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Natural Environment Bill

Foundations - Environmental limits - How environmental limits must be set

54: Specifying methodologies for setting ecosystem health limits

You could also call this:

"Setting rules to protect the environment and keep it healthy"

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

The Minister will create national standards that regional councils must follow when setting ecosystem health limits. You will know what to expect because these standards will outline the steps to take. The Minister must consider how the environment can cope with pressure and disturbances, and the impact of the proposed methodology, before making these standards. The Minister must also be satisfied that the methodology will help protect the environment. You can think of the environment like a living thing that needs protection. The national standards may say how ecosystem health limits should be expressed, and what the minimum acceptable levels are. The Minister cannot use a lack of scientific certainty as a reason to delay making these standards. The standards will help regional councils make good decisions about ecosystem health limits. The Minister will make sure the standards support the purpose of ecosystem health limits, which is to protect the environment.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1520991.

This page was last updated on 14 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationEnvironment and resources > Town planning

53: Developing human health limits, or

"Setting safe limits to protect people's health"

55: Developing ecosystem health limits, or

"Setting rules to keep the environment healthy"

Part 2Foundations
Environmental limits: How environmental limits must be set

54Specifying methodologies for setting ecosystem health limits

The Minister must make national standards that specify a methodology that regional councils must follow when setting an ecosystem health limit.
Before making the national standards, the Minister must, in addition to the requirements of section 52—
consider the existing capacity of the natural environment to withstand or recover from pressure and disturbances in accordance section 57; and
consider the impact of the proposed methodology in accordance with section 56; and
be satisfied that the methodology supports the purpose of the ecosystem health limits (to protect the life-supporting capacity of the national environment).

National standards—
may specify whether an ecosystem health limit must be expressed only as a state attribute or a stress attribute; and
may specify minimum acceptable levels for ecosystem health limits; but
must not determine an ecosystem health limit itself.

However, a lack of scientific certainty is no reason to delay making the national standards or not to make the standards.