Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao

Do you have a background in digital transformation, experience in enterprise architecture, or a background in user-centred design? If your answer is yes to any of these, we might have a role for you. The Ministry for the Environment is looking for people to join the Digital Platform Delivery and Operations Technical Advisory Group. This group supports the Planning System Transformation Programme, which is building a modern, more accessible digital system to support planning and consenting decisions. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/4ob66gV

It’s here 👋 The 2026 Measuring Emissions Guide is live. This guide supports organisations to measure, manage, and reduce their carbon emissions over time. The guide is updated regularly to ensure it is in line with the best available data, science and evidence for measuring and reporting emissions. You can explore the latest Measuring Emissions Guide here: https://bit.ly/4dHNkZr

To infinity and beyond…. well, to 1,000 but infinity sounds much cooler. New Zealand recently extended the permitted number of launches from 100 to 1,000 following a review of space vehicle launch debris regulations. The original limit was set in 2017, when the country had very little launch activity. Since then, NZ has become the world’s third most frequent launcher of orbital rockets. MfE supported work to change the launch limits, undertaking targeted consultation on space launch debris regulations in October 2025. Read more on this here: https://lnkd.in/e-nXfvVH

New Zealand is growing trusted voluntary nature and carbon markets - so it’s easier for private investment to support real environmental outcomes. These markets can help fund projects like wetland restoration, native planting, habitat protection, and carbon removal. Work to strengthen these markets reflects the growing demand for credible nature and climate outcomes and aims to unlock more private investment across New Zealand. It has been shaped by 10 pilot partnerships with market participants around the country. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/ebEFpfpu

Eleven farming and growing businesses across NZ have been recognised for actions to protect and restore biodiversity. The New Zealand Farm Environment Trust’s Farm Environment Awards, which happened just recently, celebrate farming and growing businesses leading the way in sustainability. MfE is proudly suppporting the Biodiversity Award, recognising locally led work. Check out their stories here: https://lnkd.in/eRg2B8sP

We’ve just released our yearly update on the health of our climate. The annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory is kind of like a doctor check-up: it’s a report that tells us how the climate is going and what’s been changing. Take a look at the full report or skim through the snapshot to get across the key findings: https://lnkd.in/e23cnZGs

Te Kaiwharawhara awa is coming back to life💧 After more than a century of neglect, Wellington’s community, mana whenua and local partners are restoring one of the city’s most significant urban waterways through the Kia Mouriora Te Kaiwharawhara - Sanctuary to Sea programme. Flowing from the hills of Karori through Zealandia and Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush and out to the harbour, this awa connects wildlife and neighbourhoods across the city. For more than a century, the stream was impeded by forest clearance, dam construction, landfill, piping and industrial development. These changes altered its path, degraded habitats and reduced the health of the catchment. Restoration has started to bring that health back. As part of the project, people have: -Planted 130,000+ native trees and plants -Removed over 3 tonnes of rubbish and weeds -Reintroduced native species like toitoi and kākahi This mahi was featured in our recently released Our Freshwater 2026, which you can take a look at here: https://lnkd.in/eZDk4qz3

Hope you’re fuelled up for some top-quality reading today - it’s report release time🙌 We’ve just released Our Freshwater 2026 (OFW26), which shows how groundwater is essential to daily life - it supplies around 80 percent of everyday flow in many rivers. OFW26, released by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ, is the latest in the national environmental reporting series produced under the Environmental Reporting Act 2015. Each topic, this one being freshwater, is reported on every three years. The report shows what happens on land leaves a lasting imprint. Nutrients, sediment and harmful substances from land uses can wash into waterways - and can also seep into groundwater. The report shows why storms can be problematic for freshwater: extreme rainfall events can pick up and carry pollution and sediment, moving a lot of it very quickly. There’s a lot more info where this came from, all of which can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eaYUm2VR

Kiwis are being impacted by increasing global fuel prices and at EECA, we’ve been digging into the role energy efficiency can play right now to support drivers with making savings.   What we've unpacked, is that practical actions – like checking tyre pressure, sitting at a steady speed, and lightening the load – could stretch your tank up to 20%, making every dollar spent on fuel go that much further. Currently this would equate up to a $44 saving on every tank.   While our core focus has been on households, we've also considered macro figures and the numbers are material here too. For example, if just 5% of drivers adopt the actions, weekly fuel use will reduce by up to approximately 1 million litres, equivalent to around $3.5 million in savings each week.   With fuel costs front of mind for many households, we’re encouraging people to give the tips that suit them a go.   Visit our new webpage for more of the detail: https://lnkd.in/eT4DvdQS

Resilience isn’t always quick. It means making hard choices now to protect our future. Often, it’s not about right or wrong, it’s about trade-offs. As hazard risks rise, many New Zealanders are already feeling the pressure - especially through higher insurance costs or limited cover. Laid out in our recently released Long-Term Insights Briefing, open information, smart planning and shared responsibility will help us spread costs fairly - across communities and generations. What could these trade-offs look like? 🔁Efficiency vs Redundancy More suppliers and storage reduce disruption risk but raise costs. 💰Cost vs Robustness Stronger infrastructure saves money long-term but costs more upfront. 🧑Individual freedoms vs Collective Resilience Stronger land-use rules reduce exposure by limiting where people can live. 🏗Protect the status quo vs Accept sunk costs Maintain what we have or rethink and reinvest for the future. To build resilience, we must be proactive, make hard choices, and work collectively so New Zealand can thrive. Read up on a few ways this can happen here: https://lnkd.in/emJHKm5q