New Zealand's oceans are warming 34% faster than the global average, and $180 billion worth of housing. The US ($104 billion) is at risk of flooding, a new report on the country's marine environment shows.
Ministry of Environment and Triennial Renewal NZ. Our environment 2025links statistics, data and research in five areas – air, atmosphere and climate, freshwater, land and marines – to paint a picture of the state of New Zealand's marine environment.
Last in the series Our marine environment 2025painted a sobering picture for the nation's oceans and coastlines – one shaped by warming and rising seas, increased marine heat waves and ocean acidification caused by global heating.
“Climate change is not just something far and away… it is having an impact on our oceans and on our coastlines,” the department's chief science adviser, Dr Alison Collins, told The Guardian.
“The coastal zone is under real compression… and the importance of that coastal environment is absolutely critical – it's what we rely on in terms of our homes, our communities, our livelihoods and ultimately our connection to place.”
The report outlines a wide range of risks associated with marine change, including threats to native marine species, coastal and home flooding, stronger and more destructive storms, and risks to communities and economies.
It noted that 219,000 homes valued at $180 billion were located within coastal and inland flood zones, while more than $26 billion worth of infrastructure was vulnerable to damage. About 1,300 coastal homes could face significant damage from extreme weather.
Some regions will see a rise of 20 cm to 30 cm in sea levels, which is a tipping point for some communities, Collins said.
“Sea levels that are reaching this level mean that a coastal storm that used to occur every 100 years could occur every year,” she said.
The oceans of the world swallowed 90% extra heat Created from the human-caused climate crisis.
New Zealand bears the brunt of these warming seas due to its position in the ocean, making it more vulnerable to atmospheric circulation and changes in ocean currents.
Between 1982 and 2023, New Zealand's sea surface temperatures in its four ocean regions increased by an average of 0.16 to 0.26 degrees Celsius per decade, and its ocean warming rate exceeded global averages by 34%.
Coastal waters are also warming faster than the global average.
Meanwhile, the subtropical front—the boundary between cold subantarctic water and warmer subtropical water that is biologically and economically significant—moved 120 km to the west, it said, noting it was the first time there had been a shift in large-scale ocean circulation around New Zealand.
The shift, driven by warming water, will have “huge impacts” on ecosystems, food webs and species such as corals, sponges, algae and fish, Collins said.
Ocean acidification and warming are also affecting the country's fishing and aquaculture industries, which contribute $1.1 billion to the economy, and can lead to toxic algae blooms in shellfish. Meanwhile, sea waves become more intense, longer lasting and more frequent.
New Zealand was amazed Unprecedented marine heat waves in recent years, which have been associated with bulk sea spongedying Southern bull – algaelarge scale Fish ponds And Death of the PenguinsField
Monitoring and research in the marine environment was growing, but there were still gaps in understanding, adding that more comprehensive research would reduce risk to people, promote climate resilience and promote resilience.
Of particular concern, Collins said, is the lack of understanding of climate change, oceans, severe weather events and ecosystems.
“It's a bit like pulling a thread out of a fabric and the whole thing might fall apart – understanding these interactions is perhaps our biggest blind spot.”
