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You are here: State of the environment Contains: Monitoring tools and guidelines Contains:

Guidelines and tools

As part of our co-ordinating role, the Ministry for the Environment develops tools and guidelines for other agencies to use in the collection and management of their environmental information. The purpose of these tools and guidelines is to facilitate consistent collection of environment and provide values and targets for environmental agencies to use in their management strategies.

Air quality

The Ministry for the Environment has developed a number of guidance publications for councils and industries to improve quality and consistency in monitoring and managing air quality in New Zealand. For a list of publications see air quality best practice guides and guidelines.

Transport

The Monitoring and Data Management Protocol: Environmental Indicators for Transport provides user-friendly guidance on the collection and use of transport indicators to allow consistency over time and within different organisations. The protocol provides the user with a step-by-step process for collecting, analysing, managing and presenting indicator information, using four environmental indicators for transport.

Water quality and environments

Beach water quality

Councils monitor beach water quality at a number of sites throughout New Zealand, using the Microbiological Water Quality Guidelines for Marine and Freshwater Recreational Areas produced by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Health. The purpose of this monitoring is to protect the health of the public and to monitor the overall health of our recreational waters, locally and nationally.

“Bathewatch” has been developed as a companion to the Water Quality Guidelines. This beach grading software has been specifically designed to assist councils determine the suitability for recreation grade (SFRG) or beach grade. This grade helps to determine whether ongoing monitoring is required and provides the basis for indicating whether water is suitable for recreational use from a public health perspective.

Kaimoana (seafood) survey guidelines

The Kaimoana Survey Guidelines for Hapu and Iwi provide hapu and iwi with information and a suggested process for undertaking a survey of kaimoana (seafood) resources. The guidelines were prepared by Otaraua Hapu in partnership with Shell Petroleum Mining Ltd and were published by the Ministry for the Environment.

Cultural Health Index

The Cultural Health Index is a tool that Māori can use to assess and manage waterways in their area. A Cultural Health Index user guide has been prepared that explains the way the Cultural Health Index works, how it can be used, and how tangata whenua may use the information produced.