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Environmental reports
A list of the reports, articles, and presentations produced by the Office of the Auditor-General that discuss publicly-funded environmental agencies or environmental issues.
- Managing freshwater quality: Challenges for regional councils
- September 2011: We carried out an audit to provide an independent view of how effectively four selected regional councils are managing and controlling land use and related activities for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing freshwater quality in their regions...
- The Emissions Trading Scheme - summary information for public entities and auditors
- August 2011: This document informs public entities and their auditors about how the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) operates and how it is likely to affect them. It summarises information about the ETS that we have gathered from the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Ministry of Economic Development…
- Planning to meet the forecast demand for drinking water in Auckland
- August 2011: A letter from the Auditor-General to the Chief Executives of Auckland Council and Watercare Services Limited on governance issues and a report on our initial findings and recommendations for Watercare to consider when developing its long-term plans for asset management and for funding arrangements...
- Part 4: Activities to reduce and manage greenhouse gas emissions
- Local government: Results of the 2009/10 audits.
- Part 11: Planning to meet the forecast demand for drinking water
- Local government: Results of the 2008/09 audits.
- Local authorities: Planning to meet the forecast demand for drinking water
- February 2010: We carried out a performance audit of eight local authorities to help us form a view about how well prepared the country is to meet the likely future demand for drinking water...
- Investigation into conflicts of interest of four councillors at Environment Canterbury
- December 2009: We have concluded that the councillors have breached section 6(1) of the Local Authorities (Members’ Interests) Act 1968. However, we have decided that a prosecution would be unlikely to result in a conviction and that it would not be appropriate in these circumstances to seek to have the councillors prosecuted...
- Electricity Commission: Review of the first five years
- June 2009: This report is a discussion paper on the performance of the Electricity Commission against the objectives, outcomes, and performance standards set out in the Government Policy Statement...
- Waste management planning by territorial authorities
- April 2007: All territorial authorities must adopt a waste management plan. In this audit, we checked whether all had done so, and whether six were implementing them. Some of the plans were out of date or did not contain all the information we expected...
- Part 11: Hazardous waste management in New Zealand
- Central government: Results of the 2005/06 audits.
- 2.5 Preparation of water and sanitary services assessments
- Local government: Results of the 2003-04 audits.
- Department of Conservation: Planning for and managing publicly owned land
- May 2006: The Department of Conservation is responsible for managing 8.5 million hectares of publicly owned land. We expected the Department, which manages nearly a third of New Zealand’s total land area, to have a very clear idea about what it was doing with the land...
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry: Managing biosecurity risks associated with high-risk sea containers
- May 2006: The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry identifies, inspects, and manages the decontamination of sea containers that pose the highest biosecurity risks. The Ministry is responsive to emerging risks. However, the Ministry has had more than 2 years to implement a revised Import Health Standard for sea containers, but it is not yet fully in place...
- Ministry of Fisheries: Follow-up report on information requirements for the sustainable management of fisheries
- June 2005: This report examined how well the Ministry had implemented 7 recommendations we made in 1999. The Ministry has made progress in implementing most of those recommendations, but further improvements can be made. Accordingly, this report makes 4 additional recommendations...
- Horizons and Otago Regional Councils: Management of freshwater resources
- May 2005: This report looks at how the Resource Management Act 1991 framework has been implemented by the Horizons Regional Council and the Otago Regional Council for the management of freshwater in their regions...
- Department of Conservation: Administration of the Conservation Services Programme - Follow-up audit
- February 2005: In 2002, we reported on the administration of the Conservation Services Programme by the Department of Conservation. We went back to the Department of Conservation, and the Ministry of Fisheries, to see what progress had been made in implementing our recommendations...
- Case Study 11: Planning the Wairarapa Coastal Strategy
- Local Authorities Working Together.
- Report on the Disposal of 17 Kelly Street by The Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited
- June 2003, letter to the Minister Responsible for Crown Research Institutes.
- Department of Conservation: Administration of the Conservation Services Programme
- December 2002: We conducted this inquiry as a result of a complaint from a body that represents the interests of its shareholding fishing companies and associations. The complaint was supported by specific case studies illustrating the body’s concerns about the way that the Department of Conservation manages the Conservation Services Programme...
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry: Management of Biosecurity Risks
- November 2002: In this report we assessed how MAF manages terrestrial biosecurity risks. We also examined seven case studies as illustrations of MAF’s application of biosecurity risk policies and procedures, and identified areas where we think improvements can be made...
