Our environment 2025 Tō tātou taiao

If there has been one constant in Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment, it is change. Geologically young, our country has been forged out of dramatic tectonic forces, carved by the winds and water of the Roaring Forties, and populated by unique biodiversity that has evolved in isolation. Ever since people arrived on these shores, we have accelerated this change as we cleared land for food and fibre, built our homes and businesses, and developed new ways to power our economy and get around. 

This three-yearly report on the state of the environment shows how people continue to drive change in our land, water and coasts. It also describes how we, in turn, are affected by the changes we cause – in both positive and negative ways. 

Much of what you’ll read here is cause for ongoing attention and concern. The report highlights real risks to people, communities and places which, left unaddressed, threaten our livelihoods and quality of life for generations to come. 

However, the report also tells a story of hope.  

There is evidence that some negative trends in our environment are stabilising, or reversing, due to choices people have made about how we live, or as a result of specific management interventions. 

In the Ministry for the Environment’s companion document Our environment, our lives: The stories behind the numbers we spotlight some of the important work being led by communities, iwi and Māori, local government, farmers, businesses and government that’s bringing about tangible improvements for people and our precious places. 

There is no doubt New Zealand, like all places on our planet, has major challenges ahead. These include increased pressures on our environment, communities and economy from extreme storm and weather events driven by the growing impacts of climate change. 

We have a great opportunity to draw on evidence and data to build our resilience to those forces and impacts. Armed with this knowledge we can make informed decisions about our lives and businesses, ensuring New Zealand can leverage the potential of being best prepared for the future. 

Our environment 2025 is jointly produced by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ. Our teams of analysts and scientists work independently of the government to organise this evidence and provide New Zealand with a benchmark for reporting that is factual, reliable and robust. 

We also recognise the contributions of Māori knowledge and practices in guiding our environmental stewardship, and the role and contribution of business and farming communities in gathering and sharing data. Equally vital to this report is the critical expertise and evidence provided by regional councils and the scientific community. Building a comprehensive evidence base requires strong partnerships and collaboration across all sectors and communities to support the collective effort to protect and restore New Zealand’s environment. 

This vital work helps New Zealanders understand the inseparable connection between people and the built and natural environments on which we depend. It shows us there are things we can do to further improve our economy, nature and lives, and it helps provide us with the evidence needed to know where to put our efforts. 

Correction: 23 April 2025

We have removed superseded text from page 37 of Our environment 2025. The following bullet was superseded by content from de Lange et al 2024, which remains at the end of page 37. “In 2017, 39 percent of indigenous freshwater plant species (71 of 180) were threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened (figure 4). Estimated population trends show 20 percent of species have decreasing populations and 77 percent have stable populations (see indicator: Extinction threat to indigenous species).” 

We have corrected three typos on page 57. The incorrect chemical symbol for methane, ‘NH₄’, has been replaced with the correct symbol, ‘CH₄’. 

We have corrected a sentence unsupported by its citation on page 67. The sentence, “Young children and people living in deprived areas are also at greater risk of waterborne disease (EHINZ, 2024a).” has been corrected to, “Young children are also at greater risk of waterborne disease (EHINZ, 2024a).” 

We have updated and provided additional reference to a statement on page 69. The sentence “There is currently a lack of data for this connection in New Zealand (Chaseling et al, 2023).” has been updated to “There is currently limited data for this connection in New Zealand (Chaseling et al, 2023; Lai et al, 2024).”