DATA SOURCE: Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research [Main dataset and further metadata can be found at https://lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/104400-lcdb-v50-land-cover-database-version-50-mainland-new-zealand/] Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency Dataset used to develop the "Urban...

To measure drought events, this dataset uses the Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), which incorporates temperature and precipitation. We report on drought frequency, duration, severity, and intensity at three different time scales, short-term (3 months), medium-term (6 months) and long-term (12 months). These different time scales...

This dataset includes the monthly average and 3-month rolling average SOI from 1876 to 2022. The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is a measure of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the movement of warm equatorial water across the Pacific Ocean and the atmospheric response. The SOI measures changes in atmospheric pressures across the Pacific. 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 This...

This dataset measures annual and seasonal rainfall trends at 30 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand from 1960 to 2022. Variables site: NIWA climate site. season: Season or Annual data (combined for ease of data use) trend_likelihood: Likelihood of trend direction adapted from IPCC criteria. period_start: Start of trend period period_end: End of trend period...

​ Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the “River water quality: Nitrogen” indicator, (available at https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-nitrogen). Nitrogen in river waters is one of five parameters that provide an overview of New...

Temperature at 30 sites around the country from at least 1972 to 2022. We provide data on average, minimum, and maximum for daily temperatures. Variables: site: NIWA monitoring site. date: Date (day-month-year) statistic: Statistic (Average, Max, Min). temperature: Temperature in degrees Celsius.

Potential evapotranspiration deficit (PED) can be thought of as a drought index. It is the difference between how much water could potentially be lost from the soil through evapotranspiration and how much is actually available. When PED is high, plants do not have the full amount of water available they need for growth. As our climate changes, increasing...

Benzene is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is common in the air. Motor vehicles are benzene’s primary emission source (Guerreiro, Foltescu, & de Leeuw, 2014; Weisel, 2010) although burning wood or coal for home heating, volcanoes, and forest fires also emit benzene. Benzene is a human carcinogen (World Health Organization Regional Office for...

The LUCAS Chatham Islands Land Use Map 2020 v001 is composed of New Zealand-wide land use classes (12) nominally at 31 December 1989, 31 December 2007, 31 December 2012, 31 December 2016, and 31 December 2020. These date boundaries are dictated by the Paris Agreement and former Kyoto Protocol. The data can therefore be used to create a map at any of the...

For trends, sites needed to have at least six complete years between 2011 and 2020. For annual trends, a site could not have a gap in the time series longer tan four months. Annual trends between 2011 and 2020 for: - Particulate matter 10 (PM10) concentrations - Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) concentrations - Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations -...

This dataset measures the strength of extreme wind at 30 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand from 1980 to 2022. For individual sites, we provide data for the highest maximum wind gust, average maximum wind gust, and the number of days with wind gusts extreme for a location. The average of the daily maximum wind gust provides information on windiness, while...

We report on the conservation status and most recent change in status of indigenous (native), resident (breeds in New Zealand) marine species that have been assessed by New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) expert panels. This includes marine mammals (dolphins, whales, seals, and sea lions), seabirds and shorebirds, sharks, rays, and chimaeras...

This GIS raster layer has been derived from cloud free mosaics of Sentinel 2 tiles for the East Coast of the North Island from before and after Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. Cyclone Gabrielle was a severe tropical cyclone that occurred in February 2023. It caused severe landsliding in several zones along the east coast of the North Island. As part of the...

Lightning is the discharge of electricity from thunderstorms and can occur within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. By international standards, lightning does not occur frequently around New Zealand. However, ground strikes can injure or kill people and livestock, damage property and infrastructure, and, although rarely in New...

This dataset measures daily rainfall at 30 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand from 1960 to 2022. Variables: site: location of monitoring station date: date rainfall: rainfall in mm rainfall_units: rainfall is measured in mm lat: Approximate latitude location of NIWA climate stations to represent a site. lon: Approximate longitude location of NIWA climate...

The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) is a long-term oscillation of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can last from 20 to 30 years. Its positive and negative phases affect the strength and frequency of El Niño and La Niña. In New Zealand, the positive phase is linked to stronger west to southwest winds and more rain in the west. This...

We report on trends in nitrate-nitrogen from livestock that has leached from soil per year across New Zealand since 1990. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth. It occurs naturally, but in agricultural systems more nitrogen is commonly added to soils as fertiliser or as urine or dung from livestock. Not all the additional nitrogen can be used...

DATA SOURCE: Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research; regional and district councils [Technical report available at https://environment.govt.nz/publications/soil-quality-data-for-land-2021 and https://environment.govt.nz/publications/soil-quality-and-trace-element-dataset-trend-analysis] Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to...

A spatial dataset delineating the extent of regional airsheds notified in the New Zealand Gazette (https://gazette.govt.nz).