2936 (2026). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for the Environment

2936 (2026). Hon Jo Luxton to the Minister for the Environment: What data, if any, does her agency hold on nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in the Waikato River over the past 10 years, including sampling locations, dates, and trends over time?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I refer the Member to Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA), which holds the most up-to-date water quality data for the Waikato River (https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/waikato-region/river-quality/waikato-river), including sampling locations, dates, and trends for nitrogen and phosphorus. This data underpins the Ministry for the Environment's (the Ministry's) and Stats NZ's reporting under the Environmental Reporting Act 2015, and related analyses of state and trends available on the Ministry's website: (https://environment.govt.nz/publications/our-freshwater-2023/). I note a range of additional information relating to Waikato River water quality is publicly available on the Waikato Regional Council’s website: https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/environment/stateoftheenvironment/