"The rates of establishment (recruitment) of indigenous tree species vary across New Zealand. Changes in the state of the environment (such as from browsing pests, large-scale weather events, or climate change) may change the rates of recruitment of particular tree species. This in turn may alter forest processes. Repeated surveys of the distribution of...

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...

Seabed trawling is the practice of towing fishing nets near or along the ocean floor. The towing process can physically damage seabed (benthic) habitats and species. It can also stir up sediment from the seabed. This creates sediment plumes that change light conditions. This can affect marine species (for example by limiting their capacity to generate...

We measure gases that are added to the atmosphere through human activities. This does not include natural sources such as biological processes or volcanic emissions. We report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) units, which is a measure for how much global warming a given type and amount of greenhouse gas causes, using the...

Extreme wind annual statistics for 30 regionally representative sites. The number of days with a maximum gust in the 99th percentile provides information on the frequency of extreme wind events. Percentiles are obtained from all available daily maximum wind gust data. On average, the 99th percentile daily maximum wind gust will be exceeded on...

The resource management certificates dataset is compiled, from data supplied by Local Authorities (Regional, Unitary, and Territorial Councils), by the Ministry for the Environment. It contains All applications for certificates of compliance, existing use certificates or deemed permitted activities (boundary or temporary and marginal) issued, withdrawn or...

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...

The New Zealand River Environment Classification (REC) organises information about the physical characteristics of New Zealand's rivers. Individual river sections are mapped according to physical factors such as climate, source of flow for the river water, topography, and geology, and catchment land cover eg, forest, pasture or urban. Sections of river...

Marine mammals, seabirds, and shorebirds are indicator species for the state of our marine environment. A decreasing population can indicate that the ecosystem is degrading. New Zealand has a diverse range of marine species, many of which are endemic to (only breed in) New Zealand. They are apex species (near the top of the food chain) and can thrive only...

Deer, goats, and possums are animal pests in New Zealand. These pests prefer to eat some tree species more than others. In the long term, the targeted species may become locally extinct and nationally much rarer than less palatable species. Resulting changes in forest composition may have profound effects on other plant and animal species. The pest...

DATA SOURCE: National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) [Technical report available at https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/environmental-reporting/fire-risk-assessment-measure-quantify-fire-risk-new-zealand and https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/environmental-reporting/ministry-environment-atmosphere-and-climate-report-2020-updated]...

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a gas that is harmful to human health (United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), 2021), ecosystems, and plants (US EPA, 2008). It can be emitted directly into the air but is often formed as a secondary pollutant when nitric oxide (NO) emissions react with other chemicals. It also contributes to the formation of...

"The rates of death (mortality) of indigenous tree species vary across New Zealand. Changes in the state of the environment (such as from browsing pests, large-scale weather events, or climate change) may change the rates of mortality of particular tree species. This in turn may alter forest processes. Repeated surveys of the distribution of mortality...

"The rates of death (mortality) of indigenous tree species vary across New Zealand. Changes in the state of the environment (such as from browsing pests, large-scale weather events, or climate change) may change the rates of mortality of particular tree species. This in turn may alter forest processes. Repeated surveys of the distribution of mortality...

Total suspended particulates (TSP) consist of all solid particles and liquid droplets up to 100 micrometres (μm) in diameter (ie when compared with PM10 and PM2.5, TSP is the equivalent of PM100). TSP can be emitted from the combustion of fuels, such as wood and coal (eg from home heating and industry) and petrol and diesel (from vehicles). Natural...

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a gas that is harmful to human health (United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), 2021), ecosystems, and plants (US EPA, 2008). It can be emitted directly into the air but is often formed as a secondary pollutant when nitric oxide (NO) emissions react with other chemicals. It also contributes to the formation of...

Data on the economic performance of the agriculture industry describes agriculture’s contribution to the New Zealand economy. It provides supporting information for the land, atmosphere and climate, and freshwater domains. This dataset relates to the "Economic performance of the agriculture industry" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao...

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. The most common sources of carbon monoxide are from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels such as fuel used by vehicles, and from wood and coal, commonly burnt in fires for home heating. Other common sources of carbon monoxide are tobacco smoke and indoor gas fires. It also occurs...

Ozone occurs in two regions of Earth’s atmosphere – at ground level and in the upper atmosphere. Ground-level ozone is a gas formed by chemical reactions involving sunlight, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides (the main source being vehicle emissions). It is linked to increased health risks, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases....

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...