What’s In This Chapter?

  • Download the Natural Environment ChapterLocal natural environmental issues
  • Waste management and recycling
  • Biodiversity
  • Energy use
  • Air quality
  • Drinking water quality
  • Water consumption
  • Ecological footprints
  • Beach and stream/lake water quality

 

For full details, graphs etc, refer to the chapter in pdf format »

Key Results - Natural Environment

  • Key environmental issues facing the 12 cities are the effects of growth and development, protecting biodiversity, transportation, air quality and water supply/quality.
  • Almost all (97.0%) of New Zealanders living in the 12 cities have access to kerbside recycling.
  • The volume of solid waste sent to landfill has slightly increased in the years 2002 to 2006.
  • All of the 12 cities are addressing biodiversity through their Long Term Council Community Plans (LTCCP) and District Plans.
  • Energy efficiency projects are underway at most of the 12 cities.
  • Air pollution is more likely to be perceived as a problem by residents in Christchurch (63.0%) and Auckland (44.0%) than in other cities.
  • In general, the rate of public health risk at coastal beaches is relatively low. Risk is higher at freshwater bathing sites.
  • North Shore, Auckland and Hutt residents rate water pollution as more of a problem than residents of other cities.
  • North Shore, Auckland, Waitakere, Manukau, Hamilton and Tauranga have excellent grades for drinking water quality.
  • Nearly all of the populations in the 12 cities are served by water supplies that comply with E. coli standards.
  • Water consumption in the 12 cities (both domestic and commercial/industrial) has increased slightly in recent years.
  • Wellington, Bay of Plenty and Auckland regions recorded lower ecological footprints per capita than the national average.

Natural Environment

This chapter looks at the physical aspects of the natural environment that have a substantial impact on life in cities, such as air, soil, water, drinking water and waste disposal.

Why This Is Important

The quality of the natural environment is directly related to people’s quality of life. Population growth and economic development put pressure on the sustainability of the natural environment. Pressure for expansion of the urban area into peripheral areas will have effects on the natural ecosystems of both the land and sea. Issues such as environmental pollution, waste generation and management, heritage protection and preservation of indigenous wildlife in built-up areas are all important issues to be considered as urban areas grow and develop.

Key Points

Almost all (97.0%) of the New Zealand population living in metropolitan areas has access to kerbside recycling, offering opportunities to divert waste materials from landfills.1

All of the 12 cities are addressing biodiversity through their Long Term Council Community Plans (LTCCP) and District Plans, with many adopting policies and programmes to prevent loss of biodiversity.
Many of the city councils are changing their energy usage behaviour through sustainable energy use projects, such as trialling solar-powered lighting on bus shelters and generating electricity for the national grid through landfill gas extraction.

Air pollution is an issue in Christchurch, which had the highest rates of PM10 (suspended particle) exceedances between 2001 and 2005. Auckland had higher levels of nitrogen dioxide and ozone concentration compared with other cities.

Residents of Christchurch and Auckland were more likely to state that air pollution was a problem in their city than residents of the other cities.

The public health risk at coastal beaches is relatively low in all five regions in which our cities are located. In comparison, the rate of public health risk at inland freshwater beaches is relatively high. Of those regions with a comparatively high number of monitored sites, Canterbury has the highest number of samples exceeding guidelines.

North Shore, Auckland, Waitakere, Manukau, Hamilton and Tauranga have excellent grades for drinking water quality. In all our cities at least 99.8% of the population received water from suppliers that complied with E. coli standards.

Local Natural Environmental Issues

  • Key environmental issues facing the 12 cities are the effects of growth and development, protecting biodiversity, transportation, air quality and water supply/quality.

Waste Management And Recycling

  • Almost all of New Zealanders living in the major metropolitan areas have access to kerbside recycling.
  • The volume of solid waste sent to landfill has slightly increased in the years 2002 to 2006.

Biodiversity

  • All the 12 cities are addressing biodiversity through their LTCCPs and District Plans.

Energy Use

  • Energy efficiency projects are underway in all of the 12 cities.
  • Electricity demand has slightly increased in most areas, with the largest increase in demand in the greater Auckland region.

Air Quality

  • Air pollution is perceived as a problem by residents in Christchurch and Auckland.
  • Christchurch has the highest average annual levels of PM10 and highest carbon monoxide levels in relation to the other cities.
  • Auckland has the highest nitrogen dioxide levels in relation to the other cities that monitored such levels and the highest ozone concentrations (compared with the limited monitoring carried out in other cities).

Beach and Stream/Lake Water Quality

  • In general, the rate of public health risk at coastal beaches is relatively low in all five regions. Risk is higher at freshwater bathing sites.
  • North Shore, Auckland and Hutt residents are more likely to rate water pollution as a problem than residents of other cities.

Drinking Water Quality

  • North Shore, Auckland, Waitakere, Manukau, Hamilton and Tauranga have excellent grades for drinking water quality.
  • Nearly all residents in the 12 cities were served by water supplies that comply with E. coli standards.

Water Consumption

  • Water consumption in the 12 cities, both domestic and commercial/industrial, has increased slightly over recent years.

Ecological Footprint

  • Wellington, Bay of Plenty and Auckland regions recorded lower ecological footprints per capita than the national average.

 

1. It is difficult to assess accurately the level of waste generated by domestic, commercial and industrial sources, as waste management activities for most cities are carried out by commercial contractors. The data is considered to be commercially sensitive information, rather than data that could be used by councils to address the growing issue of waste disposal.