Kia ora Dr Loomis

 

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act
request.

 

We received your request on 28 March 2022. We will endeavour to respond to
your request as soon as possible and in any event no later than 28 April
2022, being 20 working days after the day your request was received. If we
are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an
extension to that timeframe.

 

Your request is being handled by the Office of the Government Statistician
and Chief Executive. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact
me using the details in the signature below. If any additional factors
come to light which are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate
to contact us so these can be taken into account.

 

Please accept my apologies for the delay in acknowledging your request.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Laura Christen (pronouns: she/her/hers)

Senior Advisor – Executive and Government Relations, Office of the
Government Statistician and Chief Executive | Kaitohutohu Matua – Tari o
Te Kaitatauranga Matua Me Te Pouârahi Matua

Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa | [1]stats.govt.nz | +64 27 291 1369

About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa

Data that improves lives today and for generations to come

 

[2]Facebook | [3]Twitter | [4]LinkedIn

 

 

 

From: Dr Terrence Loomis [5][FYI request #18989 email]

Sent: Monday, 28 March 2022 1:07 PM

To: Info Mailin - Shared Mailbox [6][email address]

Subject: Official Information request - Use of synthetic fertiliser in
Aotearoa NZ

 

Dear Statistics New Zealand,

Clarification of synthetic fertiliser (nitrogen) use in NZ:

OIA query from Dr Terrence Loomis

28 March 2022

 

Source:  StatsNZ  ‘Indicators-Fertilisers-nitrogen and phosphorus’
[7]https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/fer...

 

It has been claimed that according to recent statistics, dairy production
uses over 450,000 tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser (urea) a year.  Since the
statements and graphs in this indicator are somewhat confusing, I am
interested in clarifying how much nitrogen (urea) fertiliser was applied
in 2019 to (a) all agricultural land and (b) predominantly dairy land.  

 

Question 1:  How much fertiliser of all types was applied to agricultural
land in 2019?

According to Graph #2 (Urea fertiliser applied by farm type, 2002-2019),
it appears that the amount of all fertiliser applied to all agricultural
land in 2019 was somewhere around 1,050,000 tonnes (by adding up amounts
in each ‘farm’ type).  Yet a statement following Graph #2 states “Farms
that were dominantly dairy had the largest amount of fertiliser applied to
agricultural land; 836,000 tonnes (49 percent of the New Zealand total).
This was followed by farms that were dominantly sheep and beef with
719,000 tonnes and grain growing with 75,000 tonnes (42 percent and 4
percent, respectively).”  The percentage indicate total fertiliser
application to all types of farms must have been somewhere in the vicinity
of 1,500,000 tonnes.  What is the correct figure?

 

Question 2: How much nitrogen (urea) fertiliser was applied to all
agricultural land in 2019?

The overview statement at the beginning claims that in 2019, 452,000
tonnes of nitrogen “were applied to land in fertiliser.”  The heading in
the first graph indicates that this figure is for nitrogen fertiliser
‘sold in New Zealand.’ The ‘About the Data’ section at the bottom states
that it is assumed all fertiliser sold is applied to land. 

 

Graph #1 appears to confirm that 452,000 tonnes of nitrogen were sold
(i.e. applied to all agricultural land) in 2019. A statement following
graph #2 says “Between 1991 and 2019, estimates from sales data of
nitrogen (urea) applied to [all] land in fertiliser increased from 62,000
to 452,000 tonnes (just over a sixfold increase, 629 percent).” Yet when
data in Graph #2 (converted to a table) are tallied, the total amount of
nitrogen (urea) fertiliser applied to all farm types is somewhere around
607,000 tonnes. What is the correct figure?

 

Question 3: How much nitrogen (urea) fertiliser was applied to
predominately dairy land in 2019?  When Graph #2 is converted to a table,
the data appear to indicate the total amount of all fertiliser applied to
predominately dairy land was 427,325 tonnes. Of that amount, 196,570 was
nitrogen (urea).  Yet a statement following Graph #2 says: “Farms that
were dominantly dairy had the largest amount of nitrogen applied to
agricultural land; 223,000 tonnes (67 percent of the New Zealand total). 
What is the correct figure?

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Terrence Loomis

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[8][FYI request #18989 email]

 

Is [9][Statistics New Zealand request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Statistics New Zealand? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[10]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

 

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the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[11]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

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References

Visible links
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2. https://www.facebook.com/StatisticsNZ
3. https://twitter.com/Stats_NZ
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/statist...
5. mailto:[FYI request #18989 email]
6. mailto:[email address]
7. https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/fer...
8. mailto:[FYI request #18989 email]
9. mailto:[Statistics New Zealand request email]
10. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
11. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

Kia ora Dr Terrence Loomis

 

Please find attached a response from Stats NZ to your Official Information
Act request of 28 March 2022.

 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

Laura Christen (pronouns: she/her/hers)

Senior Advisor – Executive and Government Relations, Office of the
Government Statistician and Chief Executive | Kaitohutohu Matua – Tari o
Te Kaitatauranga Matua Me Te Pouârahi Matua

Stats NZ | Tatauranga Aotearoa | [1]stats.govt.nz

About Aotearoa, for Aotearoa

Data that improves lives today and for generations to come

 

[2]Facebook | [3]Twitter | [4]LinkedIn

 

 

 

Original Message-----

From: Dr Terrence Loomis [5][FOI #18989 email]

Sent: Monday, 28 March 2022 1:07 PM

To: Info Mailin - Shared Mailbox [6][email address]

Subject: Official Information request - Use of synthetic fertiliser in
Aotearoa NZ

 

Dear Statistics New Zealand,

Clarification of synthetic fertiliser (nitrogen) use in NZ:

OIA query from Dr Terrence Loomis

28 March 2022

 

Source:  StatsNZ  ‘Indicators-Fertilisers-nitrogen and phosphorus’
[7]https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/fer...

 

It has been claimed that according to recent statistics, dairy production
uses over 450,000 tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser (urea) a year.  Since the
statements and graphs in this indicator are somewhat confusing, I am
interested in clarifying how much nitrogen (urea) fertiliser was applied
in 2019 to (a) all agricultural land and (b) predominantly dairy land.  

 

Question 1:  How much fertiliser of all types was applied to agricultural
land in 2019?

According to Graph #2 (Urea fertiliser applied by farm type, 2002-2019),
it appears that the amount of all fertiliser applied to all agricultural
land in 2019 was somewhere around 1,050,000 tonnes (by adding up amounts
in each ‘farm’ type).  Yet a statement following Graph #2 states “Farms
that were dominantly dairy had the largest amount of fertiliser applied to
agricultural land; 836,000 tonnes (49 percent of the New Zealand total).
This was followed by farms that were dominantly sheep and beef with
719,000 tonnes and grain growing with 75,000 tonnes (42 percent and 4
percent, respectively).”  The percentage indicate total fertiliser
application to all types of farms must have been somewhere in the vicinity
of 1,500,000 tonnes.  What is the correct figure?

 

Question 2: How much nitrogen (urea) fertiliser was applied to all
agricultural land in 2019?

The overview statement at the beginning claims that in 2019, 452,000
tonnes of nitrogen “were applied to land in fertiliser.”  The heading in
the first graph indicates that this figure is for nitrogen fertiliser
‘sold in New Zealand.’ The ‘About the Data’ section at the bottom states
that it is assumed all fertiliser sold is applied to land. 

 

Graph #1 appears to confirm that 452,000 tonnes of nitrogen were sold
(i.e. applied to all agricultural land) in 2019. A statement following
graph #2 says “Between 1991 and 2019, estimates from sales data of
nitrogen (urea) applied to [all] land in fertiliser increased from 62,000
to 452,000 tonnes (just over a sixfold increase, 629 percent).” Yet when
data in Graph #2 (converted to a table) are tallied, the total amount of
nitrogen (urea) fertiliser applied to all farm types is somewhere around
607,000 tonnes. What is the correct figure?

 

Question 3: How much nitrogen (urea) fertiliser was applied to
predominately dairy land in 2019?  When Graph #2 is converted to a table,
the data appear to indicate the total amount of all fertiliser applied to
predominately dairy land was 427,325 tonnes. Of that amount, 196,570 was
nitrogen (urea).  Yet a statement following Graph #2 says: “Farms that
were dominantly dairy had the largest amount of nitrogen applied to
agricultural land; 223,000 tonnes (67 percent of the New Zealand total). 
What is the correct figure?

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Terrence Loomis

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[8][FOI #18989 email]

 

Is [9][Statistics New Zealand request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Statistics New Zealand? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[10]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[11]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.stats.govt.nz/
2. https://www.facebook.com/StatisticsNZ
3. https://twitter.com/Stats_NZ
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/statist...
5. mailto:[FOI #18989 email]
6. mailto:[email address]
7. https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/fer...
8. mailto:[FOI #18989 email]
9. mailto:[Statistics New Zealand request email]
10. https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
11. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers