Despite progress in banning plastic bags and killing pests, the Government's only being given a pass mark for its handling of the environment this year.
With the Green Party in power for the first time, the topic was high on the agenda, but not all efforts have been successful, critics say.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said of the plastic bag ban, "It's all single-use plastic bags less than 70 microns thick, that includes supermarket shopping bags and boutique bags".
Supermarkets are removing the bags already , ahead of the ban starting next July.
However, the recycling industry is still under pressure, with mountains of rubbish building up at depots following China's decision to stop importing plastics.
"We're at a crisis point and to be honest we don't know what to do," Grahame Christian of Smart Environmental said.
Another crisis getting attention this year is pest control.
"The winners are the birds and the losers are the rats, the stoats and the possums," Ms Sage said.
This year saw the biggest boost in funding for the Department of Conservation (DOC) in 16 years, with the creation of predator-free areas a major focus.
Taranaki is aiming to be the first predator-free region in the country.
But the Government initiative to plant 1 billion trees by 2028 started less smoothly.
The first venture, in Northland, left taxpayers forking out $160,000 for trees which had to be destroyed.
Forestry Minister Shane Jones said, "We were always going to hit a few speed bumps, but I would say that we're not planting trees in the Garden of Eden here".
The spread of diseases was also a threat to our plant life this year, with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) losing the fight to contain myrtle rust, and kauri dieback forcing the closure of walking tracks across the North Island.
One conservationist said, "We've got kauri dying within decades - potentially become extinct".
The disease has been found in Golden Bay in Tasman District which joins eight North Island regions with it.
This year also saw a spike in protests against the use of 1080. DOC staff were threatened over its use, and their families were left fearful.
DOC contractor Blandy Witehira said of the threats, "She cries because she worries about me and my dog".
Most of the threating behaviour is related to 1080 drops.
And in October, a tragic helicopter crash in Wanaka killed two DOC rangers and a pilot during an operation to cull tahr.
The project has since been halted.
DOC director-general Lou Sanson said at the time, "This is my worst day as chief executive".
The pilot was killed as well as two DOC workers on board.
Conservationists say next year will be a true test for the Government.
Forest and Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said, "They're at about a pass mark for me, but it's not an A".
Water quality is just one of several areas demanding attention in the new year, Forest and Bird said.
"Putting cameras on fishing boats, for example, creating new marine reserves, actually putting in place meaningful action on climate change - those are things that can't wait," Mr Hague said.
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