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Sustainable Development: Overview

Note: The population projections presented in this document may have been superseded by more recent population projections. For the latest projections, go to Population.

Note: The life expectancy data presented in this document may have been superseded by more recent life tables. For the latest life tables, go to Life Tables.

"Monitoring Progress Towards a Sustainable New Zealand" provides an experimental selection of information related to sustainable development. This new report is a first attempt to bring the information together, and will be reviewed to see if it is meeting users’ needs. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Sustainable development is a process or a means to an end. The 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".¹ Principle 1 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development states that "Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature."²

New Zealand's resident population was 3.9 million in December 2001, up 10.9 percent from 3.5 million in December 1991. The population is projected to be 4.6 million in 2051.

To assess whether development processes are sustainable, economic, social and environmental information is needed. Some of the questions that are related to sustainable development and some examples of the indicators are:

Is the environment resilient and healthy?

• Little spotted kiwi, widespread in New Zealand prior to human settlement, are now restricted to a few offshore islands and mainland reserves.
• Before human settlement, it has been estimated that the indigenous forest covered approximately 85 percent of the land area of New Zealand. In 1997, New Zealand's land cover included 39 percent pastoral land, 23 percent indigenous forest, 6 percent planted forest, and 1 percent urban areas. The remainder was made up largely of shrub, tussock and bare land.

Figure 1.1

• Seizures of unwanted pests (plants and animals) from aircraft and aircraft passengers have steadily increased since 1995. The total number of seizures recorded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Quarantine Service in the 2000-01 year was 120,900, an 18 percent increase from the previous year.

Is the economy innovative and growing?

• New Zealand's real Gross Domestic Product per capita grew from $23,600 in the year ended March 1991 to $27,400 in the year ended March 2001.
• Real capital investment expenditure was 20.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product in the year ended March 2001, compared with 19.6 percent in 1991.
• New Zealand's level of overseas debt has grown from 87 percent of gross national income in 1991 to 117 percent in 2001.

Figure 1.2

and in balance with the environment?

• Total greenhouse gas emissions increased by 5 percent between 1990 and 2000.
• Total consumer energy use increased by 21 percent between 1990 and 2000.

and providing work?

• The unemployment rate for the year ended March 2001 was 5.7 percent of the labour force compared with 8.4 percent for the year ended March 1991.

Are people healthy and well educated?

• New Zealand's life expectancy at birth is around the middle range for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries at 81 years for females and 76 years for males in 1998-2000, compared with 79 and 73 years respectively in 1990-92.
• In 2001, 14.2 percent of people aged 25 to 64 reported they had a degree or higher qualification, compared with 7.1 percent in 1991.

Figure 1.3

with vibrant cultural identities?

• In 2001, 20 percent of Mäori people aged 15 and over were able to speak te reo Mäori (Mäori language) at least fairly well, including 19 percent of those aged 15 to 24.
• In July 2001, 10,600 Mäori children, or 34 percent of all Mäori enrolments in early childhood education, were enrolled in köhanga reo (Mäori language nests). At the same time 4,300 Pacific children, or 39 percent of all Pacific enrolments in early childhood education, were enrolled in Pacific language nests.

with living standards that meet the needs of all?

• The real gross national disposable income per capita of New Zealanders was $25,800 in 2001 compared with $22,700 in 1991.
• Income inequality rose over the period from 1991 to 2001, but has not shown any significant change between 1998 and 2001.

And are people safe and able to participate in all aspects of the community now and in the future?

• The reported criminal offence rate more than doubled between 1971 and 1991, from 586 offences per 10,000 people to 1,284 offences, but by 2001 the rate had dropped to 1,106 reported offences per 10,000 people.
• At the 1999 election, 85 percent of those enrolled to vote did so, a number that peaked at 93.7 percent in 1984.

Figure 1.4

• At the 2001 Census, 41 percent of people lived in households that were connected to the Internet.

These indicators are a small selection of those included in the report, which in turn represents a first step towards painting a more complete picture of progress towards sustainable development in New Zealand.

This report will benefit from the testing it will get by public use, to identify what sort of report is needed for the future. Feedback on the value of Monitoring Progress Towards a Sustainable New Zealand in assessing progress towards sustainable development can be provided by using the feedback form.

Endnotes

1. World Commission on Environment and Development (1987).
2. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992). "Rio Declaration on Environment and Development" [16 July 2002].

Monitoring Progress Towards a Sustainable New Zealand

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This page last modified on: 15 April 2004