Bay of Plenty Regional Council monitors the state of the region’s environment under multiple programmes. By capturing and interpreting data, we can plan, protect and sustainably manage our natural resources so our communities can thrive.
We have created this dedicated page to share information on the state of our environment. These are categorised according to our whakapapa framework, which can be see in the below image.
There also is a range of state of the environment reports and snapshots which show how healthy our air, land, freshwater, geothermal, coastal resources and biodiversity are. Each section shows details across a range of measures.
The varying levels of detail under each reflect resource demand, pressures, or how quickly or slowly things change (e.g. rainfall and river levels can change hourly, bugs and fish in rivers can change over months or even years, and some deep groundwater can change over decades). We are committed to making environmental data and information as accessible as possible to the community, so please get in touch if we can assist further.
Maunga (mountains) are important landmarks as they are the first to be seen when entering a new rohe. From here, there would have been a clear line of sight to the sea, river or lakes which would provide kai (food) for the people.
The natural elements and sky impact our daily experiences from the air we breathe to the weather we feel. Wind is an example of matangaro, the concept of what we cannot see but know exists because we can feel it or see its impact, like the wind rustling leaves in a tree. Understanding matangaro means we can consider more indicators when looking at the state of our taiao (environment).
Te Wao nui a Tāne is inclusive of all forests and birdlife. Pest eradication, and monitoring of the whenua will ensure the protection and preservation of our forests and birdlife. 
Ko au ko te awa, ko te awa ko au signifies the intrinsic connection between the waterways and people.
Ngāwhā (geothermal springs) are a unique feature to the rohe of Te Moana o Toitehuatahi (Bay of Plenty). With the right mātauranga (knowledge), these can be cared for and utilised sustainably.