Publication Search
Search below then narrow your results using the options on the left.
-
March 2000This report provides a national inventory of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans emission to air, land and water from known sources for 1998. Read more -
February 2011This report provides a national inventory of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans emission to air, land and water from known sources for 2008. 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 -
April 2019This report provides a national inventory of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran emissions to air, land and water from known sources for 2016. Read more -
November 2018This report provides a national inventory of olychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran emissions to air, land and water from known sources for 2012, together with estimates of the amount of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran present within reservoir sources. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran Read more -
November 2019This report reviews groundwater models in New Zealand. Read more -
February 2006Between 2003 and 2006 the Ministry and 13 regional councils worked together to collect agricultural chemicals, mainly from rural properties. This report provides an estimate of the amount of intractable agrichemicals remaining on New Zealand farms following the completion of the programme. 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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
May 2003This report consolidates the different farm plans used in New Zealand into one document. It sets out the components of the farm plans, how they are used by regional councils and industry, and discusses their merits and effectiveness in environmental management on farms. 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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
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 -
May 2001This report, published in 2001, provides data on the concentrations of dioxins, PCBs and organochlorine pesticides in serum collected from New Zealanders aged 15 years and older. 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 -
September 2007This paper sets out a prioritised Ministry work programme to help manage contaminated land. 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 -
April 2004This report estimates dioxin emissions from New Zealand foundry operations that melt and process scrap metals and alloys. Volume two comprises scientific test data. Read more -
April 2004This report estimates dioxin emissions from New Zealand foundry operations that melt and process scrap metals and alloys. Volume one is the emissions estimate report. Read more -
November 2019This report presents the approach and results of groundwater use in New Zealand. Read more -
April 2019This report summarises analysis methods and outcomes for state and trends across New Zealand’s lake water quality monitoring network. Read more -
April 2019This report summarises analysis methods and outcomes for state and trends across New Zealand’s river water quality monitoring network. Read more -
July 2009This report summarises changes in nuisance periphyton (algal) growth at National River Water Quality Network sites between 1990 and 2006. Read more -
February 2001This 2001 report is an independent appraisal of the health risks posed to New Zealanders by dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls. The report contains recommendations on managing these chemicals in New Zealand, and the need to reduce population exposures. 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 -
May 2019This report analyses environmental conditions that cause the growth of periphyton in streams and rivers. Read more -
September 2019This draft NIWA report provides the first attempt to develop bottom-line thresholds for suspended and deposited sediment based on ecological responses for New Zealand rivers and streams. Read more