Land Tables

Land use that results in a change from indigenous to exotic cover can cause biodiversity loss and reduce functioning of ecosystems. Using more land for agriculture, forestry, and urbanisation is the main driver reducing indigenous land cover across New Zealand.

Column headings:
area_ha = area of land cover measured in hectares

This dataset relates to the "Land use" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Dominant land uses in New Zealand include conservation (eg national and forestry parks), forestry (eg for timber resources/wood supply), urban (eg built up areas and open parkland), and agriculture and horticulture. Each land use places different pressures on the land and on receiving environments such as waterways. These pressures can be both positive (eg increased productivity) and negative (eg biodiversity loss and reduced functioning of ecosystems).

This measure reports on agricultural and horticultural land uses by region.

Livestock farming is a widespread land use in New Zealand and contributes to our economy. High livestock numbers and the distribution of livestock across land environments can affect indigenous biodiversity and soil health (eg compaction). High livestock numbers and density in some land environments can also affect water quality, as nitrogen and bacteria from urine and faeces can leach into groundwater or run off the land into rivers and lakes.

We measure changes in the numbers of farmed livestock (eg beef and dairy cattle, deer, and sheep) across regions in New Zealand.

Soil supports the productivity of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, and filters water to help prevent waterways from becoming contaminated. Different land uses put pressure on the land environment and can change soil quality. Soil quality is assessed under four different groups of land uses: forestry, cropping and horticulture, dairy, and dry stock by measuring the following soil properties: acidity (pH), fertility (Olsen P), organic reserves (total carbon, total nitrogen, mineralisable nitrogen), and physical status (macroporosity and bulk density). Soil scientists have identified the target range for each of these indicators, for maintaining production but with a prime focus for managing risk to the environment.

This measure reports on soil quality, by land use and soil order.

Farm size describes the area of large commercial properties (registered for goods and services tax) that farm crops and/or livestock. It is important to measure the extent of these agricultural activities because their size influences the extent of their impacts on soil health and water quality.

Column headings:
area_ha = total area of farming activity measured in hectares

This dataset relates to the "Farm size" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Land cover describes the extent of vegetation, water bodies, built environments, and bare natural surfaces (eg gravel and rock) across New Zealand. Measuring the composition of and changes in land cover can help us understand the pressures that different land uses are placing on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems.

This measure reports on land cover by class, regional council area, and year.

For more information on the Landcover Database please refer to: lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/48423-lcdb-v41-land-cover...

Farm numbers describes the number of large commercial properties (registered for goods and services tax) that farm crops and/or livestock. It is important to measure the number of large farms involved in these agricultural activities because their extent determines their impacts on soil health and water quality.

Column headings:
num_farms = number of farms

This dataset relates to the "Farm numbers" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

One third of our land area is held as public conservation land and managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) to protect natural and cultural heritage, retain areas of wilderness and enable recreation opportunities. Although the use of public conservation land makes an important socio-economic contribution at the local, regional and national level, increasing human activities on our protected areas can put pressure on these environments and degrade their cultural and aesthetic value. These activities can range from recreational users on our Great Walks to commercial activities such as guiding, grazing, or building structures.

This measure reports on the capacity and number of booked bed nights in huts and campsites on nine Great Walks operating in national parks, by walk, hut/campsite and month.

New Zealand has unique indigenous plants and animals that are our national taonga (treasures). Because most are endemic (found nowhere else in the world) New Zealand makes an important contribution to global biodiversity. Biodiversity is important for ecosystem processes, te ao Māori including mahinga kai (customary food gathering), and culture and recreation.

The conservation status of our biodiversity represents their risk of extinction. This data covers the conservation status, and most-recent change in status, of native and resident taxa for which we had sufficient information on abundance and distribution. This includes bats, birds, earthworms, lichens, plants, reptiles and frogs, snails, spiders, and insects.

We also include the number of species that have had a genuine change in conservation status between assessment periods.Where conservation status changed, this measure also looked at the NCTCS listings done in 2012 for birds (Robertson et al, 2017); 2012 for reptiles (Hitchmough et al, 2015); and 2010 for Orthoptera (Trewick et al, 2012). A change in a species’ conservation status reflects a change in its risk of extinction.

For more information on the Department of Conservation’s Threat Classification System (NZTCS) please refer to: www.doc.govt.nz/nztcs

Land (whenua) is taonga tuku iho (cultural property, heritage) and of special importance to Māori. As the whakapūmautanga (legacy for the future), whenua provides for cultivation and storage of traditional foods and plants – for customary use and mahinga kai, and helps sustain each generation.

We report only on the available data we have, which cover a subset of Māori land used for primary production activities. The main land use types covered are grassland, forest plantation, bush and scrub, and horticulture.