MfE and Stats NZ welcome opportunity to continue improving environmental reporting

The Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ welcomed a report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton, which reviews the performance of the reporting system created under the Environmental Reporting Act 2015.

Secretary for the Environment Vicky Robertson said the Commissioner’s independent review largely reinforces the Ministry’s thinking and changes already made around environmental reporting.“We look forward to continuing to improve and evolve New Zealand’s environmental reporting system. It’s vital we clearly understand the health of our country’s environment so policymakers and businesses can make informed decisions for a sustainable future.”The Environmental Reporting Act 2015 requires regular state of the environment reports from MfE and Stats NZ. Since the Act’s inception, the departments have jointly released seven environment reports, and a range of environmental indicators, which present information and data relating to particular aspects of the five domains.“Our state of the environment report, Environment Aotearoa 2019, highlighted the need for improvements in the current environmental reporting system. A robust system is crucial so all New Zealanders have access to trusted information, and we can continue developing evidence-based government policies. Good environmental monitoring depends on good data,” said Ms Robertson.