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Māori were more likely than other ethnicities to identify environmental problems.
That’s one of the findings of Statistics New Zealand’s 2018 General Social Survey, which interviewed people about a range of topics.
Wellbeing and housing statistics manager Dr Claire Bretherton says recent migrants, who had moved to New Zealand within the last five years, were the least likely to identify environmental problems compared with longer-term migrants and those born here.
Four out of five New Zealanders are concerned about freshwater quality in rivers, lakes, streams, and wetlands.
Half of those who reported this as an issue said farming activities are the main cause, while 17 percent said sewage and stormwater discharges are the main cause.
Almost three-quarters of people thought New Zealand has an issue with the state of oceans and sea life, and with plant and animal life becoming endangered or extinct.
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