive land for growing food. It supports most crops across New Zealand. Expanding lifestyle blocks and urban areas reduces the availability of high-class land for commercial crop growing, and this land is unlikely to be returned to primary production. This affects our commercial food-production capacity.

Column headings:
area_kha = area of land measured in kilohectares (ie multiply by 1000 to get hectares)

This dataset relates to the "High-class land for food production" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

high-class land is the most productive land for growing food. It supports most crops across New Zealand. Expanding lifestyle blocks and urban areas reduces the availability of high-class land for commercial crop growing, and this land is unlikely to be returned to primary production. This affects our commercial food-production capacity.

Column headings:
area_kha = area of land measured in kilohectares (ie multiply by 1000 to get hectares)

This dataset relates to the "High-class land for food production" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

The data identifies five classes of land in New Zealand at risk of erosion:

1. high landslide risk – delivery to stream
2. high landslide risk – non-delivery to steam
3. moderate earthflow risk
4. severe earthflow risk
5. gully risk

Landslide erosion is the shallow (approximately 1m) and sudden failure of soil slopes during storm rainfall. Earthflow erosion is the slow downward movement (approximately 1m/year) of wet soil slopes towards waterways. Gully erosion is massive soil erosion that begins at gully heads and expands up hillsides over decadal time scales.

Erosion can have negative consequences on land productivity, water quality (via increased sedimentation and turbidity), the natural form of the land, and infrastructure.

New Zealand experiences high rates of soil erosion. In the North Island, this is mostly due to the historical clearance of forest for agriculture (see also Estimated long-term soil erosion). In contrast, erosion in the South Island is mostly due to natural processes, primarily high rainfall and steep mountain slopes.

It is important to identify areas of land at risk of severe erosion to inform land-use decisions and help prioritise regional soil conservation work.

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.