Get database access

A "Login" link is provided on our website. For direct access, use http://fwdb.niwa.co.nz/

You must have a username and password to access the data. To get these credentials, registration is required.

Use the mouse or Tab key to toggle between the login and password boxes.

For enhanced functionality, download and install the Assistant Software (for Windows).

View a single record

1. Click the View a card button.
2. Type in the card number.
3. To print the page, select File | Print.

Search and save the results

1. Click the Search ... button.
2. Fill in the blanks with your search criteria.
   
   • The blue underlined fields have drop-down menus.
   • Searching by numbers is fastest.
   • Use box combinations to limit and speed your search.
   • Use pattern matching to search multiple catchments, maps, or species. There is a drop-down menu explaining pattern matching at the top of the page.
3. Click the Get records button.
   No matter what your criteria, the output is standard – there is one line of data for each species occurrence. The header tells you how many records were found and the data of the search.
4. After the Done button appears in the lower left hand corner of the screen, save the file as a text file using File | Save As...

Save the results in Excel

1. In Excel, open the saved text file. The Text Import wizard should appear.
2. Choose the "Fixed width" option.
3. Delete or add column lines as required.
4. Click Finish.
5. Select all data and format columns to Auto-Fit.
6. Save as an Excel document. Note that your file will still have one line of data per species occurrence.

Get one line of data per record in Excel

1. Open the Assistant program.
2. Click Open, then choose the Internet text file option.
3. Open the saved text file.
4. Select File | Copy to clipboard.
5. In Excel, open a new file and select Edit | Paste.
6. Save as an Excel document. Your file will now have one line of data per record.

Create a distribution map

1. Open the Assistant program.
2. Click Open, then choose the Internet text file option.
3. Open the saved text file.
4. Save the file as an *.fdb file.
5. Click the "Map" button.
6. Use the Format menu to designate which features you want to show.
7. Click the "Zoom+" button and click-and-drag to magnify an area of interest.
8. Use the "Marker Options" button to change colours, sizes, and which species are shown.
9. Add text with the "Text" button.
10. Select File | Save to save the map as *.wmf for import into Word documents (using Insert Image).

Enter data

1. Open the Assistant program.
2. Click New and fill in the data for each record – if you do not have any card numbers start with number 1 – unique NZFFD numbers will be assigned by NIWA before the data are stored.
3. When finished, click "Close" and then "Save". This will save your file as an *.fdb file.
4. Click the "Form" button to view or print the records.
5. Use the "Edit" button to correct any mistakes – don’t forget to save again, using the Overwrite option, after editing.
6. E-mail the *.fdb file to the NZFFD Administrator [ fwdba@niwa.co.nz ] for assignment of NZFFD numbers and storage. The renumbered file will be sent back to you so that you have a permanent, correctly numbered, record of your data.

Obtain more data for some records

1. Decide what information you want – all fields of data on the cards are stored in the NZFFD.
2. View the cards one by one using the "View a card" option and transcribe the data.
3. E-mail the NZFFD Administrator [ fwdba@niwa.co.nz ] a list of what you want along with a text file of the card numbers you want the data for. I will search the NZFFD and generate an Excel spreadsheet or comma-delimited text file (CSV) of the data. A charge may be incurred for processing such a request, but you will be informed of the likely charged before the work is undertaken.