Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori
Aotearoa New Zealand – as a country and a people – has been shaped by our freshwater resources. Rainfall and waterways have influenced where we live, source and produce our food and other primary products. Freshwater is taonga and we acknowledge that freshwater systems flow with their own mauri.
Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori – report cover
Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori examines the most pressing issues on our freshwater – with an emphasis on groundwater.
The report is produced jointly by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the state of different aspects of the environment and the environment as a whole. This reporting helps us understand our environment, track impacts of human activities over time and identify challenges. Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori is dedicated to the freshwater environment. Te ao Māori concepts are integrated throughout the report and have been curated in the article Tō tātou wai māori 2026.
A central focus of this report is groundwater. Although mostly unseen and slow to change, it sustains river flows, supplies drinking water to many New Zealanders and reflects the legacy of past land use. Because groundwater responds over years or decades, the consequences of today’s actions endure long into the future.
Expansive, diverse and interconnected
The report’s introduction notes that water moves through our landscape as part of one large interconnected system. From its return to the land as rain or snowfall, freshwater flows through the ground, through streams and rivers, into lakes, wetlands and estuaries until it reaches the sea. Changes to one part of this system will affect the others as the water flows between them. Te ao Māori perspectives emphasise connectedness – ki uta ki tai (from the mountains to the sea) – underscoring the cultural, ecological and spiritual value of freshwater.
Human-induced changes from water consumption, land use and climate change are affecting the amount of water available for people and the environment and how water moves through the landscape. Water use for agriculture, towns and cities and electricity generation influences groundwater levels and the flow of rivers and lakes. Climate change is also reshaping the freshwater system through changing rainfall patterns, flow rates and rising sea levels. Natural processes such as erosion and sedimentation can increase with changes in climate and land use.
Our freshwater – infographic
This infographic is a visualisation of freshwater storage and movement above and below the ground. Changes to one part of this large interconnected system will affect the others as the water flows between them.
Download as a PDF.
The role of groundwater
Groundwater is a unifying theme in the report. We tend to think of freshwater as only the water we can see in rivers, lakes and wetlands. But surface water and groundwater are interconnected in complex ways. Groundwater is the freshwater found beneath the Earth’s surface, stored in soil pores, rock fractures and aquifers. It is replenished primarily by rainfall and snowmelt and moves slowly through underground pathways, feeding rivers, lakes and wetlands and sustaining flows during dry periods.
Activities and changes on land can have cumulative effects on groundwater that build over time, slowly but persistently. It can take anywhere from days to decades for water to move through groundwater systems and emerge in springs and rivers. The impacts of human activities on the freshwater system can be with us for a long time.
Nature of science – reflecting the needs of society
Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori uses indicator data from many sources, including public research organisations and central and local government. The report highlights our growing understanding of the importance of climate change in driving future trends and our greater understanding of how groundwater interacts with land use, surface water and ecosystems.
Using Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori in the classroom
The report structure fits well with the refreshed New Zealand curriculum, which views science as a dynamic, evidence-based discipline shaped by empirical inquiry, peer critique, and social and cultural contexts.
Information in Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori aligns with knowledge and practices in the ecosystems element of the Biological Science strand.
Knowledge
The report has five overarching sections that explain key science concepts and provide facts and evidence along with the research that underpins it. This information is ideal for helping ākonga construct evidence-based explanations about complex systems.
Section 1: Changes to freshwater sources, levels and flows looks at freshwater connections via the Earth system and how pressures in one part – for example, shrinking glaciers – affect other parts of the system. This section also highlights how human activities further alter natural flow patterns.
Section 2: Freshwater quality reflects the interconnected nature of freshwater systems and how impacts on water quality in one area can be felt in others. The slow-moving nature of groundwater also results in effects that can be seen for long time periods – for example, with nitrate and some chemical contaminants.
Section 3: Impacts on freshwater ecosystems, habitats and species describes how freshwater gives life to the land but how changes in one place can have far-reaching effects on river and lake ecosystems. Some impacts are due to excess nutrients, erosion and pest species.
Section 4: Impacts on people, society and the economy describes how changes to the freshwater system impact what we rely on and value. Contamination and degradation of freshwater environments create health risks and impact culture and recreation. Many of these impacts come with high economic costs.
Groundwater nitrate rates of change per year, 2004–2024
The colour scale indicates the annual rate of change relative to reference values for nitrate-nitrogen in New Zealand’s groundwaters.
The 0.0493 mg/L per year threshold is equal to 1/40th of the human impact reference value for nitrate-nitrogen (1.97 mg/L), and the 0.0985 mg/L per year threshold is equal to 1/20th; the 0.2820 mg/L per year threshold is equal to 1/40th of the maximum acceptable value for nitrate in New Zealand drinking water (11.3 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen), and the 0.5650 mg/L per year threshold is equal to 1/20th.
Download as a PDF.
Practices
Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori provides numerous opportunities to engage with science practices. The report contains maps to assist with the interrogation and interpretation of data. The report also features local and regional examples of human activities and environmental impacts. Ākonga can consider/research possible interventions and solutions.
Section 5: Towards a better understanding of our freshwater highlights gaps in our understanding of the freshwater environment and describes opportunities and priorities for improving knowledge to inform better management. Information in this section will be valuable for focusing on aspects of the nature of science – that scientific knowledge about freshwater systems is iterative and continues to evolve with continued investigation and evidence.
Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ reports on the Hub
Find out about other reports in this reporting series:
Related content and activity ideas
Groundwater forms a key part of Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori. Learn more about groundwater and aquifer systems in this article. The activity Constructing an aquifer model is a simple visual introduction to groundwater and aquifer systems. Use similar materials to show how contaminants enter groundwater and surface water through non-point sources and point sources.
Visit the Hub’s freshwater topic for a wealth of resources. Use the filters to narrow your search.
Navigating our freshwater environment is an interactive storymap developed as part of the Our freshwater 2023 report. It explores the state of our rivers, lakes and wetlands from the perspective of a migrating tuna (eel). This activity helps educators deepen ākonga engagement with the storymap.
The activity Te mana o te wai uses an interactive graphic organiser to explore personal views and values relating to freshwater.
Explore the range of resources in our Freshwater – lakes and rivers Pinterest board.
Useful links
Stats NZ and the Ministry for the Environment report on different aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment every 6 months. Access the reports here.
Visit Stats NZ for earlier freshwater reports and many of the indicators used to inform Our Freshwater 2026 Tō Tātou Wai Māori.
Acknowledgement
This resource has been produced with the support of the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ.
Environmental reporting series
The Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ produce New Zealand’s environmental reporting series. Every 6 months, they report on an aspect of Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment.
