Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana
Aotearoa New Zealand is inherently connected to the ocean. We are near the centre of the water hemisphere – the half of Earth that is almost completely covered in water.
Aotearoa New Zealand has more than 15,000 kilometres of varied coastline – as an island nation, we are never far away from the coast. For many of us, our connections to beaches and the ocean are fundamental to who we are as New Zealanders.
The ocean and coasts of New Zealand are more than part of our identity – they support the homes, livelihoods and cultural practices of communities across the country.
The Pacific Ocean has shaped who we are as a people, but our activities on the land and global climate change are shaping the condition of our marine environment.
Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana – report cover
Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana focuses on how climate change drives change in our marine and coastal environments and how these changes in turn affect people.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the state of different aspects of the environment – for example, land, air, freshwater and the environment as a whole.
Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana highlights the importance of understanding how climate, ocean health and human health are deeply interconnected.
About the report
The report structure for Our Marine Environment 2025 mirrors how climate change drives change in our marine and coastal environments and how these changes in turn affect people. It begins with the changes to global climate and ocean systems, then explains what this means for New Zealand and ends with impacts for all of us.
The report features four main sections. Each has a short introduction and subheadings with concise bullet points of data and local examples as supporting evidence.
Nature of science
All data used in Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana, including references to scientific literature, are corroborated and checked for consistency with the original source. The report is reviewed by a panel of independent scientists. Reports released under the Environmental Reporting Act 2015 are produced independently of government ministers.
Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana – infographic
This infographic shows the interconnectedness of human activities with the marine environment.
Download a PDF of this infographic.
As you observe this infographic, consider these questions:
How does this infographic imply or suggest interconnectedness?
Does the diagram signal a beginning or end? Why do you think it has been designed this way?
How does the infographic relay information via the graphics – for example, species loss?
While observing this infographic, what is one thing that stands out for you?
Using Our Marine Environment 2025 in the classroom
The report structure fits well with the New Zealand curriculum, which encourages teachers “to design teaching programmes that bring learning to life in the classroom, using local, national, and global contexts”. As noted above, there are numerous local examples throughout the report.
It also supports the Understand, Know, Do framework.
Understand
Section 1: Effects of climate change on the ocean around New Zealand explores how climate change is altering the global ocean. It outlines the large-scale drivers of change, including rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, decreasing oxygen levels and changes in ocean currents.
Information in this section is useful for building knowledge of the complexity and interconnectedness between Earth systems and climate change and their effects on the marine environment. Although these are global issues, the report uses local examples as evidence. These global processes/drivers of change set the stage for the changes we observe closer to home.
Know
Section 2: Our coasts and estuaries are affected by a changing ocean brings the focus to Aotearoa New Zealand’s coasts. It examines how global ocean and climate changes manifest in our marine and coastal environments, including the effects of shifts in sea and marine ecosystems. This chapter highlights the physical and ecological consequences of a changing ocean for our coastal waters, habitats and species – many of which are covered in the interactive below.
Threats to marine habitats
Human actions at sea and on land are putting increasing pressure on the ocean and the species that live there.
Section 3: Impacts of our changing ocean on people, society and the economy focuses on people. It explores how changes in our marine and coastal environments affect communities, economies and cultural connections. This includes impacts on coastal infrastructure, fisheries, customary practices and the wellbeing of people who live near or depend on the marine environment.
Section 4: Towards a better understanding of our marine environment outlines knowledge gaps and areas where more data, research and monitoring are needed to better understand the links between climate change and changes to the marine environment.
Kaitiakitanga o te moana – planning pathways
Use this interactive to access background information and teaching resources by selecting a label.
Select here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
Do
Offering advice on responses to environmental issues is not part of Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ environmental reporting. However, the report makes it clear: the fact that our actions have significant consequences for the marine environment also shows that we have control over decisions that can improve environmental outcomes for both ecosystems and people. Our Marine Environment 2025 has a companion document – The Stories Behind the Numbers – that illustrates the ways in which people are adapting to changes in the marine and coastal environments.
The Hub offers media-rich teaching resources and classroom activities, underpinned by mātauranga Māori, with a focus on marine environments:
Kaitiakitanga o te moana – a context for learning – teaching resources and student activities, most of which are Word documents that can be edited for classroom use.
Seaweek resources – a selection of unit plans and other teacher support materials that are grouped as teaching topics.
Monitoring the moana – participatory science methods – a webinar that features resources and handy tips for monitoring our waterways and oceans.
Inquiry and action learning process – an interactive that guides educators through an inquiry investigation of an environmental issue.
Supporting climate change agency
Agency in the Anthropocene (a supporting document to the PISA 2025 Science Framework) identifies three key competencies for climate change agency:
Explain the impact of human interactions with Earth’s systems.
Make informed decisions to act, based on evaluation of diverse sources of evidence and the application of creative and systems thinking to regenerate and sustain the environment.
Demonstrate hope and respect for diverse perspectives when seeking solutions to socio-ecological crises.
Data from Our Marine Environment 2025 – Tō Tātou Taiao Moana shows that we have a good understanding of our impacts on te moana. We can use this information to support agency and create change.
Related content and activity ideas
For all Hub resources on estuaries and seashore environments, including the significance of estuaries to Māori, marine animal adaptations and marine habitats, see our Estuaries and Oceans topics.
Find out about other reports in this reporting series:
These māramatanga Māori articles are reflective of Māori knowledge systems when considering the impacts of climate change:
The PLD article Agency in the Anthropocene summarises the report and includes a video featuring two of the report's authors, along with supporting classroom resources.
Unpack how and why Stats NZ and the Ministry for the Environment created this infographic with the activity Using infographics. The context is different, but the design fundamentals are the same.
Useful link
Stats NZ and the Ministry for the Environment report on different aspects of Aotearoa’s environment every 6 months. Access their reports here.
Acknowledgement
This resource has been produced in collaboration with 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.
