Science and monitoring - It's what we do | Waikato Regional Council

Science and monitoring. It's what we do.

We measure water quality at 169 freshwater and coastal sites throughout the Waikato region.

Regional councils monitor the state of the environment and produce significant science and data on water quality and quantity, soil health, biodiversity, geothermal activity, coastal and marine ecosystem health, coastal hazards, and air quality. We also collect information about our communities and the economy. The data we gather has many uses, including to:
- provide flood warnings to protect people and property
- develop policy to preserve and improve the health of the environment
- guide the use of natural resources for future generations
- develop consent conditions, flood warning systems and thresholds for water allocation
- identify new and emerging issues and conduct research to understand how we will manage them
- develop and implement appropriate responses to trends in the state of the environment, including supporting catchment management
- give effect to national direction on freshwater management, coastal management, indigenous biodiversity, highly productive soils, and urban development.
We develop tools to present this information to landowners, communities and decision makers in more accessible ways, so they too can help improve wellbeing in the Waikato region. The information also helps us to advocate on matters that affect our region, for example, making submissions on behalf of the region’s communities on central government proposals that affect the Waikato.
The Environmental Performance Committee, which is made up of six councillors and meets every three months, has responsibilities that include:
- oversight of the region’s information gathering and state of environment monitoring for resource management
- overseeing the effectiveness of, and compliance with, the council’s regulatory responsibilities including:
  - considering emerging environmental issues relating to environmental and regulatory monitoring and performance matters and providing advice on the implications for effective resource management in the region
  - receiving information on the state of the environment monitoring trends and to direct the use of this information to inform policy review
- reporting how our activities are giving effect to Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato.
We transferred the monitoring of summer swimming beaches, rivers, rainfall and groundwater quality monitoring within the Lake Taupō catchment to Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board in 2020.
- Iwi contribute to environmental monitoring through co-governance arrangements and joint management agreements.
- Mātauranga Māori is integrated with Western science to provide a more holistic understanding of ecosystem health.
- We support iwi-led scientific research and recognises the importance of Māori data sovereignty.
- In 2020, Waikato Regional Council transferred monitoring responsibilities for summer swimming beaches, rivers, rainfall, and groundwater quality within the Lake Taupō catchment to the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board.
- We engage in wānanga with iwi, sharing scientific knowledge while learning from mātauranga Māori to improve environmental monitoring.
- We support iwi in cultural mapping, integrating spatial data with traditional knowledge.
- The Kura Waitī Kura Waitā programme fosters Māori participation in environmental science, supporting rangatahi to develop careers in environmental monitoring and research.
Through these partnerships, Waikato Regional Council upholds its Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments while fostering a more inclusive and culturally informed approach to science and environmental monitoring.

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Environment Environmental data hub Environmental Performance Committee

Environment Environmental data hub Environmental Performance Committee

What else do we do?

Improving water quality, enhancing the health of our coastal and marine ecosystems, protecting and restoring our unique native plants and animals and the ecosystems they live in, keeping people safe on our roads and waterways as well as from floods and other hazards, and providing passenger transport services.

We do all this, and more.

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Waikato Regional Council has co-governance and co-management arrangements with several iwi partners.

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