Stats NZ

New Zealand’s environmental reporting series: Our environment 2025

New Zealand's environmental reporting series: Our environment 2025 presents information on the state of New Zealand's environment.  

Our environment 2025 is the latest three-yearly state of the environment report produced by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ under the Environmental Reporting Act 2015.  

View the Our environment 2025 report on the Ministry for the Environment website. 

See also the environmental indicators referenced in Our environment 2025. 

About the report 

Our environment 2025 brings together key findings from the regular six-monthly environmental reports that cycle the five domains of air, freshwater, marine, atmosphere and climate, and land.

As a synthesis report, Our environment 2025 provides a picture of the whole environment and its interconnections, showing how changes to different parts of the environment impact each other.

Environmental indicators: Our environment 2025 

Active sand dune extent

In 2008, New Zealand’s active sand dunes had decreased 80.5 percent from their predicted pre-human extent (129,402ha to 25,208ha).

21 October 2015
Air pollutant emissions
 
Annual emissions were lower in 2019 for 4 out of 5 major air pollutants
Compared with 2012

Air pollutant emissions

14 October 2021
Atmospheric ozone
 
Annual average thickness of total column ozone very likely decreased at Lauder, Otago
Between 1979 and 2022

Atmospheric ozone

27 September 2023
Carbon monoxide concentrations: Data to 2023
 
Carbon monoxide concentration trends decreased at 1 of 3 sites in New Zealand; trends were indeterminate at the remaining 2 sites
Between 2016 and 2023

Carbon monoxide concentrations: Data to 2023

26 September 2024
Coastal and estuarine water quality
 
For nine coastal and estuarine water quality measures, more sites had improving trends than worsening trends
Between 2006 and 2020

Coastal and estuarine water quality

11 October 2022
Coastal sea-level rise
 
Annual mean coastal sea levels rose faster (relative to land) at all four longer-term monitoring sites around Aotearoa New Zealand
Between 1961 and 2020 compared with between 1901 and 1960

Coastal sea-level rise

15 September 2022
Consented freshwater takes
 
58% of consumptive consented freshwater takes were for irrigation
Between 2017 and 2018

Consented freshwater takes

16 April 2020
Deposited sediment in rivers
 
Deposited sediment was above 20 percent cover at 23 sites across three regions indicating that streambed life is being negatively affected at those sites
Between 2014 and 2019

Deposited sediment in rivers

16 April 2020
Drought
 
For meteorological (short-term) drought, 21 of 30 sites (70 percent) had extreme dryness
Between 2013 and 2022

Drought

27 September 2023
El Niño Southern Oscillation
 
The most recent El Niño phase of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) was from July 2015 to April 2016 and the most recent La Niña phase was from April 2022 to December 2022

El Niño Southern Oscillation

27 September 2023
Exotic land cover
 
The area of exotic grassland decreased by 247,848 hectares (or 2 percent) between 1996 and 2008 and then increased by 68,274 hectares through to 2018
Between 1996 and 2018

Exotic land cover

15 April 2021
Extinction threat to indigenous species
 
More than 75 percent of indigenous species in reptile, bird, bat, and freshwater fish species groups are threatened with extinction or are at risk of becoming threatened

Extinction threat to indigenous species

30 March 2023
Extreme rainfall
 
The annual maximum rainfall in a single day likely or very likely increased at 12 of 30 sites and decreased at 10 across Aotearoa New Zealand
Between 1960 and 2022

Extreme rainfall

27 September 2023
Extreme wind
 
The annual average of the daily maximum wind gust (windiness) likely or very likely decreased at 14 of 17 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand
Between 1980 and 2022

Extreme wind

27 September 2023
Fertilisers – nitrogen and phosphorus
 
Estimates of nitrogen applied to land in fertiliser increased from 62,000 to 452,000 tonnes (629 percent)
Between 1991 and 2019

Fertilisers – nitrogen and phosphorus

15 April 2021
Freshwater physical habitat
 
Of 459 monitoring sites across seven regions, 79 percent had good or excellent habitat condition
Between 2013/14 and 2018/19

Freshwater physical habitat

16 April 2020
Frost and growing degree days
 
Growing degree days likely or very likely increased at 29 of 30 sites and frost days decreased at 20 of 27 sites (where frosts were recorded) across Aotearoa New Zealand
Between 1972 and 2022

Frost and growing degree days

27 September 2023
Greenhouse gas concentrations
 
In December 2022, carbon dioxide concentrations were 415 parts per million, up 6 percent since 2012

Greenhouse gas concentrations

27 September 2023
Ground-level ozone concentrations: Data to 2023
 
Ground-level ozone concentrations at both Patumāhoe and Wellington Central were within the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality short-term standard and the eight-hour and peak season World Health Organization guidelines
Between 2020 and 2023

Ground-level ozone concentrations: Data to 2023

26 September 2024
Highly erodible land: Data to 2022
 
Aotearoa New Zealand had 5 percent of land (12,693 km²) classified as highly erodible
In 2022

Highly erodible land: Data to 2022

27 March 2024
Human health impacts of PM₂.₅ and NO₂
 
PM₂.₅ and NO₂ from human-made air pollution was associated with an estimated 3,317 premature deaths and 13,155 hospitalisations in Aotearoa New Zealand
In 2016

Human health impacts of PM₂.₅ and NO₂

23 February 2023
Indigenous land cover
 
New Zealand indigenous land cover area decreased by 12,869 hectares
Between 2012 and 2018

Indigenous land cover

15 April 2021

Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation

The Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) was in a positive phase during 2014–16 and a negative phase during 1999–2013.

19 October 2017
Irrigated land: Data to 2022
 
The area of irrigated agricultural land in New Zealand almost doubled (99 percent increase)
Between 2002 and 2022

Irrigated land: Data to 2022

17 December 2024
Lake submerged plant index
 
Of the 295 lakes surveyed, 35.6 percent are in a poor or non-vegetated ecological condition
Between 1991 and 2019

Lake submerged plant index

16 April 2020
Lake water quality
 
Trophic level index (an aspect of ecosystem health) was poor or very poor at 46 percent of modelled lakes
Between 2016 and 2020

Lake water quality

14 April 2022
Land fragmentation
 
Highly productive land unavailable or restricted from use as farmland increased 54 percent
Between 2002 and 2019

Land fragmentation

15 April 2021
Land pests
 
Hooved animals increased in occupancy (distribution) on public conservation land
Between 2013 and 2019

Land pests

15 April 2021
Livestock numbers: Data to 2023
 
Dairy cattle numbers increased by 71 percent nationally from 3.4 million to 5.9 million
Between 1990 and 2023

Livestock numbers: Data to 2023

12 December 2024
Marine non-indigenous species: Data to 2022
 
Since the 2009 national review 73 additional non-indigenous species were found in Aotearoa New Zealand waters, with 44 of these showing established populations
Between 2010 and 2022

Marine non-indigenous species: Data to 2022

27 March 2024
Marine primary productivity: Data to 2023
 
Overall, the Chatham Rise region had the highest offshore primary productivity in New Zealand
Between 1998 and 2023

Marine primary productivity: Data to 2023

09 July 2024
Nitrogen dioxide concentrations: Data to 2023
 
Nitrogen dioxide concentrations decreased at 87 percent of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi monitoring network sites (99 of 114) in New Zealand; trends were indeterminate at the remaining 15 sites
Between 2014 and 2023

Nitrogen dioxide concentrations: Data to 2023

26 September 2024
Ocean acidification
 
Ocean acidity increased 8.6 percent in New Zealand’s subantarctic surface waters
Between 1998 and 2020

Ocean acidification

25 August 2022

Predicted pre-human vegetation

Predictive mapping suggests that forest may have covered more than 80 percent of New Zealand before humans arrived in the country.

21 October 2015
Rainfall
 
Annual rainfall likely or very likely increased at 15 and decreased at 8 of 30 sites across Aotearoa New Zealand
Between 1960 and 2022

Rainfall

27 September 2023
River water quality – heavy metals: Data to 2022
 
Dissolved copper concentrations were increasing at 28 out of 50 sites, while dissolved zinc concentrations were decreasing at 36 out of 65 sites
Between 2013 and 2022

River water quality – heavy metals: Data to 2022

09 July 2024
River water quality: clarity and turbidity
 
Based on modelled data, of New Zealand’s river length 37 percent had turbidity values and 9 percent had visual clarity values indicating risk of environmental impairment based on comparison with reference conditions
Between 2016 and 2020

River water quality: clarity and turbidity

14 April 2022
River water quality: Escherichia coli
 
Based on modelled data, 22 percent of New Zealand’s river length had an average Campylobacter infection risk of more than 7 percent
Between 2016 and 2020

River water quality: Escherichia coli

14 April 2022
River water quality: macroinvertebrate community index
 
17 percent of New Zealand’s river length had modelled MCI scores indicative of severe organic pollution or nutrient enrichment
Between 2016 and 2020

River water quality: macroinvertebrate community index

14 April 2022
River water quality: nitrogen
 
69 percent of New Zealand’s river length had modelled nitrogen concentrations indicating risk of environmental impairment based on comparison with reference conditions
Between 2016 and 2020

River water quality: nitrogen

14 April 2022
River water quality: phosphorus
 
64 percent of New Zealand’s river length had modelled phosphorus concentrations indicating risk of environmental impairment based on comparison with reference conditions
Between 2016 and 2020

River water quality: phosphorus

14 April 2022
Sea-surface temperature: Data to 2023
 
Each coastal and oceanic region had their warmest years recorded in either 2022 or 2023
Between 1982 and 2023

Sea-surface temperature: Data to 2023

09 July 2024
Soil quality and land use
 
Four of 7 soil quality indicators met target ranges at over 80 percent of measured sites by soil indicator
From 2014 to 2018

Soil quality and land use

15 April 2021

Southern Annular Mode

The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) has been increasing (becoming more positive) since 1970. 

19 October 2017
Temperature
 
Eight of the 10 warmest years have been recorded in the last decade

Temperature

27 September 2023
Urban land cover
 
New Zealand's total urban area expanded by 14.6 percent (or 30,264 hectares)
Between 1996 and 2018

Urban land cover

15 April 2021
Wetland area
 
New Zealand’s (including the Chatham Islands) freshwater wetland area decreased by 1,498 hectares between 2012 and 2018

Wetland area

14 December 2021
Wildfire risk
 
Very high and extreme fire danger days likely or very likely increased at 12 and decreased at 8 of 28 sites across New Zealand
Between 1997 and 2019

Wildfire risk – published October 2020

15 October 2020
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