Research

A primary aim of the Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Fisheries Wealth is to ensure that fisheries are developed and managed for the advantage of the people of Oman in a manner that is sustainable and maintains biodiversity.

Satellite images can be used to measure phytoplankton biomass in the ocean around New Zealand in order to understand ocean ecosystems, fish populations and greenhouse gas absorbtion.

Estuaries are highly valuable systems that provide enormous economic and cultural benefits to all kinds of people. However, expanding human populations and urban development around estuaries is increasing contaminant loads, with metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) accumulating in sediments.

Ngā Waihotanga Iho, the estuarine monitoring toolkit for Iwi, has been developed to provide tangata whenua with tools to measure environmental changes in their estuaries. While Ngā Waihotanga Iho is based on sound science principles, it is also underpinned by tangata whenua values.

Using a collaborative case study approach, the aim of this project is to assist tangata whenua to bring together different, yet complementary knowledge systems - distinct Māori knowledge and conventional fisheries and ecosystem information.

Farmers rely on irrigation, but water is a limited resource and little is know about how to manage it best. NIWA has developed a hydrology and soil science model to show how much to water, and when, to get the best results.

New Zealand's rivers and streams, and the diverse fish that live in them, are worth protecting. But the question of which species prefer to live where was unanswered until NIWA completed this major survey.

The kōaro was once abundant in the Te Arawa lakes near Rotorua in New Zealand’s North Island. NIWA has assessed the viability of restoring this species in the region.

A survey of valuable ore deposits and ecosystems along the volcanic Kermadec Ridge north of New Zealand, designed to inform both potential development and management of seabed resources in the area.

This research aims to provide better predictions of changes in the ocean and climate system, particularly the way in which the ocean around New Zealand regulates greenhouse gases and clouds.

By analysing air trapped in ancient ice we can see how wetlands and permafrosts responded to warming periods in the past, and help predict what will happen in the future.

NIWA and the Te Arawa Lakes Trust have developed a sustainable management framework for customary fisheries in Te Arawa lakes, as part of a joint 3 year research programme.