Local government investment in environmental protection in New Zealand

General government: comprises the New Zealand Treasury and other central and local government entities.
Gross fixed capital formation: refers to the net increase in physical assets (investment minus disposals) within the measurement period. It's the money spent on durable fixed assets, such as buildings, motor vehicles, plant and machinery, hydro-electric construction, roading, and improvements to land. In measuring these outlays, sales of similar goods are deducted. Land is excluded from gross fixed capital formation. Included is the value of construction work done by a firm's own employees. The term "gross" indicates that the consumption of fixed capital has not been deducted.
Government final consumption expenditure (FCE): the sum of spending on goods and services used for individual needs of collective needs. It consists of the value of the goods and services produced by the government itself other than capital formation and sales/purchases by the government of goods and services produced by the market.

Environmental Protection Expenditure: an internationally recognised term used to describe all goods and services aimed at protecting the environment and encouraging the sustainable use of natural resources.
Environmental expenditures in New Zealand fall under the five broad categories:
- Wastewater includes sewerage network (including mains), reticulation of sewage, sewerage treatment: oxidation ponds and on land disposal, stormwater (the water that runs off surfaces such as roads, driveways, footpaths, and rooftops). Also includes culverts and open drains. Excludes land drainage in non-urban areas as this should be included in land and soil management.
- Solid waste/refuse includes collection and disposal (aftercare, landfill operations, street and roadside rubbish bins), and recycling collection and recovery (recycling centres, reusable materials depots, and roadside recycling).
- Air and water quality includes any measurement and analysis of air and/or water quality and education. Also includes dairy effluent.
- Flood, river, land and soil management includes shelterbelts, management of contaminated sites, and soil conservation to reduce erosion. For non-urban areas, includes any drainage of the land (e.g. run-off), flood protection schemes and river control functions, maintenance, works, and monitoring.
- Pest management includes both animal and plant. Pests are defined as organisms that are capable of causing, at some time, a serious adverse and unintended effect on people and/or the environment and can include rabbits, stoats, birds, possums, feral goats, wasps, and invasive weeds and pest plants.

The environmental protection expenditure account is currently experimental as further work to extend the coverage and alignment to national accounts is required. Most figures have been revised significantly.

At URL provided, download 'Environmental protection expenditure account: 2009–2023 – CSV'.

Environmental-economic accounts show how our environment contributes to our economy, the impacts of economic activity on our environment, and how we respond to environmental issues.