Estuary monitoring is undertaken by most councils in New Zealand as part of their State of the Environment programmes. To support this monitoring, the Ministry funded the development of a National Estuary Monitoring Protocol (NEMP) in 2002, and an update in 2025.
The 2025 update is available in three parts:
- Overarching guidance [PDF 5.30 MB] that describes key elements of estuary assessment and monitoring
- Broad scale methods [PDF 14.6 MB] for mapping saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass, macroalgae and substrate type.
- Fine scale methods [PDF 4.04 MB] for monitoring sedimentation rate, sediment quality and sediment associated biota.
Estuary monitoring is undertaken by most councils in New Zealand as part of their State of the Environment programmes. To support this monitoring, the Ministry funded the development of a National Estuary Monitoring Protocol (NEMP) in 2002, and an update in 2025.
The 2025 update is available in three parts:
- Overarching guidance [PDF 5.30 MB] that describes key elements of estuary assessment and monitoring
- Broad scale methods [PDF 14.6 MB] for mapping saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass, macroalgae and substrate type.
- Fine scale methods [PDF 4.04 MB] for monitoring sedimentation rate, sediment quality and sediment associated biota.