Getting started
Abstract
Monitoring is about checking that we are achieving what we want to achieve and providing a feedback loop for environmental management. It is important, as without it we cannot tell what changes are occurring in the environment, how effective our actions and policies are, and what more do we need to do.
Guidance note
- Key messages about monitoring
- What is monitoring?
- The benefits of monitoring
- What monitoring is required?
- The need for integrated monitoring
- Components of a monitoring strategy
- Making monitoring work in your organisation
- Managing the monitoring process
Key messages about monitoring
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The Resource Management Act and Local Government Act provide the basis for monitoring and signal that an integrated approach is required. Ensure that your Resource Management Act monitoring is interlinked – as well as being linked to broader monitoring of community outcomes being undertaken as part of the Long Term Council Community Planning process.
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Think before you start monitoring; start with what you know is required and build from there. What are you trying to achieve and what is the best way of achieving it? What information is already available?
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Develop an integrated strategy or methodology for monitoring. Think through all the steps that will be involved, who needs to be involved and how you’ll resource it. Prioritise and start with what is most important.
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Ensure that monitoring provides meaningful information for decision-making.
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Ensure you have good quality, robust data and that you have carefully thought through a data management system.
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Aim to recognise cause and effect relationships where possible – what has changed, and how does this relate to the policy or plan, and the environment? Accept that you will often be making decisions on the basis of some uncertainty.
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Developing indicators can help focus monitoring effort.
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Once you have developed indicators, it is important to re-check that the information generated will be directly useful for measuring the outcomes of your policy or plan, and the quality of the environment.
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Don’t forget that monitoring is a tool for management, not an end in itself. Ensure that the results of monitoring are fed back into review of relevant policies and activities.
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When reporting the results of monitoring, one size does not fit all. Think about the purpose of the report and the audience you want to reach before deciding on the report format and timing.
What is monitoring?
Monitoring is about checking that we are achieving what we want to achieve and having information available from which to make sound resource management decisions. Monitoring can tell us about key pressures on the environment, the condition or state of the environment, and about responses (ie, the environmental results) that we are achieving, or need to work towards (as in the framework model for core national environmental indicators). The design of a monitoring system should focus attention on questions such as: how much information is enough, when is it needed and for what purposes?
Some local authorities have made significant progress towards meeting their Resource Management Act monitoring requirements, however, many have not. In the report Managing Change in Paradise (2001) the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment noted:
‘Monitoring systems are poorly developed by and large so the information available to test effectiveness is simply not available. Without more effective collection and interpretation of monitoring data, we will find it very hard to know if we are heading in the right direction.’
Monitoring is an ongoing and systematic process; it is not a person, position, product or end in itself. Monitoring assists decision-making by closing the loop in the planning cycle and informing decision-makers of the consequences of actions and changes in the environment. It provides practitioners with checks to ensure things are on track. Monitoring involves:
- planned and repeated data collection
- analysis
- interpretation
- reporting on the results of monitoring
- recommendations for action (which usually involves reporting on monitoring)
- taking and reviewing actions.
In reality, some of these components may occur in a more iterative manner. The key thing is to think of monitoring as a process that assists decision-making.
Plan monitoring diagram
Text description of image:
The chart shows the plan monitoring cycle. The first step is the creation of a plan. The second step is its introduction. The third step is monitoring the implementation of the plan. The fourth step is to review the data gathered from monitoring the plan implementation. Decisions made through the review step feed into the next iteration of the plan cycle.
People have expectations about what monitoring is and is not and what it will deliver. Millions of dollars have been spent on developing resource management policy and planning documents so it is important to check how well they are working and to assess whether environmental outcomes are being achieved.
The benefits of monitoring
Although the law requires monitoring, it is more than a statutory requirement. Monitoring is common sense because it tells us if we are on track. The primary benefit of environmental monitoring is to check that your policy statement, plan, or condition on a resource consent has resulted in the environmental outcome you expected. It provides information to understand the current state of the environment and assess whether things are getting better or worse. Monitoring provides a number of real benefits for both the council and the community. Monitoring:
- can give early warning of issues or problems before they become serious, costly or irreversible
- prompts organisations to adjust when monitoring shows that current approaches are not working and helps prepare us to respond effectively to any changes
- provides a better understanding of the key pressures on the environment, the condition or state of the environment, leading to better responses and results
- provides information to enable more robust and defensible policies and decisions
- enables action to be taken to increase policy and plan effectiveness, so reducing costs
- contributes to a range of other monitoring systems (including social and economic) and can enable integration of information management systems and organisational decision-making
- protects investment in plans and policy statements by leading to better formulation of policies and methods for implementing policies (including rules) and clearer targets
- provides accountability
- enables more effective participation in resource management and community development and education at the local level
- enables more targeted consent conditions, more appropriately designed rules and standards, and more efficient processing of consents, resulting from a better understanding of likely changes to the environment and a smoother process for consent holders.
What monitoring is required?
Resource Management Act For the purposes of sustainable management of natural and physical resources |
Local Government Act 2002 For the purposes of sustainable development |
|---|---|
| Reviewing | |
All Regional Policy Statements, regional and district plan reviews shall commence not later than 10 years after becoming operative. |
Long Term Council Community Plans reviewed every 10 years. |
| Monitoring | |
|
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| Reporting | |
| Required every five years in relation to policy and plan efficiency and effectiveness. | Required every three years in relation to progress towards achieving community outcomes. |
Section 35 of the Resource Management Act specifies the duty to gather information, monitor and keep records (in relation to the functions in the table above) and to take appropriate action when monitoring indicates this is necessary.
Section 62(1)(j) requires that a regional policy statement must state… the procedures used to monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the policies or methods contained in the statement.
Section 67(2)(e) and 75(2)(e), as amended in 2005, provides that a regional plan and a district plan respectively may state... the procedures for monitoring the efficiency and effectiveness of the policies and methods in the plan.
Section 79 of the Resource Management Act requires all regional policy statements, and all regional and district plans, to be reviewed not later than 10 years after becoming operative.
The Local Government Act 2002 requires local authorities to produce a Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) that outlines community outcomes and provides a basis for accountability from the local authority to the community. An LTCCP must cover a period of 10 consecutive financial years. In the LTCCP, councils are required to define: ‘measurable community outcomes and priorities’ and ‘the council’s role in furthering these outcomes.’ The LTCCP must state how the local authority will monitor and report on the community’s progress towards achieving the community outcomes, not less than once every three years. To demonstrate that key LTCCP outcomes have been effectively achieved, councils will have to monitor and report on the outcomes in a similar way to the monitoring requirements of the Resource Management Act. This suggests the need for coordinated, integrated and focused planning and monitoring. (Further information see relationships between the Local Government Act 2002 and the Resource Management Act and Promoting environmental wellbeing under the Local Government Act 2002 on the Ministry for the Environment website.)
The need for integrated monitoring
Integrated monitoring makes the best use of existing information and information gathering systems. An important first step in integrating monitoring is to identify connections, possibly through preparation of a monitoring strategy. Because there are connections between the various roles and responsibilities of councils, information from one area of council activity will often also be relevant for monitoring other areas of council activity and policy – and to the activities of other agencies (refer to integrated monitoring and reporting diagram below).
Intergrated monitoring and reporting diagram
Text description of figure:
The diagram shows the span of integrated monitoring and reporting by local authorities. Local and regional policy directions, along with national and international directions, influence strategic policy, which takes into account environmental, social, economic and cultural factors. The strategic policy is implemented through regulatory and non-regulatory methods, including those in regional and district plans, annual plans, and Long Term Council Community Plans. The implementation of policy is then monitored and reviewed via a coordinated monitoring strategy, which covers the spectrum of environmental, social, economic and cultural indicators. The monitoring conducted provides information for management statistics, annual reports, the implementation of activity management plans, and state of the environment reports.
There are links between baseline monitoring and the monitoring of impacts and systems. Integration of the monitoring of processes (such as resource consents), outputs, outcomes and impacts is also important and is addressed in the guidance notes.
There are also links between state of the environment, policy and plan, resource consent, compliance and complaint monitoring. Integration is also needed between Resource Management Act policy implementation and strategic policy outcomes: such as environmental, social/community, economic and cultural outcomes. This makes the link to the requirements under the Local Government Act 2002 significant and important. Through a coordinated approach to monitoring, information systems can be set up or amended so the right information is collected at the right time. This also helps ensure that consistent and useful information is provided for decision-making to meet a number of legislative requirements.
Partnerships between agencies have proved a valuable way of making progress with monitoring. When groups work collaboratively the sharing of data, information and ideas can occur. For example, local authorities and other agencies in the Waikato region have been working together to share information and develop common indicators for monitoring across the region [refer to the Choosing Futures website].
Components of a monitoring strategy
A monitoring strategy is a framework within which you can plan your monitoring and reporting. An integrated strategy should provide for the different types of monitoring you do and identify connections with monitoring carried out by other organisations. It should describe how monitoring will be linked into review of policy and operations and what sort of reporting there will be on the results of monitoring. Developing a strategy before you begin monitoring can help you to focus your efforts so you make the best use of the resources you have available.
Key questions that a monitoring strategy should address include:
- What are the purposes of your monitoring? Why is it important and what will it be used for?
- What types of monitoring will you be doing and how do they relate to each other?
- How will the results of monitoring be used to influence policy and other decision-making? What mechanisms will you use to ensure effective feedback between monitoring and decision-making?
- How will you decide what issues to monitor and when? What criteria will you use to decide priorities?
- What framework and criteria will you use to select indicators/ measures for the issues?
- How will you collect and manage data to ensure it is of good quality and will be consistent over time? How will you ensure you can retrieve it in a usable form for analysis and reporting at the times you need it?
- Who will you be reporting the results to? What will the information in reports be used for? What forms of reporting will you use to ensure it is effective?
- What are your timeframes for implementing and reviewing the strategy?
- Who will have overall responsibility for implementing the strategy? Who else will be involved and what will their roles be?
In answering these questions, it is important to keep in mind what resources you have available (or what additional resources you can realistically obtain). If you have few resources, focus your strategy on getting good information about some key priority issues rather than planning comprehensive monitoring programmes. Think about what resources you will need to keep monitoring programmes going over time, as well as those required for the first round of monitoring.
When developing a monitoring strategy, allow for it to evolve over time. Put the framework for monitoring in place and make room to incorporate or change some of the details as you begin to implement the strategy.
In practice, an overarching monitoring strategy and more detailed monitoring plans for particular issues are sometimes combined into a single document. (Refer to examples of monitoring strategies.)
Making monitoring work in your organisation
Some tips for building commitment and improving integration of monitoring across your organisation are:
- Capture the imagination of councillors, managers and colleagues – don’t blind them with science but show them how monitoring can help them in practical ways.
- Start by focusing on some key priorities where the need for better information is recognised by the decision-makers, and build up from this as resources become available.
- Find partners within the organisation to work with you (for example field officers who can collect information, planners who will use it, information systems and communications staff).
- Make opportunities to get feedback on monitoring priorities and the monitoring process from staff who work with the issues.
- Provide early feedback on monitoring results and allow opportunity to discuss these.
Managing the monitoring process
- Actively manage the monitoring and reporting project.
- Risks decrease with good project management – both at set up time and throughout the process.
- Map out a clear project plan of what will happen when and who is responsible, and ensure this addresses what you will do to manage risks.
- Identify the resources you have available and make sure you design the project to match these.
- Data collection can take longer than expected – allow plenty of time and set up good systems and processes for data collection, storage, management and reporting.
- Consider an independent review of the methodology, as good quality data and information is important.
- A big part of project management is expectation management. Develop a communications strategy or plan.
- Identify priorities – ‘start small if you are small’ – to make the best use of resources.
- If producing a written report, manage report production once the scope of the report has been determined. Consider the format of the report in terms of publication on the web.
- Establish a table of contents.
- Develop a detailed brief and writing instructions for chapter authors.
- Edit the report/s and ensure it is relevant to the audience. Consider the use of a neutral editor.
- Monitoring is a long-term process and there are likely to be staff changes over time. The process should therefore be documented and filed in an accessible location.
- Put good systems in place up front and your organisation will reap the benefits.
- Think ahead, plan well and assign a good project manager.
- Have a coordinated approach eg, one identified coordinator.
- Involve a range of people to make use of different skills.
Best practice examples
Monitoring strategies
Whangarei District Council: Monitoring Strategy Manual Template (2001) (PDF 49KB)
The Whangarei Monitoring Strategy Manual was developed in 2001. The strategy received the New Zealand Planning Institute Award of Merit in 2003. This comprehensive monitoring strategy contains indicators on the following:
- Resource Consents Monitoring: Resource Consents; Subdivision Consents; Building Consents.
- Complaints Monitoring
- District Plan Monitoring: Subdivision and Development; Financial Contributions; Road Transport; Network Utility Services; Whangarei Airport; Marsden Point Port; Amenity Values; Heritage Buildings, Sites and Objects; Heritage Trees; The Coast; Riparian & Coastal Margins; Water Bodies; Open Space; Landscape; Indigenous Vegetation and Habitat; Minerals; Natural Hazards; Contaminated Sites; Hazardous Substances; Tangata Whenua; Local Authority Cross Boundary Issues.
- State of the Environment Monitoring: The Human and Built Environment: People and Communities; Tangata Whenua; Socio-Economic Background; Land Use Activities (rural & urban); Services and Infrastructure; Port and Airport; Contaminated Sites & Hazardous Substances; Cultural and Historic Heritage; Amenity Values (rural & urban); Integrated Management. The Natural Environment: The Land Resource; Climate and Air Quality; Freshwater Resources; Coastal Environment; Riparian and Coastal Margins; Natural Heritage; Open Space; Natural Hazards.
The Whangarei District Council 2001 Monitoring Strategy Manual can be downloaded from the Whangarei District Council website. This was used as the basis of the State of Environment Report 2007.
Matamata – Piako District Council: Environmental Monitoring Strategy (PDF 15KB)
The Matamata-Piako District Council developed its Monitoring Strategy in 1999. The strategy has indicator topics on the following:
- Residential Growth; Natural Hazards; Rural Area Development; Riparian Management; Tangata Whenua; Incompatible Activities; Works and Network Utilities; Amenity; Transportation; Solid Waste (including Hazardous Waste); Heritage; Natural Environment.
Kapiti Coast District Council Monitoring Strategy Template (PDF 24KB)
The Kapiti Coast District Council’s ‘Monitoring Strategy – Capturing Our Environment’ was developed in 2002. The strategy has indicator topics on:
- Demographics; Public Health; Residential Development; Rural Subdivision and Development; Natural Hazards; Coastal Environment; Landscape (identified & unidentified); Ecology, Natural Environment, Riparian Management; Noise; Water Supply, Waste Water & Storm Water; Transportation; Solid Waste & Hazardous Substances; Heritage & Tangata Whenua; Open Space and Reserves; Signage; Business & Tourism.
‘Monitoring Strategy – Capturing Our Environment’ can be downloaded from the Kapiti Coast District Council's website.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s ‘Resource Management Environmental Monitoring Strategy’ was developed in 2002. It has indicator topics on the following:
- Land; Air; Indigenous Habitat and Biodiversity; Waste; Amenity; Cultural Heritage; Urban and Rural Development Impacts.
Greater Wellington: Monitoring Strategy for the Wellington Region (PDF 68KB)
This strategy has an integrated approach with links between state of the environment monitoring and reporting, plan effectiveness monitoring, monitoring the transfer and delegation of powers and monitoring resource consents and permitted activities. It also links with monitoring under the Local Government Act and other relevant legislation. It has indicators on the following:
- Air: Air quality and odour.
- Biodiversity: Indigenous biodiversity, key native ecosystems and regional parks.
- Coasts: Water quality.
- Inland water: Groundwater, lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.
- Land and soil: Land and soil.
- Transport.
- Flood protection.
- Social and Economic Information.
Other examples include:
- Queenstown Lakes District Council (PDF 239KB)
- Hawkes Bay Regional Council (PDF 1MB)
Relevant Publications
Integrated Monitoring: A Manual for Practitioners (PDF 484 KB)
Published by Environment Waikato - June 1999
The Manual provides guidance and useful tools for undertaking cost effective monitoring, including the development of indicators, by co-ordinating and integrating monitoring efforts.
RMA Monitoring and Reporting Handbook for participants (PDF 328 KB)
Published by Ministry for the Environment - November 2006
Provides practical tools and guidance towards more efficient and effective RMA monitoring and reporting for practitioners. To be read in conjunction with the Monitoring and Reporting presentation.
RMA Monitoring and Reporting Workshops PowerPoint presentation (PDF 395 KB)
Published by Ministry for the Environment - November 2006
Provides practical tools and guidance towards more efficient and effective RMA monitoring and reporting for practitioners. To be read in conjunction with the RMA Monitoring and Reporting Handbook.
Monitoring and Local Government: Local Authorities Upskilling Project Workshop Manual No. 5 (PDF 89 KB)
Published by Ministry for the Environment - January 1996
Aims to develop understanding of monitoring to better the reponse to statutory requirements, with discussion of non-statutory monitoring opportunities.
Porirua City 2000 – 2010 strategic plan monitoring report (PDF 188 KB)
Published by Porirua City Council - October 2003
This document reports against the Strategic Plan 2000 – 2010 and looks at community monitoring outcomes for the future.
Local Government Monitoring and Reporting Training Seminars 2006: workshop slides and handouts
Local Government New Zealand 2006.
These presentations and handouts were used for a series of regional training seminars held by Local Government New Zealand, with the support of the Department of Internal Affairs and Statistics New Zealand, in January 2006. The focus is on community outcomes monitoring required under the Local Government Act 2002, but with an emphasis on the need for integrated monitoring. The handouts include examples of indicator sets and criteria for developing these.
Creating our Future: Sustainable Development for New Zealand
Published by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment – August 2002.
This report is a review of New Zealand’s progress towards sustainable development, with particular reference to environmental management performance since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It discusses the importance of monitoring and review of progress towards achieving sustainable development objectives, including monitoring of Resource Management Act policies and plan and Long Term Council Community Plans. There is also a background paper on sustainability indicators.
Published by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment – July 2003.
The purpose of this discussion paper is to explore ways in which environmental policy and decision-making can be effectively supported by science and research to achieve effective environmental management and good outcomes. It lays out the many elements of science, policy and decision-making processes and poses some questions. A summary of submissions on this paper (December 2003) and the final report “Missing Links: Connecting Science with Environmental Policy” (September 2004) are also available.
‘Environmental Monitoring Under the Resource Management Act’ Kerry Grundy, Ian McAlley and Stefan Naude, Whangarei District Council, Northland, New Zealand, Published in Australian Planner, Volume 38, Number 3/4, 2001.
‘Monitoring and Evaluation in Municipal Planning: Practice and Prospects’
Mark Seasons, published in Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol 69, No. 4 Fall 2003 pp 430–440.
Relevant Websites
Current challenges in practice
- Achieving integration of monitoring under the RMA and LGA
Policy statement and plan outcomes sought under the Resource Management Act and community outcomes sought under the Local Government Act are often pitched at quite different levels. This can pose a challenge for integrated monitoring. - Organisational structures can be a hindrance to integrated monitoring
Integration of monitoring across an organisation requires involvement of a wide range of staff, often working in different areas. To achieve good integration it is important to develop strategies to ensure good communication and feedback across different teams. - Insufficient commitment to monitoring
Resources are not allocated to the task of monitoring which can be seen as a sink in terms of time, energy and money.
