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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 -
August 2009The report is part of a series of three reports that strengthen the evidence base for a potential industry-led voluntary product stewardship scheme. It assesses the environmental impact of mercury-containing lamps compared to the impact of mercury from other sources. Read more -
May 2000This report describes the approach taken for estimating the water quality 'trigger' values for ecosystem protection used in the 2000 revision of the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (ANZECC 2000). The guidelines were revised in August 2018. Read more -
May 2019This report refines and updates 2011 modelling on suspended sediment loads across New Zealand with new and longer calibration datasets and updated predictors. 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 -
December 2009In this report, Boffa Miskell Ltd analyses international approaches to resource efficiency, to inform the development of an approach that is specific and applicable to New Zealand and allows comparisons with other countries. Read more -
August 2020This factsheet gives an overview of the different types of waste to energy (WtE) technologies and aspects of the New Zealand context that may be relevant when considering WtE proposals. Read more -
April 2000This report provides an information base about the status of water allocation in each New Zealand region, and the systems being used to allocate water. It was prepared for the Ministry for the Environment by Lincoln Environmental. 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 -
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 -
November 2014This report examines waste produced in households in New Zealand (2009). Read more -
December 2020This report surveyed international frameworks, identified important lessons for outcome-based environmental management, and helps clarify what setting environmental limits and targets will require. Read more -
March 2004This guide will help decision-makers implement a consistent full cost accounting approach to landfills, incorporating landfill planning, development, operation, closure and aftercare. Read more -
June 2002Information for lake managers on on native and exotic fish populations in substantial lakes and reservoirs. Read more -
February 2010This report outlines a process for measuring and reporting resource efficiency. Read more -
April 2017This report presents trends in the abundance of freshwater species between 1977 and 2015 based on standardised data from the New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database. Read more -
September 2019This report from ESR describes the methodology and findings of an assessment of changes in levels of compliance with the Drinking-water Standards for New Zealand (DWSNZ) from 2005 to July 2017. Read more -
May 2019This report provides information on the susceptibility to eutrophication of coastal water bodies to nutrient loads from fresh water. Read more -
July 2008This leaflet provides an overview of the proposed National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. The NES came into effect on 1 July 2011. Read more -
January 2004This report, commissioned as part of the Water Programme of Action, describes potential opportunities for using economic instruments to manage the impacts of land use on water quality. Read more -
January 2008This report investigates ways to promote the recycling and better management of mercury-containing lamps. 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 -
October 2014This report provides recommendations for new sites to improve representativeness in the New Zealand river environmental monitoring network. 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 -
July 2011This environment snapshot has been superseded by the October 2012 Recreational water quality in New Zealand indicator update and the 2013 Suitability for swimming indicator update. Read more -
April 2017This report models the state of water quality along New Zealand’s national river network, using data measured at freshwater monitoring sites between 2009 and 2013. 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 -
December 2017This report analyses the state of freshwater quality for the past 25 years based on a national scale model. Read more -
August 2020This report describes a prototype for a New Zealand River Ecosystem Health Scorecard, conceived as a simple, easily interpretable and holistic communication tool for the state of the biophysical condition of rivers and streams in New Zealand. Read more -
December 2013An assessment of the representativeness and statistical power of state of environment river monitoring sites across New Zealand. Read more -
April 2019This report summaries the published literature on land-use impacts on New Zealand's freshwater and coastal environments. Read more -
December 2017This report estimates the net amount of surface water available in New Zealand and in each region between 1995 and 2014. 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 -
August 2018These guidelines provide water managers with tools and guidance to assess, manage and monitor the water quality. They complement the existing National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (Freshwater NPS) which is the main direction to local government about how to manage fresh water in New Zealand. Read more -
December 2009These guidelines provide advice on how public health risk associated with cyanobacteria in recreational waters can be managed. Read more -
May 2018This report provides an environmental classification system for a potential deposited sediment indicator in the National Objectives Framework. The system classifies streams according to their modelled reference state. This report is an interim deliverable for an ongoing research programme that builds on and refines its findings and will conclude in June 2018. Read more -
March 2009This report summarises changes in fish communities in New Zealand rivers, including changes in relation to different land uses. Read more -
December 2020This report translates the planetary boundaries framework to show New Zealand’s global environmental connections and quantifies where our country sits in terms of operating within environmentally safe boundaries. Read more -
February 2017This report is a strategic assessment of New Zealand’s freshwaters for recreational use from a human health perspective. It outlines the methods used to produce spatial predictions of E. coli and cynobacterial biovolume at unmonitored locations. Read more -
May 2001This guide aims to increase awareness of the risks associated with closed landfills and to outline the best practical methods to manage closed landfill sites effectively, so that adverse environmental effects are minimised. Read more -
September 2019This report reviews New Zealand literature on the effects of environmental degradation of freshwater ecosystems on social, cultural, environmental, and economic outcomes in New Zealand. Read more -
May 2019This report outlines recommended changes to the ‘Interim New Zealand Guidelines for Cyanobacteria in Recreational Fresh Waters’. Read more -
May 2019This report analyses seasonal patterns in river and lake water quality across New Zealand, using data from 2013–2017. Read more -
November 2013This technical report provides evidence and advice used in setting the E. Coli attribute bands for secondary contact recreation in rivers and lakes. Read more -
December 2019This guide provides information for people who import, manufacture, or sell products covered by New Zealand’s Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS). Read more -
May 2019This report reviews how mechanistic (process-based) models simulate periphyton biomass using algorithms describing known growth and loss processes based on nutrients, light, temperature, grazing, and physical factors. 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 -
April 2004This document provides interim guidance on ‘functional’ indicators of ecosystem processes, such as ecosystem metabolism Read more -
May 2019This report summarises a workshop held to gather feedback on the ‘Interim New Zealand Guidelines for Cyanobacteria in Recreational Fresh Waters’. Read more -
July 2001This publication provides background information about the sources, causes and processes involved with the deterioration of streams in farmed catchments and the consequences of that deterioration. Read more