Document library

Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) undertakes statutory environmental monitoring,
including meeting requirements under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater
Management (NPS–FM 2025). In 2025, GWRC contracted Earth Sciences New Zealand (ESNZ) to
survey six waterbodies in the Wellington Region using the LakeSPI (Submerged Plant Indicators)
survey method.
The LakeSPI method was developed by ESNZ to assess the ecological condition of lakes
(Clayton and Edwards 2006, de Winton et al. 2012). Under the NPS–FM (2025), two indices
derived from LakeSPI have been incorporated as ecosystem health attributes that have bands
and national bottom lines.