News

Read about the important science being undertaken at NIWA, and how it affects New Zealanders

  • From sky to server

    Feature story
    A few drops of rain can go a long way. Campbell Gardiner explains.
  • Keeping tabs on muddy waters

    Feature story
    Estuaries provide a crucial link between our rivers and our seas. Sam Fraser-Baxter heads out with a NIWA research team keeping a close eye on these vulnerable transition zones.
  • Norse goddess reveals seabed secrets

    Feature story
    A large, orange Scandinavian robot gives NIWA’s marine geologists an in-depth look at changes to the seafloor off Kaikōura.
  • A job for the buoys

    Feature story
    New Zealanders and Pacific Island communities are on their way to having the most advanced tsunami monitoring system in the world.
  • The future shape of water

    Feature story
    How much is too much? Susan Pepperell looks at some of the tough decisions looming around access to freshwater and how science is helping with solutions.
  • Hotspot Watch 5 February 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • Oceanic shark numbers decline amid research gaps

    Media release
    A lack of information about New Zealand oceanic shark populations is making it difficult to assess how well they are doing, says a NIWA researcher.
  • Hotspot Watch 28 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • Hotspot Watch 22 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • How does a fish climb a ramp? Very, very cleverly…

    Feature story
    New Zealand’s native fish are doing their best to climb up ramps in a NIWA laboratory so scientists can learn how to better help them navigate our tricky waterways.
  • Hotspot Watch 15 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • NIWA drones going where people can’t on the West Coast

    Feature story
    A team of scientists have been exploring some of New Zealand’s most remote and rugged coastal zones.