Climate change impacts on land use suitability

This report aims to assist land managers and natural resource planners to assess the resilience of agricultural land uses across New Zealand and to inform decision making for land and water management regarding future climate. The research used several biophysical models to look at production systems (pasture, crop, horticulture) in three case study areas – Hawkes Bay, Waikato and Southland – and project into the future the changes in production and the impacts on receiving environments (in particular nitrate leaching), under different climate scenarios.