Sea-level rise increasing at faster rate around Aotearoa New Zealand – Media release
15 September 2022
Sea levels around Aotearoa New Zealand have risen at a faster rate in recent decades compared with the first half of last century, Stats NZ said today.
According to Stats NZ’s recently updated environmental indicator Coastal sea-level rise, relative annual sea levels have risen faster over the last 60 years at four coastal monitoring sites throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
“Future climate change projections indicate that sea levels will continue to rise. Rising sea levels affect coastal communities, infrastructure, coastal habitats, and biodiversity,” environmental and agricultural statistics senior manager Michele Lloyd said.
“Sea levels rose faster over the last 60 years, 1961 to 2020, compared with the previous 60 years, 1901 to 1960, at four main sites with records dating back to the 1890s and 1900s: Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Dunedin. The rate of sea-level rise has doubled in the last 60 years, compared with the mean rate from when records first began through to 1960.”
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