New Zealand's environment report is a "code red for nature" - Oceanographic (2025)

Indigenous species across New Zealand are continuing to “decline at an alarming rate” according to the latest report on the state of the environment, a review published by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ every three years that should be read “as a code red for nature” according to environmental groups.

Our Environment 2025 has collated key findings and data from across each of the land, freshwater, and marine environments as well as data on climate, atmosphere, and local air quality to paint what environmental organisations have called a “bleak picture” for New Zealand’s unique biodiversity.

The report has delivered sobering news for New Zealand’s indigenous animals. Today, some 76% of freshwater fish, 68% of freshwater birds, 78% of terrestrial birds, 93% of frogs, and 94% of reptiles stand threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened.

“New Zealand’s unique biodiversity has a high proportion of threatened or at-risk species – one of the highest amid the global biodiversity crisis,” said the report, adding that land use, pollution, invasive species, and climate change are all among the factors impacting biodiversity in New Zealand right now.

Billing this year’s review a “code red for nature”, WWF-New Zealand’s CEO, Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb has said the figures contained in the report “are deeply concerning but not altogether surprising”, mirroring a recently released ‘Living Planet Report’ in which it was highlighted that globally we are reaching a “dangerous tipping point for wildlife.”

“This is a code red for nature. At a time when we need to be doubling down on protecting and restoring nature, New Zealand’s Coalition Government is stripping away the last few environmental protections we have in place and prioritising misguided extractive economics – including the extraction of more fossil fuels – at the expense of our natural world and the wellbeing of future generations.”

Among the report’s findings is the confirmation that fishing bycatch continues to contribute to the population decline and extinction risk of some of New Zealand’s most threatened protected species, including Hector’s dolphin, numerous species of seabirds, and New Zealand’s protected corals.

On top of this, concerns have been raised that environmental apathy is a growing issue. Reports of captured sea turtles have shown a sharp increase in recent years compared to those some 15 years ago. WWF-New Zealand has expressed concern that where in the years between 2007/08 and 2019/20, some 34 captures of protected sea turtles were reported each year, that figure now stands at 58 reported captures in the year 2020/21 – including 50 leatherback turtles.

“New Zealand has one of the planet’s largest ocean territories, but we protect less than one percent of it – and we’re falling wildly out of step with the rest of the world,” said Kingdon-Bebb. “We need to be doing much, much more to protect our marine wildlife and habitats before it’s too late.”

In a recent economic assessment, WWF-New Zealand, working with EY New Zealand revealed that investing in the protection and restoration of nature could save Aotearoa New Zealand more than $270 billion over the next 50 years.

Instead, various government ministers have been accused of being “prepared to chuck parts of the Wildlife Act in the shredder” in order to facilitate developers, push through resource management reforms that prioritise individual property rights over environmental protections and the concerns of local communities, and attract industries like coal mining.

“It’s absolutely wild to me that when nature is so central to our national identity and economy, this government is so willing to sacrifice the continued survival of New Zealand’s threatened wildlife species at the altar of short-term growth,” said Kingdon-Bebb.

“It’s clear that investing in nature makes economic sense. Protecting our country from the worst impacts of biodiversity loss and climate change is essential for preserving our global ‘clean and green’ brand and ensuring our tourism sector and primary industries continue to thrive.

“New Zealand already has the highest species extinction rate in the world and this report is just further confirmation that nature in Aotearoa is in trouble. The future is in our hands and we have the power to change course. But to do that, we need to stop pillaging our natural environment in the name of short-term profit.”

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