This section provides references to known New Zealand environmental classifications including those under development.

• Terrestrial
• Aquatic
• Other

 

TERRESTRIAL

Ecological regions and districts of New Zealand 1987
The classification of ecological regions and districts is explained in McEwen, W. Mary (editor), 1987. Ecological regions and districts of New Zealand. Third revised edition in four 1:5000,000 maps with one booklet to accompany each map. New Zealand Biological Resources Centre Publication No. 5 (in four parts). Department of Conservation, Wellington. This publication is available in many New Zealand libraries. Ecological region and district boundaries are shown on the spatial information map service DOCgis.

Land Environments of New Zealand (LENZ) 2003
LENZ is a classification of New Zealand’s land environments provided by Landcare Research and the Ministry for the Environment, and derived by using computer programmes to sort climate, landform and soils data to group areas containing ecosystems of similar type. LENZ consists of a full colour Atlas, Technical Manual and a CD under license to Landcare Research. Further information describing the LENZ development, applications and availability is available from Landcare Research. Copies of the LENZ Atlas can be ordered directly from Manaaki Whenua Press.

Land Resource Information System
The Land Resource Information System is administered by Landcare Research and includes the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), the National Soils Database (NSD) and information on Fundamental Soil Layers (FSL).

New Zealand Land Cover Database (LCDB)
The LCDB classifies New Zealand into categories of land cover showing, for example, the extent of forests (native and exotic), urban areas, pasture, wetlands, coastal sands and riparian willows. Further information describing the LCDB is available from Terralink International (custodian of the dataset) and the Ministry for the Environment (Crown steward).

Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World
The National Geographic Society and WWF classify the world into 867 terrestrial ecoregions. These classifications are based on shared ecological features, climate and plant and animal communities. The background, special features and threats facing biodiversity in each ecoregion are also described. Eleven ecoregions are identified within New Zealand.

AQUATIC

Co-ordinated Monitoring of New Zealand Wetlands 1999
Final report of Project Phase One by J.C Ward and J.S Lambie, Lincoln Environmental, Lincoln University, Canterbury (46p), and funded by the Ministry for the Environment Sustainable Management Fund (SMF). This report was originally scoped through the organisation UNEP-GRID, and provides a classification framework for New Zealand’s wetlands, where wetlands are defined to include lakes, rivers and estuaries.

New Zealand Marine Environment Classification (MEC)
The Ministry for the Environment, in partnership with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Department of Conservation, Ministry of Fisheries, has just completed the Marine Environment Classification System (or MEC as it is known). This classification is an environmental management tool which maps the marine environment within New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It includes one regional scale classification for Hauraki. The classification system can be used to produce maps and other information about the marine environment, which can support management decisions including resource use and conservation and the protection and management of marine biodiversity. The completed Marine Environment Classification System is available on DVD free of charge from the Ministry for the Environment. For further information or to request a DVD please contact the Project Leader.

River Environment Classification for Management Purposes 2004
A GIS-based classification of New Zealand’s rivers as a tool for ecosystem-based resource management has been developed by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and the Ministry for the Environment. The River Environment Classification is available on CD free from the Ministry for the Environment. For further information or to request a CD please contact the Project Leader.

Waterbodies of national importance
The Department of Conservation is participating in the Sustainable Water Programme of Action to identify freshwater bodies of national importance for biodiversity.

Water Information Directory
An on-line directory of biophysical information about New Zealand freshwaters including ground water resources. This resource is a joint initiative between the New Zealand Hydrological Society and local government with additional funding from the MfE Sustainable Management Fund (SMF) and is still in development.

OTHER

Metadata reports on environmental databases, classification systems and spatial frameworks 1999
A comprehensive review of New Zealand’s environmental databases, classification systems and spatial frameworks for the Ministry for the Environment (Froude and Beanland 1999), presented in four reports:

Review of Environmental Classification Systems and Spatial Frameworks

Review of New Zealand and a Selection of International Marine Environment Classification Systems and Spatial Frameworks

Review of National Databases Relating to the New Zealand Marine Environment

Review of National Databases Relating to Land, Water and Biodiversity

National Climate Database
The National Climate Database is provided by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Information on temperature, rainfall, wind, solar radiation, and other climate elements is available at various time intervals from minutes up to years for a wide range of locations. The primary focus is the New Zealand mainland, but data is also held for offshore islands, and some other Pacific islands and Antarctica.

Ross Sea Region GIS
The Ross Sea Region GIS website is provided by the Antarctic Research Group within Landcare Research, and gives interactive maps of Ross Sea region data.

Last revised 17/10/2005