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October 2020This report assesses the suitability of using New Zealand Rural Fire Authority’s Fire Danger Rating System as an indicator on wildfire risk for the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ’s environmental reporting. Read more -
October 2020This report describes the climate datasets that were supplied by NIWA for use in Our atmosphere and climate 2020, and outlines the methodologies used to generate them. Read more -
August 2020This report provides recommendations on opportunities to standardise domestic kerbside collections of waste in New Zealand to increase consistency, reduce confusion for householders, improve material quality and reduce residual rubbish to landfill. Read more -
May 2020This report scopes the potential development of a land-use intensity indicator for environmental reporting. Read more -
April 2020This report highlights patterns and trends in implementation of the Resource Management Act by local authorities from 2014/15 to 2018/19, as recorded by the National Monitoring System. The purpose of the report is to identify areas for improvement in policy or practice. Read more -
December 2019This report assesses the costs and benefits of changes to the waste disposal levy. Read more -
September 2019This report prepared by MRCagney informs work on understanding and measuring the wider costs and benefits of urban development under the Urban Growth Agenda. Read more -
August 2019This Beca report presents a review and analysis of the main urban zoning provisions within district plans for selected ‘high-growth’ councils. Read more -
May 2019This report considers options for New Zealand to manage the effects of fluctuations in recycling material commodity prices on our resource recovery sector. Read more -
May 2019This report commissioned by the National Resource Recovery Taskforce analyses the resource recovery sector in New Zealand and the impacts on recycling following fluctuations in recycling material commodity prices as markets changed. Read more -
June 2018The Ministry for the Environment commissioned Castalia to conduct an economic evaluation of the costs and benefits associated with the introduction of the first set of draft national planning standards. Read more -
December 2017This research identifies international and domestic trends and best practice for urban growth management strategies and recommends what guidance could be developed for councils to assist them to meet policies PC12, PC13 and PC14 of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity. Read more -
October 2016A comprehensive draft version of this report informed evidence and monitoring policies in the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity 2016 (NPS-UDC) and the implementation programme. It has assisted in determining which indicators would best provide useful information, and what monitoring would be practical in terms of data availability, frequency, capabilities and costs. Read more -
June 2016This paper looks at planning practices for providing development capacity for housing and business needs in the United Kingdom (UK) and two Australian states, Victoria and New South Wales. Read more -
March 2016This report priorities suggested improvements to enhance and expand air domain reporting. Read more -
September 2015Citizen science is emerging as a new source of data that could potentially be used in environmental monitoring and reporting. This project looked at the Garden Bird Survey as an example of a citizen science dataset. Read more -
September 2015This report presents an assessment of the costs and benefits of the cultural effects that are anticipated as a result of the proposed amendments to the National Environmental Standards for Telecommunication Facilities 2008. Read more -
August 2015In 2014, the Ministry for the Environment commissioned SLR to develop a product stewardship framework for e-waste in New Zealand. SLR undertook stakeholder engagement and consultation, collection and analysis of e-waste data specific to New Zealand, and analysis of product stewardship options for e-waste. This report presents the findings of this research. Read more -
July 2015In 2014, the Ministry for the Environment commissioned KPMG to research economic barriers to tyre recycling in New Zealand. This report presents the findings of that research. Read more -
November 2014This report examines waste produced in households in New Zealand (2009). Read more -
October 2014This report was prepared for the Ministry to accompany the database of non-levied waste facilities in New Zealand. It summarises the statistical findings, methodology and data limitations. Read more -
October 2014This report provides recommendations for new sites to improve representativeness in the New Zealand river environmental monitoring network. Read more -
May 2014The technical report commissioned to provide us with some of the data used in the 2014 Air domain report. Read more -
March 2014This inventory of anthropogenic (human made) mercury sources and use in New Zealand was completed in 2012 as part of the national interest assessment for the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Read more -
December 2013An investigation into the feasibility of using freshwater fish predictive models in national state of the environment indicators. Read more -
December 2013An assessment of the representativeness and statistical power of state of environment river monitoring sites across New Zealand. Read more -
December 2013The aim of a Composite River Condition Index for New Zealand is to combine a number of sub-indices to communicate a representative holistic picture of river condition. This report investigates three indices and discusses limitations and areas for improvement. Read more -
November 2013This report summarises the work of the freshwater National Objectives Framework Reference Group, including identifying some potential bottom lines, and recommendations for further work. The group included representatives from iwi, regional councils and key stakeholder groups. Read more -
October 2013The Ministry for the Environment commissioned ENVIRON Australia Pty Ltd, to investigate the practicalities of identifying, sorting and segregating plastics in the e-waste recycling industry, according to those components that contain banned brominated flame retardant (BFR) chemicals. Read more -
October 2013The Ministry for the Environment commissioned ACIL Allen Consulting to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of sorting options for e-waste plastics being recycled in New Zealand that potentially contain brominated flame retardants. Read more -
July 2013A comparison study of different predictive macroinvertebrate models. An approach is recommended and this is used to predict macroinvertebrate community condition in unmonitored reaches. Read more -
July 2013This report details the approach used to compile regional council and NIWA water quality data sets, calculate state and trends, and develop predictive models of water quality parameters. The modelling is used to predict water quality in unmonitored reaches. Read more -
December 2012The Ministry commissioned this pilot study to identify if plastics in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE, or e-waste) contained brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Read more -
July 2012This is an independent review of sections 6 and 7 of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and other sections related to natural hazards. Read more -
June 2012The Gap Analysis was one of four studies undertaken as part of the RMA Monitoring and Review Project. The gap analysis distilled key points from the three scoping studies to identify gaps and opportunities for designing and developing an integrated monitoring framework for the RMA. Read more -
May 2012The Stocktake of RMA Monitoring was one of four studies undertaken as part of the RMA Monitoring and Review Project. The Stocktake provided a better understanding of the processes and systems used by local and central government to monitor the RMA. Read more -
January 2012Assessment methodology developed to provide a robust urban design rating system for medium-density housing developments that can be used for different building typologies. Read more -
December 2011The Needs Analysis was one of four studies undertaken as part of the RMA Monitoring and Review Project. The study identified and helped us better understand what needs to be monitored under the RMA. Read more -
July 2011This report presents information about consented cleanfills and landfills in New Zealand that are not subject to the Waste Disposal Levy. Read more -
May 2011This report provides a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health. Read more -
November 2010The Ministry engaged independent consultants to develop and test a way of quantifying the benefits of resource efficiency to the New Zealand economy. Read more -
November 2010This report provides a national picture of current status (2005–2009) and trends in water quality of New Zealand lakes. It updates the 2006 report ‘A snapshot of lake water quality in New Zealand’. Read more -
November 2010This report presents a summary of the regional council consent data for water takes between 2009–10. The information in the report has been used to update the freshwater demand environmental indicator. Read more -
September 2010This study reports on the use, recycling and disposal to landfill in New Zealand of articles containing brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) flame retardants. Read more -
August 2010The outcome of a series of investigations over six months around major infrastructure consenting issues under the Resource Management Act and Public Works Act. Read more -
July 2010Report of the Minister for the Environment's Urban Technical Advisory Group. Read more -
June 2010This report is the third in a series of reports contracted by the Ministry from Boffa Miskell Ltd on resource efficiency in New Zealand. Read more -
May 2010The report is a stocktake of various approaches used to manage demand for fresh water. It looks at national-level and local council initiatives and assesses how widely the initiatives are being used and their effectiveness in meeting water demand management goals. Read more -
May 2010The purpose of this report is to assist, from a science perspective, with developing knowledge about setting limits in water management. Read more -
February 2010This is the report and recommendations of the Board of Inquiry into the proposed National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2011 came into effect on 1 July 2011. Read more