The Environmental Reporting Act 2015 changed the focus of national reporting from 2014. This page has national environmental reports and supporting indicators published by MfE before 2014.
For national reporting from 2014 see Environmental reporting.
For environmental indicators, see Indicators [Stats NZ website] — the main source of information on indicators.
For environmental datasets see MfE Data Service
State of the environment reports from 1997 and 2007
Indicators
National environmental reporting before the '2014 Air Domain Report' included the periodic release of updates on 22 indicators. The timing of the indicator updates was determined by data availability and rate of change. Some indicators were updated annually and others less frequently.
The table below lists the national environmental indicators reported on before 2014 published by MfE.
To access the pre-2014 indicators navigate to More>Environmental reporting>Reporting before the Act on the The National Library of New Zealand's May 2016 archive of our website.
Table of indicators
| Domain | National environmental indicator | What is measured to report on this indicator? | Date |
 Air | Particulate matter – PM10 environmental indicator | Information on the state of New Zealand’s air, measuring particulate matter – PM10. | October 2012 |
| Four pollutants environmental indicator update | Information on the state of New Zealand's air, measuring four air pollutants. | May 2010 | |
|
| Emissions and removals of greenhouse gases | Provides information on emissions and removals of greenhouse gases by measuring emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons into the atmosphere, as well as the amount of greenhouse gas emissions removed from the atmosphere as a result of absorption by forestry. | April 2013 |
| Levels of stratospheric ozone | Provides information on concentrations of stratospheric ozone (average yearly ozone levels) over New Zealand. | October 2012 | |
|
| River condition (previously called River water quality) | Provides information on the condition of our rivers. It reports on:
| July 2013 |
| Lake water quality | Provides information on water quality in lakes and reports on the Trophic Level Index (TLI) and on the Submerged Plant Index (LakeSPI). The TLI is determined by measuring:
LakeSPI looks at plant structure and composition to assess both the native and invasive character of vegetation in a lake. | November 2010 | |
| Groundwater quality | Provides information on water quality in groundwater using nitrate and bacteria (Escherichia coli) measurements. | January 2012 | |
| Suitability for swimming (previously called Recreational water quality) | Provides information on health risk associated with primary contact recreation at monitored swimming spots in rivers, streams and lakes. Each site is given a grade based on a sanitary inspection of the catchment and concentrations of bacteria (Escherichia coli) measured over five summers. | July 2013 | |
| Freshwater demand | Provides information on freshwater demand, mainly the volumes of water allocated to human uses. This is also known as total (consumptive) water allocation. | November 2010 | |
|
| Area of native land cover | Provides information on native land cover by measuring:
| April 2010 |
| Distribution of seven selected native species | Provides information on the distribution of seven selected native plants and animals:
| December 2007 | |
| Land cover | Provides information on land cover across nine land cover classes:
| December 2007 | |
| Land use | Provides information on land use across 18 land-use classes:
and four land-cover classes:
| January 2010 | |
| Soil health | Provides information on soil health and reports on the following chemical, biological and physical soil properties:
across seven major land-use categories:
| January 2010 | |
| Soil erosion risk | Provides information on risk from soil erosion, by measuring pasture on erosion-prone hill country and classifying them into categories of erosion potential (severe, very severe and extreme). | December 2007 | |
|
| Marine areas with legal protection | Provides information on Marine Protected Areas, and reports on the proportion of our territorial seas and coastal biogeographic regions protected by marine reserves. | December 2012 |
| Fishing activity | Provides information on fisheries effort and reports on the status of fish stock under the Quota Management System and on the impact of bottom trawling on fish communities. | November 2010 (fish stocks) | |
| Suitability for swimming (previously called Recreational water quality) | Provides information on health risk associated with primary contact recreation (eg, swimming or surfing) at beaches on the coast. Each site is given a grade based on a sanitary inspection of the catchment and concentrations of bacteria (Enterococci) measured over five summers. | July 2013 | |
Pressures and impacts | |||
| Pressure or impact | National environmental indicator | What is measured to report on this indicator? | Updated |
|
| Household consumption expenditure | Provides information on household consumption expenditure in seven expenditure categories:
| October 2012 |
|
| Energy supply | Provides information on energy supply and reports on:
| July 2009 |
| Energy demand | Provides information on energy demand and reports on:
| July 2009 | |
|
| Vehicle-kilometres travelled (VKT) by road | Provides information on vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by road by measuring:
| March 2009 |
|
| Solid waste disposal | Provides information on the quantity (by weight) and composition of solid waste sent to landfill. | October 2012 (disposal) |
Atmosphere
Fresh water
Land
Marine
Consumption
Energy
Transport
Waste