Ministry work independent
Accurate, transparent environment data is the Environment Ministry’s goal, says
The quality of our fresh water is a concern for many New Zealanders at the moment, including Dr Mike Joy (Ministry misrepresenting environmental reality, January 11).
Joy puts forward the view that we are deliberately misrepresenting information around the state of our rivers and lakes. Unsurprisingly, this is not a position I agree with.
Clear, accurate data on the state of our environment is critical to be able to pinpoint where to focus our efforts to improve things. We are not interested in gilding the lily, we are interested in creating positive change, based on evidence.
The Ministry for the Environment’s data, science and research programme, driven by our own skilled scientists, is supported by many external experts and organisations who regularly contribute to and peer review the information we collect to help build an accurate picture of the state of our environment.
The cornerstone of our work in this area is the Environmental Reporting programme. Legislation tasks us to work with Statistics NZ to produce regular reports on the state of our environment.
These reports are qualityassured, ‘tier one’ statistics, so their findings are of the highest standard and have statutory independence from the government of the day.
In April this year we will release the next report in the series, this one specifically on fresh water quality.
The 2015 report did not shy away from the fact that in too many places, our water quality is not good enough. It clearly showed, for example, that nitrogen levels in our water around agricultural land were on the rise because of increased cattle numbers and more fertiliser use.
Knowing this information means those who have the ability to make changes in these areas can do so.
All of the data, the methodology and analysis that sit behind these reports are transparent and publicly available.
This is important as it allows scrutiny and encourages constant improvement.
We would be the first to acknowledge there are still gaps in the data and even now not all scientists agree on how to measure and address water quality issues.
In a way this isn’t surprising, it’s a complex area – but if we can agree that essentially we all want the same thing – healthy water that supports our way of life – then we can focus our efforts on making the improvements we seek.
Vicky Robertson is Secretary for the Environment.