The South Island Hector’s and Māui dolphins are among the world’s smallest marine dolphins. Both are subspecies of the Hector’s dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori. These coastal dolphins are endemic to New Zealand, which means that they are not found anywhere else. The Māui dolphin is found in the inshore waters of the west coast of the North Island, most...

The status of our bird communities is an important indicator of the condition of our ecosystems. Many indigenous birds play key ecological roles, including dispersing seeds and pollinating flowers. In some situations, exotic bird species (not indigenous to New Zealand) can partially fulfill these roles. A reduction in the distribution and/or decline in...

Trends in number of days with a maximum gust in the 99th percentile, 1972–2016. 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...

Particulate matter (PM) comprises solid and liquid particles in the air. PM10 particles have a diameter less than 10 micrometres. Coarse particles (2.5–10 micrometres) can be inhaled – they generally deposit in the upper airways; fine particles (smaller than 2.5 micrometres) can deposit deep in the lungs where air-gas exchange occurs. Children, the...

New Zealand and Australia have the world’s highest rates of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma is mainly caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, usually from the sun. New Zealand has naturally high UV levels, especially during summer. The risk of developing melanoma is affected by factors such as skin colour and type, family...

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.

The data shows tonnes of nitrogen applied calculated from the application of urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP), and ammonium sulphate (SOA) in New Zealand. 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.

A consistent band of westerly wind flows across the Southern Hemisphere and circles the South Pole. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) describes how this band moves, either north towards the equator (negative phase) or south towards Antarctica (positive phase). A negative phase typically causes increased westerlies, unsettled weather, and storms in New...

Detailed New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions data for 1990 and 2015 for Energy and Agriculture sectors. Data are sourced from the 1990–2015 New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. Includes sub–sub–sector data. Emissions are in kt and have not been standardised by conversion to CO2 equivalents. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) absorb heat from Earth’s...

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency. Dataset used to develop the "River water quality: clarity and turbidity" indicator (available at https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/river-water-quality-clarity-and-turbidity). This dataset contains two attributes of water quality based...

Trends in maximum highest annual wind gust, 1972–2016. 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 approximately 3.6 days per...

Trends in potential evapostranspiration deficit (PED), 1972–2016. Soil moisture is vital for plant growth. When plants cannot access the water they need, growth is reduced, affecting crops and food for livestock, and native biodiversity. Over a sustained period, a drought can have significant social and economic costs, particularly for rural communities....

The most recent assessment of ecological condition of 295 lakes in New Zealand assessed on at least one occasion between 1991 and 2019 was measured using the lake submerged plant index (LakeSPI). 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.

Ozone is a gas that forms a naturally occurring layer in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere), protecting Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light. The ozone hole is an area of reduced stratospheric ozone. It forms in spring over Antarctica because of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) produced from human activities. The ozone hole has started to shrink...

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...

This indicator measures the concentrations of four heavy metals (lead, copper, zinc and cadmium) against the Australian & New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) guideline values for toxic substances in estuarine sediment. Heavy metals occur naturally in estuaries, but high concentrations suggest contamination from another source....

A glacier is a body of slow-moving ice, at least 1 hectare in area that has persisted for two decades or longer. New Zealand has 3,144 glaciers. Most are located along the Southern Alps on the South Island, although Mount Ruapehu on the North Island supports 18 glaciers. New Zealand’s large glaciers are noteworthy for their large debris cover. The...

Sea-level rise is a consequence of climate change. Increased global temperatures lead to rising sea-levels because warmer waters take up more space and glaciers and polar ice sheets melt into the ocean. Sea-level varies naturally from place to place due to local ocean circulation and temperatures and the movement of the land relative to the sea. For...

New Zealand’s indigenous and exotic forests absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store the carbon as biomass and in the soil. On average, more than twice as much carbon per hectare is stored in New Zealand’s mature indigenous forests than in exotic forests planted for wood production. Regenerating indigenous forests...

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...