28262 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment

28262 (2025). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment: What examples, if any, can she provide of improvements in water quality since 27 November 2023?

Hon Penny Simmonds: I am advised it would not be statistically meaningful to determine whether improvements or degradations in water quality have occurred since November 2023. The minimum period for which water quality trends can reliably be assessed is ten years, and 20-year trends are preferable. Long time periods are required because of the large variations in water quality data between years, which occur due to various natural phenomenon (such as short-term climate cycles), potentially masking anthropogenic change. For the most up-to-date water quality data and trends, I refer the Member to the Land, Water, Air Aotearoa website at https://www.lawa.org.nz/.