Key points

Good quality soils are those that are in good condition for their current land use. Environment Waikato measures soil quality for four main land use types in the Waikato Region: pastoral farming, cropping and horticulture, plantation forestry and indigenous vegetation.

• Most of the Region’s soils (80 percent) have satisfactory soil quality for their current land use.
• Around 18 percent of our land used for pastoral farming has soil quality that is ‘of concern’. This concern mostly relates to some dairy farms which have soil compaction and excessively high soil fertility.

Source: Environment Waikato

What agencies are doing

• Environment Waikato monitors soil quality across the Region to update this indicator and contribute to a national soil monitoring project.
• We provide environmental information to landowners about how to maintain soil quality and prevent soil damage. For example, 'For Peat’s Sake – good management practices for Waikato peat farmers'. Check out our publications.
• We support voluntary guidelines and codes of practice such as the NZ Fertiliser Manufacturer’s Research Association Code of Practice for Fertiliser Use.
• We support the Waikato Farm Environment Awards, which rewards good farm practice and provides information and advice on good land management practices.
• We support the Franklin Sustainability Project, which provides information and advice to commercial vegetable growers in the Pukekohe area about best practice to protect soils and reduce the environmental impacts of intensive cropping.
• We are developing tools to help farmers with nutrient management.

What you can do to help

• Match land use to your land and soil type to minimise soil damage. For example, plant trees on steeper land to reduce soil loss through erosion.
• Use fertiliser and pesticides carefully and only when necessary. Follow the Code of Practice for Fertiliser Use.
• Minimise soil compaction by moving cattle off wet soils to prevent pugging.
• Minimise soil compaction by reducing heavy machinery use.
• Use cover crops to reduce soil loss and help build up organic matter.
• Leave grass strips between row crops to protect soil.
• Adopt minimum tillage and use less intensive crop rotations to reduce damage to soil structure from cultivation.
• Use a nutrient budget to help maintain optimal soil fertility and reduce the risk of excessive fertiliser application.
• Fence stock out of areas of indigenous vegetation.

More information

More detail on this indicator, including how and where this information is collected, is available here.

What we want to achieve

The community outcomes we are seeking to achieve by monitoring soil quality at selected sites are:

• The iconic landscapes and natural features of our environment define and sustain us. We respect and celebrate them as taonga.
• Our natural environment is protected and respected. Its ecological balance is restored, its air, soil and water quality is improved and its native biodiversity is enhanced.
• The traditional role of iwi and hapu as kaitiaki is acknowledged, respected and enabled.
• Our region’s waterways have consistently high water quality.