New Zealand's environment connects two closely related areas. Nature includes native ecosystems, freshwater, land, coastal waters and species found nowhere else, including taonga species with special cultural importance. Surroundings include the homes, roads, workplaces, farms, parks, waterways and communities that people use every day. These areas affect each other. Land use can change water quality, habitats and coastal conditions. Roads, buildings and drainage alter how water moves and where plants and animals can live. Farming, forestry, industry, transport and settlement can create benefits while also producing waste, pollution, erosion or pressure on ecosystems. Natural hazards such as flooding, storms, earthquakes and coastal change can affect both wild areas and built places. Māori relationships with place influence environmental care through connections among people, land, water, species and cultural responsibilities. Planning decisions, infrastructure standards, conservation measures and local practices determine how those relationships are managed in a particular area. A useful assessment therefore considers the natural features of a place together with its buildings, services, land uses, hazards, communities and cultural values.
Environment in New Zealand
New Zealand's environment is the combined natural and built setting in which people, plants and animals live. It includes native forests, mountains, rivers, wetlands, coastlines, homes, farms, streets, workplaces and communities. Māori relationships with place, planning, infrastructure and everyday choices all influence how these systems change and how they are cared for.
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