Council supports stronger environmental reporting

Waikato Regional Council has endorsed a submission supporting the overall intent of the Environmental Reporting Amendment Bill, while calling for changes to better connect environmental reporting with environmental management and decision-making.

Councillors heard at its August Strategy and Policy Committee meeting that the bill proposes significant changes to New Zealand's environmental reporting framework through amendments to the Environmental Reporting Act 2015.

Committee Chair, Ben Dunbar-Smith said robust environmental reporting is vital in helping communities understand the state of the environment and supporting evidence-based decisions about the management of natural resources.

“High-quality environmental information is essential for informed decision-making and environmental stewardship. We support efforts to strengthen New Zealand's environmental reporting system and improve the evidence available to communities and decision-makers.

“As a regional council, we are responsible for monitoring and reporting on a wide range of environmental matters, from freshwater and biodiversity to climate change and natural hazards. We know firsthand the value of reliable environmental data in guiding policy and management decisions,” said Cr Dunbar-Smith.

While supporting the bill's objectives, the council's submission calls for stronger connections between environmental reporting and management to support monitoring, policy evaluation, statutory planning, adaptive management, and tracking progress toward environmental outcomes.

Among its key recommendations, the council is seeking:
•    A five-year state of the environment reporting cycle rather than the proposed six-year cycle, to better align with planning and monitoring frameworks.
•    Spatially explicit environmental indicators that not only measure environmental change over time, but also support local limit-setting, evaluation of environmental management effectiveness and adaptive management responses. 
•    A strategic evidence panel with a clear focus on strategic environmental evidence and long-term priorities, rather than operational monitoring decisions. 
•    Clear implementation pathways, funding support and collaboration with regional councils when establishing national data and evidence priorities.
•    Appropriate central government funding to support any new national reporting, monitoring or data collection requirements.
•    Guidance on aligning environmental reporting with the Natural Environment and Planning Bill and future resource management reforms.
The council also emphasised the importance of recognising regional council expertise, mātauranga Māori, Treaty settlement obligations and the diverse environmental characteristics found across New Zealand.

“Regional councils bring extensive expertise, long-term monitoring networks and deep knowledge of local environments. We look forward to continuing to work with central government to ensure the new reporting framework delivers meaningful information that supports better environmental outcomes for our communities,” said Cr Dunbar-Smith.