News

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

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Online atlas provides understanding of marine life and habitats

Media Release
9 March 2023
Researchers have developed New Zealand’s most comprehensive online atlas, providing an overview of nearly 600 marine species, to guide management and conservation of the country’s unique seafloor communities.

In numbers: New Zealand’s wild summer weather

Media Release
3 March 2023
It has been a summer to remember, but not in a good way.

Hotspot Watch 2 March 2023

Hot spot
2 March 2023
A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.

Hotspot Watch 24 February 2023

Hot spot
24 February 2023
A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.

Record low sea ice levels mixed bag for Antarctic voyage

Media Release
23 February 2023
Scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) have returned from a six-week voyage to Antarctica.

Research aims to quantify New Zealand’s Blue Carbon capacity of kelp seaweeds

Media Release
20 February 2023
A research project co-led by Blue Carbon Services and NIWA will aim to provide New Zealand’s first national estimate of natural kelp-carbon sequestration in the marine environment.

Hotspot Watch 16 February 2023

Hot spot
16 February 2023
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 2 February 2023

Hot spot
2 February 2023
A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.

Auckland suffers wettest month in history

Media Release
2 February 2023
January was Auckland's wettest month since records began, according to meteorologists. The Central Auckland Rainfall series recorded a total of 539 mm of rain at Albert Park, smashing the previous monthly record of 420 mm from February 1869.

Hotspot Watch 27 January 2023

Hot spot
27 January 2023
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.

Half of NZ’s rivers blocked for migratory fish

Media Release
25 January 2023
Nearly half of New Zealand’s river network is partially or fully inaccessible to migratory fish, a new study shows.

New discoveries from New Zealand’s deepest waters

Media Release
20 January 2023
A joint Chinese – New Zealand research expedition to the Kermadec Trench at Ranghitāhua (Kermadec Islands region) has revealed fascinating new insights into life in the deepest part of New Zealand waters.

Hotspot Watch 20 January 2023

Hot spot
20 January 2023
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 12 January 2023

Hot spot
12 January 2023
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's 2022 Annual Climate Summary is now out.

Media Release
12 January 2023
It's official - last year was once again Aotearoa's warmest on record, knocking 2021 off the top spot. It was also the 8th most unusually wet year on record – meaning lots of rain fell in unusual places.

Researchers to unveil Antarctic secrets

Media Release
11 January 2023
As New Zealanders search for the summer sun, 38 researchers and crew will board RV Tangaroa tomorrow for a six-week science voyage deep into the waters of Antarctica.

New technology gives sea safety hopes

Media Release
27 December 2022
Beachgoers could be safer thanks to a new technology with the potential to give real-time updates of rip currents.

Reducing the impact on Hawke’s Bay’s marine environment

19 December 2022
A study investigating the level of change needed to improve the state of Hawke’s Bay’s marine environment highlights the magnitude and frequency of interventions required for the seafloor ecosystem to recover.

Hotspot Watch 16 December 2022

Hot spot
16 December 2022
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.

Making big waves in the Pacific

Feature story
15 December 2022
Prior to 15 January, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was a little-known undersea South Pacific volcano with a long name. Within 24 hours, it  was a global phenomenon – the site of the largest atmospheric explosion in almost 150 years. Jessica Rowley looks at why a remote Tongan volcano took the world by storm.

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