New Zealand's Environmental Reporting data collection

Environmental domains The series covers the following environmental domains as defined in Environmental Reporting Act 2015. Air The air domain comprises the shallow gas layer that surrounds Earth above ground level. This gas layer is made up mainly of oxygen and nitrogen as well as small amounts of other gases, vapour, and particulates. The air domain excludes stratospheric ozone and the effects of greenhouse gases on Earth’s climate. These aspects are included in the atmosphere and climate domain. View air indicators and reports Atmosphere and climate The atmosphere and climate domain extends from the air layer through the first two layers of Earth’s atmosphere – the troposphere and the stratosphere. The stratosphere includes greenhouse gases and stratospheric ozone, particulates, and meteorological conditions. Atmospheric conditions affect our climate. Climate includes temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, (rain, hail, sleet, and snow), solar radiation from ultraviolet light, and other weather patterns in a region over long periods. Localised air quality is considered in the air domain. View atmosphere and climate indicators and reports Freshwater The freshwater domain covers the water that runs across and under land areas. Freshwater relates to all the physical forms of unsalted water, including those in rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, wetlands, aquifers, and glaciers. The freshwater domain excludes atmospheric water, sea water (included in the marine domain), and geothermal water. View freshwater indicators and reports Land The land domain comprises the soil, the underlying rock, and what is on the land. It includes what resides on top of and relies on the land (eg vegetation and land use from farming to urban development). View land indicators and reports Marine The marine domain begins at the high-tide mark along our coastline and extends to the outer limits of New Zealand's exclusive economic zone including our continental shelf. It also includes estuaries, the seabed, and subsoil. View marine indicators and reports Biodiversity The cross-domain area of biodiversity covers our indigenous (native) plant and animal species of the land, freshwater, and marine environments. It also considers exotic plant and animal species (pest plants and animals as well as farmed plants and animals). View biodiversity indicators and reports Pressure-state-impact framework New Zealand’s Environmental Reporting Series reports on three types of information: Why the environment is in this condition (pressure): the natural or human influences on the state of the environment. Pressures can explain changes in the state of an environment. For example, global greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are a pressure because they affect the state of greenhouse gas concentrations over New Zealand. The condition of the environment (state): the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the environment and how these characteristics are changing. For example, concentrations of a particular air pollutant indicate the state of the air domain – including changes in that state over time. What the condition of the environment means for us (impact): the ecological, economic, social, and cultural consequences of changes in the state of the environment. For example, changes in river water quality can affect animal and plant life in our rivers and the recreational opportunities for us in the environment. About the topics and statistics Technical experts developed the topics and statistics presented in Environmental indicators Te taiao Aotearoa. The topics identify the key issues we want to know about the environment, while the statistics are the measures for those topics. The Ministers for the Environment and Statistics approved the topics. The Government Statistician approved the statistics. Topics The topics set the scope for reporting on environmental issues over the medium to long term. They help us answer high-level questions about the state, pressures, and impacts for each domain. Environmental indicators Te taiao Aotearoa addresses a broad range of topics, for example: airborne gases of concern to human health; global emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances; urban freshwater use; soil types, and ocean acidity. Statistics Each indicator presents environmental statistics describing state and where possible, change over time (trends) for a specific topic. About trends Statistical trends occur when the data show a generally increasing or decreasing change over time. A trend is a pattern in a dataset after accounting for cyclical, seasonal, and random variation. A long-term time series may highlight a single long-term trend or a number of trends over shorter time periods. Trends may be linear or reflect the overall direction of change over time. Trends do not show what is driving a change. Trend assessments We assess trends for time series where we are confident in the accuracy of the data and where methodological assumptions are satisfied. We use a range of statistical methods and tests to assess trends, including: the Mann–Kendall test to determine trend direction; Sen’s slope estimator to calculate rates of change; the Akritas–Theil–Sen method for estimating rates of change in censored time series; and generalised additive models (GAMs) to evaluate non-linear trends. Data sources We analyse and publish environmental monitoring data, model outputs, and other datasets sourced from crown agencies, regional councils and unitary authorities, Public Research Organisations and other scientific organisations, state owned enterprises, and industry. Data quality We use six criteria to assess data quality. Relevance Accuracy Timeliness Accessibility Coherence Interpretability. Fitness for purpose (or appropriateness) is another key factor in assessing the quality of the data we analyse. Relevance and accuracy are the main criteria we use to determine the data quality of our statistics. 1. Relevance How well the data relate to a topic. Relevance includes level of detail, how long the data have been collected, where they were collected from, and the credibility of data collectors. There are three levels of relevance. Direct measure Covers all aspects of a topic and is highly relevant to the topic. For example, the national temperature time series is a direct measure of the ‘national and regional temperature’ topic. Measures that are estimated using modelling may still be considered ‘direct measures’ because the estimates directly inform the topic, even though they are measured indirectly. Partial measure Covers only part of the topic and is reasonably relevant. For example, changes in the conservation status of indigenous species is a partial measure of the ‘impacts on biodiversity’ topic. Many other factors also affect the ‘impacts on biodiversity’ topic. Indirect measure May be very accurate, but the data may not relate specifically to the topic or they support only one minor area of it. For example, the occurrence of skin cancer is an indirect measure of the ‘chronic health effects related to our changing climate’ topic. Other factors, such as behaviour or skin type, also affect skin cancer rates. 2. Accuracy How well the data measure what they were designed to measure. There are two levels of accuracy. High accuracy The data are from a highly reliable source that uses highly reliable collection methods. Medium accuracy The data are from an acceptably reliable source that uses acceptable collection methods. The data measure what they were designed to measure, but may have limitations that may affect their robustness. We do not include low-accuracy data in Environmental indicators Te taiao Aotearoa. 3. Timeliness The time taken from collecting the data to publication 4. Accessibility How easy it is to access and understand the data and any supporting information. 5. Coherence and consistency How well the data align with local and international data and methods. We also consider how easy it is to compare data over different time periods, so that trends can be assessed. Coherence and consistency with international data may be less important if the data relate to a topic specific to New Zealand. 6. Interpretability How easy it is to understand and use the data effectively. Ease of access to supplementary information and metadata improves data interpretability. Limitations Environmental indicators are based on the best available data and methods at the time of publication. However, the scale and complexity of Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment present challenges for monitoring and reporting. There are gaps in data coverage and consistency, as well as the inherent complexity of interactions between environmental pressures and the state of the environment. Any limitations specific to an indicator will be noted on its webpage or in its accompanying DataInfo+ page. en-NZ