Our Place: Taranaki State of Environment 2022 sets out the current state of the region's climate, air, land and water. It looks at what the Council is doing in each area and the challenges that lie ahead.
Our Place: Taranaki State of Environment 2022
Introduction
Chapter 1: Climate and Air
The people of Taranaki rightly expect nothing less than clean, unpolluted air. It is vital to the wellbeing of people and the health of the environment. This chapter details the air quality monitoring carried out across the region and the compliance programmes in place to maintain and improve our current levels of air quality.
Through extensive climate monitoring at sites across the region, the Council has collected data on sunshine, rain, wind and temperature, all of which helps guide decision-making by the Council and many other individuals and agencies.
We know the climate is changing at a rapid pace. Taranaki is already feeling the effects of climate change, with the potential for significant impacts in the future. Changes to air quality standards are also expected. This chapter outlines what we are doing to help Taranaki withstand the challenges that lie ahead.
Chapter 2: Land
The health and wellbeing of our land or whenua lies at the core of everything the Council does. Working alongside industries, farmers, iwi and communities, our programmes are designed to not only care for our land today but to leave it in a better state for future generations.
The sustainable use, development and protection of our land is crucial to a strong regional economy, while a healthy environment is what makes Taranaki an enviable place to live, work and play. For Māori, earth mother Papatūānuku is the source and sustainer of the land and all its life, including humans. People of a place are related in personal terms to its mountains, land, and rivers, as well as the ecosystems and species present through whakapapa.
So just how healthy is our land and the taonga species that call it home?
Chapter 3: Water
Ki uta ki tai. From the mountains to the sea.
The journey of water across land. Winding along rivers and streams, connecting with wetlands, estuaries and groundwater aquifers, eventually meeting the ocean.
In Taranaki, water sustains us in many ways – be it culturally, spiritually, physically or economically. We need it to drink, to grow crops and pasture, to generate power, to do business. We play in it, collect kai from it, honour it. Clean, healthy water supports our ecosystems and is fundamental to the future of our environment.
It’s an exciting time for freshwater management, as national requirements usher in a new way of working alongside iwi and hapū and improved engagement with the wider community.
As we look to the future, we must understand where we are now. This chapter covers the current state of our surface and groundwater, rivers and streams, lakes and wetlands, estuaries, aquatic ecosystems and our coastal environment and looks ahead to what comes next.