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Most estuary monitoring is carried out by regional councils and unitary authorities, who are responsible for managing the sustainable use of natural resources in their region and have a duty to gather and record information on the State of the Environment (SOE).  Other agencies that undertake monito...

Why monitor groundwater? Groundwater changes over time. Groundwater levels rise and fall as the seasons change, and in response to heavy rainfall and groundwater use. Groundwater quality can also respond to changes in the seasons and to rainfall events, as well as to changes in land use. By monitori...

How is land cover in New Zealand monitored? The most widely-used source of land cover monitoring data in New Zealand is the New Zealand Land Cover Database (LCDB).

A set of National Environmental Monitoring Standards (NEMS) have been developed to describe best practice for implementing continuous measurement of a range of environmental parameters, the appropriate quality coding of data, and relevant supporting information for the standard.  Learn more about NE...

The National Environmental Monitoring Standards (NEMS) project aims to ensure consistency in the way environmental monitoring data is collected and handled throughout New Zealand.

What does the LAWA Air Quality National Picture Summary 2024 tell us about air quality in NZ towns? The LAWA Air Quality National Picture Summary update in 2024 presents an overview of particle (PM) air pollution levels, trends, and sources in New Zealand towns that are monitored by regional council...

Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), councils must undertake SOE monitoring in order to "effectively carry out their functions".  Or simply put, to check if desired environmental results are being achieved, e.g. meeting an environmental standard or guideline.   New Zealand's regional and un...

Communication is the main purpose of SOE reporting - to tell us about the health of our environment and changes to it over time.  SOE reporting illustrates whether environmental management is effective or where attention is required.  It provides early warning of environmental risks, e.g., to air, l...

The highly automated communications process by which measurements are made and other data collected at remote or inaccessible points and transmitted to receiving equipment for monitoring. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure. Councils use telemetry to send envir...

What is mud content? Mud content refers to the amount of fine silt and clay particles (collectively called ‘mud’) that have washed off the land and are present in the surface layers of estuary sandflats. Mud is defined as sediment particles less than 0.063 mm in diameter, and is characterised by the...