Soil scientist Sam Carrick pours water into a defined area of soil to measure the absorption rate at Manaaki Whenua in Lincoln
Working with other research providers and sector stakeholders, and with assistance from MBIE’s national science funding, we lead large-scale research programmes that underpin environmental reporting to accelerate the delivery of high-quality soil mapping, soil health, erosion and sediment, and land-cover data and information.
Our contribution to the report included providing five staff members for science advice support and seconding one staff member to work on the report.
The Manaaki Whenua team worked to ensure that the data, science, and models used to underpin the report were both up-to-date and appropriately interpreted. This report is important because it represents the first dedicated State of Environment report on the land environment. It is an important synthesis of knowledge on the state of New Zealand’s terrestrial biodiversity, ecosystems and soils, and pressures such as urban expansion on versatile land, productive land intensification and soil erosion. As a result of this report, the awareness of threats to our land resources led the Minister for the Environment to call for a new National Policy Statement on versatile land and high-class soil. Manaaki Whenua will continue to provide the support for this major policy development through scientific evidence.