Environment

Auckland’s natural environment is diverse – from harbours, lakes and streams to productive soils, indigenous forest, bush ranges and islands.

Life in Auckland is supported and sustained by our natural environment. It is central to our identity and a reason that people choose to visit, live, work and play here. It is important to understand what is happening in the environment and to be able to provide robust evidence for decision-making.

Environmental monitoring in Tāmaki Makaurau

Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council monitors a range of environmental characteristics as part of our State of the Environment monitoring programme.

The monitoring aims to assess the health of the environment, to track changes over time and to identify potential issues.

Tā mātou hōtaka aroturuki ā-rohe / Our regional monitoring programmes

Water quality monitoring measures key physical and chemical properties of waterbodies that affect their mauri (life force) and capacity to support healthy ecosystems.

Water quantity monitoring helps us understand changes and long-term trends in rainfall, surface water and groundwater resources.

Ecology monitoring involves identifying the physical and biological characteristics of a site to gain an understanding of the overall health of the ecosystem.

Monitoring contaminants in sediment and soils enables the detection of potentially harmful substances such as heavy metals (e.g., zinc, copper and lead) that can be present at varying levels in our environment.

To find out more or to request data, email environmentaldata@aklc.govt.nz

Monitoring programme reports are published on Knowledge Auckland. See below for the latest reports.