5 Meeting External Expectations

The Ministry’s environmental reporting programme does not work in isolation. It must operate according to specific requirements and meet expectations set by the Statistics Act 1975, Statistics New Zealand and international obligations, as described below.

Official Statistics System requirements

New Zealand’s Official Statistics System is defined by the Statistics Act 1975.

Official statistics are defined in that Act as: all statistics produced by government departments from statistical surveys or administrative or registration records, whether published or not.

The Ministry’s national environmental reporting programme is an integral part of the Official Statistics System because it generates a variety of national-scale environmental statistics. It must therefore adhere to the principles of the system: these include relevance, integrity, quality, coherence and accessibility.

The Ministry’s national environmental reporting programme aims to comply with the Official Statistics System’s principles and protocols by:

documenting the reporting programme’s underlying principles (see section 6) and methodologies (such as the Technical Guide to the National Environmental Indicators).
consistently applying best practice procedures for project management, data analysis and data audit
applying consistent business processes for rigorous internal and external peer review of all reports
releasing reports only after they have gone through the Ministry’s formal internal sign-off procedure
providing a range of reporting products to meet different needs – from detailed technical information for expert readers, through to high-level general information for readers with little current knowledge, but who are interested in learning more.

The Ministry will ensure all reporting products are released as departmental reports, on a set date without reference to any other party. This is to protect the integrity of the specific product, as well as to build trust and confidence in the whole environmental reporting programme.

The Sustainable Development reporting programme

Statistics New Zealand leads work to develop national measures of sustainable development. In August 2002, that agency published the first report on national sustainable development indicators – Monitoring Progress Towards a Sustainable New Zealand. This was the first time indicators covering economic, social, environmental and cultural spheres had been brought together and reported in New Zealand.

Statistics New Zealand is working on a second national sustainable development report, and a new set of national sustainable development indicators that adhere to international best practice.

As the custodian of national environmental indicators in New Zealand, the Ministry must provide the best possible support to Statistic New Zealand’s work, and align with that agency’s sustainable development work programme.

To that end, the Ministry was a key contributor to Statistics New Zealand’s 2002 report, and is supporting development of the new indicators and second national report.

Once the new sustainable development indicators are finalised (due mid 2009), the Ministry will review its 22 environmental indicators to identify any areas that are not well aligned, or need modification or further work. The draft Domain Plan for the Environment will also incorporate the findings of this review.

International reporting obligations

While Statistics New Zealand is the lead agency for much of New Zealand’s statistical reporting to bodies such as the OECD and United Nations, the Ministry also plays an important role in meeting New Zealand’s international obligations. In particular, the Ministry leads work across government relating to the OECD’s reviews of New Zealand’s environmental performance. These comprehensive reviews occur approximately every five years, and require significant investment of time, knowledge and money.

The Ministry’s international work also includes providing national environmental data to the OECD or the United Nations, in conjunction with other domestic agencies, such as Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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