Land use Tables

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.

DATA SOURCE: Statistics New Zealand Agricultural Production Survey (APS)

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

Dataset used to develop the "Agricultural and horticultural land use" indicator (available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/agricultural-and-hort...)

​

This indicator reports on the use of land for primary production purposes, specifically agricultural land uses, such as beef and sheep farming and dairying, horticultural land uses, such as fruit and berry, and vegetable growing, and other land uses, such as forestry. We do this for the period 2002 to 2019.

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.

The number of farms involved in agricultural activities, and how they are changing, is important because agricultural activities can affect soil health and water.

Agricultural activities include beef and sheep, dairy, arable, horticulture, deer, pigs, and other livestock.

The area of farms involved in agricultural activities, and how this is changing, is important because agricultural activities can affect soil health and water.

Agricultural activities include beef and sheep, dairy, arable, horticulture, deer, pigs, and other livestock.

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.

DATA SOURCE: Statistics New Zealand Agricultural Production Survey (APS)

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

Dataset used to develop the "Farm numbers and size" indicator [available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/farm-numbers-and-size]

​

We present the number and area of farms in New Zealand and by region from 2002 to 2019.

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.

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.

DATA SOURCE: National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)

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

Dataset used to develop the "Far fertiliser applied" indicator [available at statisticsnz.shinyapps.io/farm_fertiliser_applied_...]

​

This indicator reports industry estimates of nitrogen and phosphorus (as elements) sold in fertiliser products nationally from 1991 to 2019.

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 dataset shows the total irrigated agricultural land area across New Zealand for 2002 and 2017. Agricultural land irrigated in 2017 is broken down by types of irrigation systems and farm type.

Although it enables and improves farming, irrigation can also have adverse consequences relating to recreation, and can increase pollution and leaching of contaminants into waterways. Irrigation can affect the natural form and character of land (eg dry land to greener and wetter land), fishing, cultivation and food production, animal drinking water, water supply, commercial and industrial water use, and hydro-electric power generation. More irrigated land, and more water abstraction, can place increased pressure on river flows, as well as indirectly increasing pressure on land and fresh water by enabling increased agricultural intensity.

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.

DATA SOURCE: Statistics New Zealand, Agriculture Production Survey (APS)

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

Dataset used to develop the "Irrigated land" indicator [available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/irrigated-land]

​

This indicator measures the total irrigated agricultural land area across New Zealand for 2002, 2017 and 2019. We report on total irrigated land area on farms earnings over $60,000 a year by region and dominant farm type. In 2017 and 2019 we also report on total irrigated land by land use and irrigation system.

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.