The Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ’s latest report, published in April, reflects both progress and ongoing environmental concerns in New Zealand. While positive steps are being taken at the individual level, issues like species loss, river pollution, and rising greenhouse gases continue to worsen.
In the fourth edition of Our Environment 2025, Secretary for the Environment James Palmer acknowledged the signs of improvement but cautioned, “We’ve started to turn the corner,” warning that “the environment remains extraordinarily vulnerable.”
Public Awareness is A Central Pillar for Change
Secretary for the Environment James Palmer said the report is intended for “the general public, who all face choices that impact the environment.” He added, “What we would like all New Zealanders to have is at least a basic level of understanding of the importance of our natural environment for our economy, our lifestyles and our wellbeing.”
Progress from Everyday Decisions
The report presents a mixed picture of New Zealand’s environmental health, but there are signs of progress. From 2018 to 2023, landfill volumes dropped by 11%, following years of rising per capita waste. Emissions from motor vehicles are also declining, despite increasing car numbers, due in large part to the rapid growth of electric and hybrid vehicles.
“Choices about the cars we drive, the heating we use for our homes, for example, are showing up in better air quality, which is likely to flow through into better health impacts for children and other vulnerable people,” said Palmer.
Shifts in heating choices are having a noticeable effect on air quality, with many households now opting for heat pumps or electric heaters instead of coal. In the agricultural sector, dairy cattle numbers have been falling since 2014, signalling a slowdown in land and water intensification. “We’ve started to turn the corner in meaningful ways on some of our measures,” Palmer said.
Urban Development Benefits
New Zealand’s urban areas grew by 15% from 1996 to 2018, while the population increased by 31%, suggesting a shift toward denser, more compact cities. “I think that’s enormously heartening that we’ve seen this level of densification,” said Palmer. But the report also highlights a concerning trend: as cities intensify, private green spaces are shrinking.
Palmer called this “an alarm bell” for the importance of green spaces amid urban growth. While the long-term effects on mental and physical wellbeing are still uncertain, they are cause for concern.
Threats to Native Species
The fate of New Zealand’s native species looks increasingly precarious. “I think that underscores the fragility of many endemic ecosystems and the fact we have brought to this country invasive plants and animals that continue to ravage many of those species,” said Palmer.
77 of New Zealand’s 99 native land bird species were listed as threatened or at risk of extinction as of 2021, while four out of five bat species and nearly all frog species are also under threat.
While 48% of the country’s native vascular plant species were at risk in 2022. Invasive species like wilding pines continue to spread rapidly, expanding by 90,000 hectares every year.
If left unchecked, wilding pines could cover a quarter of New Zealand’s land in just 30 years, costing primary industries more than $9 billion annually, with lost productivity alone accounting for $4 billion.
Pollution and Water Quality Concerns
New Zealand’s clean-and-green reputation is facing significant challenges, with 45% of the country’s rivers deemed unsafe for swimming due to pollution. Groundwater is also a concern, as 46% of monitored sites failed to meet E. coli drinking water standards at least once over a five-year period, including sites not used for drinking.
The issue of microplastics, once on the horizon, is now a pressing reality. MfE chief science advisor Alison Collins warned of their widespread impact. “The problem here is that the extent of microplastics across the environment is still not well known, and their impacts are still being understood, so it’s certainly an area to watch,” she said.
The Catalyst for Environmental Decline
The report’s most troubling conclusion is that climate change is no longer merely one of many environmental issues—it is now the catalyst for all other challenges. While air quality has improved in certain areas, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide continue to rise.
Under a high-emissions scenario, sediment erosion could increase by as much as 233% by 2090, with significant impacts on ecosystems and land productivity. GNS Science’s Nick Cradock-Henry called the findings a “sobering picture” of intensifying environmental pressures. “What we do to the environment, the report infers, will end up affecting us, our homes, our communities, our economy,” he warned.
Conclusion
The report stresses that public awareness and individual actions are key to maintaining momentum, but the true path to recovery will require sustained policy, investment, and strong community commitment.