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January 2021This report describes a pilot study to validate methods and assess cost savings for the design of a large-scale replacement study of the 1998-2000 Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment. Read more -
November 2020Our annual report 2019/20 provides information on how we’ve performed during 2019/20. Read more -
November 2020The Ministry for the Environment's Statement of Intent covers the years 2020 – 2025. Read more -
September 2020An evaluation report and compilation spreadsheet of available tools, databases and resources relating to the distribution of threatened freshwater species and their habitats in New Zealand. Read more -
August 2020This guidance document sets out recommended practice for the design of instream infrastructure to provide for fish passage and to set the foundation for the improvement of fish passage management in New Zealand. Read more -
August 2020The New Zealand Threat Classification System provides a tool for assigning a threat status to candidate taxa. Read more -
August 2020This report describes methods used to assess deposited sediment including the SAM2 method that is prescribed in Table 14 of Appendix 2B of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. Read more -
August 2020This report describes the method used to calculate the average score per metric (ASPM) indicator score. Read more -
July 2020This summary outlines the principal reasons which led to the review of the resource management system and the Resource Management Review Panel’s main recommendations in their report. Read more -
July 2020New Directions for Resource Management in New Zealand is a comprehensive review of our resource management system. The review process was an opportunity to design a new system for resource management that delivers better outcomes for our environment, society, economy, and culture. Read more -
July 2020 -
April 2020In 2018, the Ministry asked Deloitte to consider the extent of water bottling in Aotearoa New Zealand NZ and the economic value of water bottling for water bottlers and communities. This report presents their findings. Read more -
December 2019The Ministry commissioned this report to improve our understanding of how geospatial information can inform meaningful engagement with iwi/hapū. Read more -
November 2019This report by Honorary Professor Peter Skelton concerns the management and allocation of freshwater in the Otago region. It contains recommendations for the Minister for the Environment on improving freshwater management under the Resource Management Act 1991. Read more -
November 2019This report describes national data sets related to groundwater flux estimation, including the methodologies to undertake this work and resultant digital data sets. Read more -
November 2019This report reviews groundwater models in New Zealand. Read more -
November 2019This report describes an update of New Zealand's depth to hydrogeological basement map, including the methodology used to undertake this work and the resultant digital data sets. Read more -
November 2019This report describes the development of a Hydrogeological-Unit Map for New Zealand, which provides a classification of geological units in terms of their importance for groundwater flow and storage in an ArcGIS seamless digital map. Read more -
November 2019This report presents the approach and results of groundwater use in New Zealand. Read more -
October 2019Our annual report 2018/19 provides information on how we’ve performed during 2018/19. Read more -
September 2019This is the report of the Science and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), an advisory group to the Essential Freshwater programme. This report highlights a strong focus by the Science and Technical Advisory Group on the health of the environment and the waterbody. Its content and recommendations provide additional metrics for the national freshwater management framework to strengthen the relationship between this national direction and ecosystem health and functioning. Read more -
September 2019The report by the Freshwater Leaders Group notes that to improve water quality, major changes are needed to the way that we as a country protect and manage our land and water. Read more -
September 2019This report by the Regional Sector Water Subgroup contributes the views and expeiences of regional councils to the Essential Freshwater programme. The group's advice focusses on likely impacts and practical implementation issues relating to proposed policies. Read more -
September 2019The expenses of the Ministry for the Environment’s Chief Executive for the period 1 July 2018 - 30 June 2019. Read more -
September 2019This report by Kāhui Wai Māori sets out recommendations for our nation to journey together in implementing a managed transitoin to a new system of care and respect for water. Read more -
April 2019This report presents the findings of a review of the effectiveness of the National Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission and the National Environmental Standard for Electricity Transmission Activities. Read more -
December 2018This report summarises the findings of the Ministry’s review of the National Environmental Standard for Source of Human Drinking Water. Read more -
December 2018Ministry for the Environment, in partnership with Bay of Plenty Regional Council, commissioned a literature review to get an accessible summary of relevant research carried out in New Zealand on methods to manage sediment and their economic assessment. Read more -
November 2018This report assesses how well we are developing and maintaining the regulatory regimes we are responsible for, including the state of each piece of legislation, any plans for amendments, and our view of important emerging issues. Read more -
July 2018 -
May 2018This report outlines the establishment of reference conditions and trigger values. Reference conditions are defined as the chemical, physical or biological conditions that can be expected in streams and rivers with minimal or no anthropogenic influence. Read more -
April 2018This report provides an analysis of New Zealand’s wetland loss for the period summer 2001/2 through to summer 2015/2016. Read more -
April 2018The Ministry for the Environment, Department of Conservation, and the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge co-funded research to look at contemporary losses of wetland extent in New Zealand. This report provides recommendations and a suggested path forward to improve our ability to monitor and report on national wetland extent. Read more -
March 2018This report sets out our research on tangata whenua provisions in district and regional planning documents and discusses their variation. Read more -
October 2017This report compares nutrient measurements in Wellington rivers by national recommended protocols versus Greater Wellington Regional Council’s historical protocols. Read more -
September 2017This report investigates how the structure, format, and presentation of RMA plans impact the ability of lay people to navigate and understand the plan provisions. Read more -
August 2017This is an evaluation under s32AA of the Resource Management Act 1991, and further evaluates any changes to amendments proposed in the Clean Water discussion document since the initial s32 evaluation (published February 2017). Read more -
July 2017This project was aimed at developing Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s (BOPRC) staff capability to apply tools and frameworks to support freshwater policy development. It introduced tools, frameworks, processes and disciplines that will strengthen the policy process. Read more -
July 2017Since 2015, Gisborne District Council (GDC) and Beef and Lamb New Zealand have been engaging with Rere farmers to try and raise water quality together to a swimmable standard. Farmer interest and participation in the project has been high and this report tells the story of the Rere Project to date, including lessons, next steps and strategic implications. Read more -
July 2017The expenses of the Ministry for the Environment’s Chief Executive for the period 1 July 2016 - 30 June 2017. Read more -
June 2017The 2017 Four Year Plan sets out the Ministry for the Environment’s strategic intentions for 2017/18 to 2020/2021. The Four Year Plan was prepared before Budget 2017 and was current at May 2017. Read more -
June 2017The Chief Economist Unit (CEU) at the Auckland Council commissioned this study on behalf of the Ministry for Environment to look at the feasibility of developing a Computational General Equilibrium (CGE) model to analyse the economic impacts of implementing the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management. Read more -
June 2017GDC approached AgResearch to develop a model of the cost-effectiveness of appropriate mitigation options that could be implemented on farm to address the issue of faecal contamination (as indicated by the presence of E. coli) of the river. Read more -
June 2017Otago Regional Council (ORC) requested a programme of experimentation that would deliver quantitative measurements of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and fluxes in leachate reported for pasture, forage crop and native bush sites in the West Matukituki Valley, located west of Lake Wanaka. Read more -
June 2017The regional/unitary councils for Waikato, Auckland, and Northland require a model to predict the annual delivery and sources of sediment across their regions for the purposes of environmental reporting and to inform strategy, policy, and sediment management operations. This study addresses this requirement in two tasks. Read more -
June 2017In 2014 Gisborne District Council received funding from the Ministry for the Environment to undertake a community-based pilot project the Lower Waipaoa and Te Arai catchment areas to identify, protect and enhance inanga spawning sites. Read more -
May 2017This report examines how national policy statements on energy and electricity have been implemented and how they could be incorporated into the proposed National Planning Standards. Read more -
May 2017This report assesses metrics (ie, standards and methods of measurement) used in a selection of district and regional plans. Read more -
May 2017This report provides advice on the potential to standardise rules or exclusions for residential activities that could be included in a national planning standard or national environmental standard under the Resource Management Act. Read more -
May 2017This report identifies and analyses relevant non-urban zones and develops zoning framework options. Read more