Our land 2024

The land and ecosystems of Aotearoa New Zealand are globally unique and nationally significant. Our connections to and relationship with the land are a defining characteristic of life in our country.

Today, all New Zealanders benefit from the many contributions nature makes to our lives. Nature supports our livelihoods and large parts of our economy, provides the places we are connected to, and has inherent value within ecosystems. Nature is an asset and resource that our prosperity depends on, and it is also a source of meaning and value.

Our land 2024

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the state of different aspects of the environment – for example, atmosphere and climate, freshwater and the environment as a whole. Our land 2024 details the effects of human activities on our diverse ecosystems and the cascading impacts of our land-use choices.

There are different ways of viewing nature and the multiple and complex roles it plays in our lives. Natural processes provide us with food, clean air and water, energy, raw materials, the regulation of climate and protection against extreme weather events. The importance of land to our economy means that it can also be viewed as an asset, supporting our lives and livelihoods. Despite the immense value of these services, their contribution is not always reflected in traditional economic accounting.

Our land 2024

Natural infrastructure

A key theme of Our land 2024 is that, when we look after nature, we are looking after ourselves by actively conserving the key advantages ecosystems provide. The report uses the term ‘natural infrastructure’ to describe natural or semi-natural structural elements of ecosystems and landscapes that provide benefits for the environment and human wellbeing.

Some elements such as highly productive land and soil quality are easily quantified. Other elements such as wetlands, coastal dunes and urban green spaces deliver benefits that are often overlooked.

Our natural infrastructure is crucial to our economy in many ways. Our primary production sectors, the basis of our export economy, depend on healthy land and soil. Aotearoa New Zealand’s tourism sector and international brand and identity rely on natural landscapes and a clean environment.

Natural infrastructure that is in a degraded state reduces productivity, lowers our resilience to disasters and raises recovery costs in the aftermath.

Pressures on the land

Human activities place great pressure on terrestrial ecosystems. The key pressures include changes in land use along with adverse effects from pollution, climate change and invasive species.

Since the late 1800s, an extractive approach to land use has prevailed. This emphasises its ‘improvement potential’ for both productivity and economic purposes. Aotearoa New Zealand has witnessed the expansion of land area used for farming and commercial forestry alongside urban intensification and grey infrastructure growth linked to population and consumption as well as increased pollution and waste.

This land-use intensification has led to degradation of our soils and waters and the clearance and fragmentation of vast tracts of indigenous forest as well as the reclamation and drainage of lakes, estuaries, repo, dunes and river margins.

Connections and choices

We are a part of our environment, not separate from it. The Māori world view acknowledges a natural order to the universe that is in balance or equilibrium. When part of this system shifts, the entire system is put out of balance.

When the system is out of balance, this affects its mauri. Mauri is the binding force that holds together the physical and spiritual components of a being or thing. An ecosystem is more able to provide benefits when its mauri is vibrant. However, when mauri is unbalanced, it affects all other systems in te taiao (the environment), including people.

Finding solutions

Reports like Our land 2024 show that we have a good understanding of the pressures we’ve placed on the environment. The wealth of evidence and data from both mātauranga and science are leading to changes in how we monitor, interact with and value te taiao. For example, green infrastructure projects like the restoration of Auckland’s Te Auaunga – Oakley Creek are helping to reinstate the natural balance of local ecosystems.

The choices we make today about how we manage our relationship with land are also central to improving outcomes for our freshwater and marine environments and mitigating climate change. The solutions that lie in our natural infrastructure can help us adapt to a future where we are exposed to more frequent natural hazards that pose a threat to our physical security, wellbeing, and economic prosperity. Recognising the value that nature provides and the full range of benefits we receive from healthy, functioning ecosystems is crucial to building a safer and more prosperous future for us all. We all have a role to play in shaping our environmental future and we hope the evidence contained in Our land 2024 helps you understand the challenges and take part in the solutions.

Our land 2024