The ocean waters surrounding New Zealand vary in temperature from north to south. They interact with heat and moisture in the atmosphere and affect our weather. Sea surface temperature changes with climate drivers such as El Niño, and will change with climate change. The sea surface temperature anomaly provides an indication of the heat change in the...

DATA SOURCE: National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) [Technical report available at https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/environmental-reporting/ministry-environment-atmosphere-and-climate-report-2020-updated] Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency Dataset...

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "Annual glacier ice volumes" indicator (available at https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/annual-glacier-ice-volumes). This dataset measures the total volume of ice in glaciers greater than one hectare in area...

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...

An emissions inventory provides information on the amount of key air pollutants that are released into the atmosphere for a given location over a given time period. This enables us to identify sources of pollutants. By understanding the amounts that different sources contribute, air quality can be better managed and modelled. We evaluated emissions for...

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 https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-escherichia-coli). This dataset contains one parameter of water quality based on...

This dataset measures extreme rainfall at 30 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand from 1960 to 2022. We measure the maximum amount of rainfall in a single day (‘maximum one-day rainfall’), the number of very wet days (‘very wet days’), and the percentage of annual rainfall from very wet days (‘rainfall due to very wet days’). We present annual values for...

Updated 21/04/2017 (See "Land domain updates" page for details; http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/environmental-reporting-series/environmental-indicators/Home/Land/land-domain-updates.aspx) Different land uses put pressure on the land environment and can result in changes to soil health. Healthy soil supports the productivity of...

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 https://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 is the long-term decrease in the pH of our coastal waters and oceans. This indicator measures the change in pH in subantarctic surface waters at a station east of Otago from 1998 to 2017, and also the pH at selected coastal sites via the New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NZOA-ON) from 2015 to 2017. More information on...

The pH of New Zealand subantarctic waters is calculated from pCO2 (dissolved carbon dioxide) and alkalinity measurements using refitted Mehrbach constants (see Mehrbach et al, 1973; Dickson & Millero, 1987), and in-situ temperature taken from the Munida time-series transect off the Otago coast. Measurements of pCO2 are taken every two months. The...

This dataset measures extreme rainfall at 30 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand from 1960 to 2022. We measure the maximum amount of rainfall in a single day (‘maximum precipitationl’), the number of very wet days (‘very wet days’), and the percentage of annual rainfall from very wet days (‘very wet day precipitation percent’). We present trends against the...

Lightning is the discharge of electricity from thunderstorms. Ground strikes can cause significant damage to property and infrastructure, and injure or kill people and livestock. Lightning is often associated with other severe weather events, such as strong wind gusts. Thunderstorms may increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. This dataset...

Ocean acidification, measured by the reduction in sea water pH, is mainly caused by oceans absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Ocean acidification affects marine species in various ways. The growth and survival rates of some shell-building species are affected because they struggle to build their shells. The behaviour and physiology...

Road motor vehicles emit a range of air pollutants from their exhausts, and from brake and tyre wear. They are the main human-made source of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide emissions. Exposure to these pollutants can damage health, with effects ranging from respiratory irritation to cancer. Road motor vehicles range from passenger vehicles to heavy...

This dataset shows the trends of annual growing degree days (GDD) for 30 sites across New Zealand from at least 1972 to 2019. GDD are the total number of degrees Celsius above a base threshold temperature for each day. We use a base threshold of 10 degrees Celsius to report on the annual GDD for each of these sites and trends. Growing degree days (GDD)...

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...

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,...

"Small amounts of nitrogen are a natural component of healthy rivers. Nitrogen in rivers can vary due to differences in land use, climate, elevation, and geology. Nitrogen is transferred from land to water and is cycled through different forms, which can have different effects. Moderate concentrations of nitrate can cause weeds and algae to grow too fast....

This data measures the numbers of farmed livestock (dairy and beef cattle, deer, and sheep) over time across New Zealand. Livestock farming is a widespread land use in New Zealand and is a large contributor to our economy. High livestock numbers and the distribution of livestock across land environments can affect indigenous biodiversity and soil health...