Environmental Information news

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NIWA's National Freshwater Fish Database goes hi-tech

16 August 2013

Next week, NIWA scientists will showcase the latest version of the National Freshwater Fish Database at an international conference in Hamilton.

New Zealand: first in the world to catalogue all its species through all of time

18 May 2012

New Zealand is the first country in the world to catalogue its entire known living and fossil life.

New web portal provides universal access to NIWA datasets

1 February 2012

A new Internet-based information portal allows anyone, at any location, to view details on a growing range of environmental data.

New Zealand and Australia sign collaborative agreement on marine research and observation

6 December 2011

A historic agreement, aimed at improving country-to-country collaboration on marine research, observations and data management between New Zealand and Australia, has been signed in Canberra this morning.

New partnership to smooth access to New Zealand’s environmental information

14 November 2011

Major environment-focused Crown Research Institutes GNS Science, Landcare Research, and NIWA are joining forces with the New Zealand Geospatial Office to harmonise systems for storing, categorising and accessing vital information on New Zealand's environment.

NIWA provides weather and sea conditions for the Rena oil spill

12 October 2011

NIWA is using forecast models to show us the offshore conditions around the grounded Rena, and the likely path of the oil plume, as fuel oil washes up on Bay of Plenty beaches.

NIWA weather modelling research aims to improve the accuracy of New Zealand forecasts

29 March 2011

NIWA’s weather prediction model simulated the intense rainfall which fell just north of the capital, and flooded parts of Porirua, on Sunday 27 March. Thirty nine millimetres of rain fell in less than an hour, around 1.00pm.

Life in the ocean – the unknown last frontier

20 May 2010

What is known about life in the ocean? Even though it’s the biggest habitat on the planet, most of the ocean remains unexplored biologically. So what do we know? And how does New Zealand’s biodiversity compare with the rest of the world?

NIWA announces free data policy

5 July 2007

From this month [July 2007], the public will be able to download millions of pieces of climate, water resource, and other environmental information for free.

Big buoy in the bay

7 June 2007

A three-tonne buoy laden with scientific instruments is about to be deployed to collect vital information in Golden Bay.

NIWA expands team to meet challenge of poor urban air quality

8 January 2007

NIWA is expanding its urban air quality team. The group carries out research into the processes controlling air pollution in urban environments and investigates methods of managing or mitigating its effects. We also provide air quality monitoring and consultancy services to government and industry throughout NZ.

New Tide Forecaster

11 December 2002

Going on a summer holiday to an out-of-the-way place and want to know the tides? Or are you planning a fishing trip, or a beach wedding perhaps?

UV radiation information on CD

25 March 2002

A CD released this week makes UV information available to the community. UV Atlas allows UV intensities in different parts of New Zealand to be compared directly, and quantifies long term changes in UV that have occurred in recent years. The product is the culmination of several years of research to make UV information more accessible to the community.

Sinking buoys to help predict climate change

14 September 2001

Two high-tech recording buoys shaped like dive tanks will be released into the Pacific Ocean this month by NIWA scientists as part of an international programme to understand and predict phenomena influencing the world‘s climate.

The buoys, worth $35,000 each, will provide real-time measurements of the temperature and salinity of the upper ocean that will help forecast long-term climate change, and events like El Niño and tropical cyclones.

NIWA buoy damaged in midnight incident

1 February 2000

The NIWA meteorological buoy collecting wave and weather data in the Hauraki Gulf was put out of action between midnight and 1a.m. today. Mr Gavin Fisher, Auckland Regional Manager of NIWA, said transmission from the highly sophisticated buoy stopped soon after midnight.

NIWA buys supercomputer - major leap forward in environmental science

7 April 1999

NIWA (the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) today announced its intention to purchase a multi-million dollar super computer which will allow New Zealand environmental scientists to develop new research initiatives at the forefront of global oceanic, atmospheric and climate science.

Crayfish to enter the computer age

2 December 1998

Crayfish living along the Abel Tasman National Park coastline will be introduced to the silicon chip age later this month.

NIWA forges fresh links with US science for future joint projects

23 October 1998

New Zealand scientists with internationally recognised skills will be teaming up with top level American researchers both in the US and New Zealand to find solutions for environmental problems common to both countries.

NIWA