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Foreword by the Minister for the Environment
I am delighted that the Ministry for the Environment is publishing, Towards a Triple Bottom Line: A report on our environmental, economic and social performance. It is the first such report by a core public sector agency.
Sustainable development is the cornerstone of the Government’s economic, social and environmental policies. Triple bottom line reporting is part of a whole-of-government programme to find better ways of measuring and reporting on progress towards sustainability at several levels, ranging from national to local to organisational.
The Government is already engaged in monitoring and reporting at a national level, and local government is doing the same at the local and regional levels. Triple bottom line reporting at the organisational level is a way for every organisation to report on performance in achieving not only financial objectives, but environmental and social objectives as well.
The Ministry for the Environment is one of a number of agencies that are establishing such reporting as a core part of best management practice. They have worked together to share experiences and develop standard approaches that are innovative and appropriate for New Zealand. That work will continue next year.
As the leader of the Government’s programme on triple bottom line reporting, the Ministry is encouraging other organisations in both the private and public sectors to adopt a similar approach to measuring their performance.
This report reviews the environmental impact of the Ministry’s offices. I was particularly pleased to see that in most areas the Ministry performed well against the good practice benchmarks available. I hope other government agencies will find this provides useful direction.
Sustainability reporting requires us to look at ourselves objectively, and to listen to how others perceive our performance. I would like to thank all those people and agencies that have contributed to this report.
Hon Marian L Hobbs
Minister for the Environment
