On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to become Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Climate & Weather

Understanding our variable and changing climate is critical for managing resources and reducing risks.

  • Wellington will get significantly warmer, new climate change report shows

    Media release
    Wellington city will have warmer autumns, almost a month of days over 25°C and up to 10 per cent more winter rain by 2090, according to a new NIWA climate report.
  • Climate change and variability - report for the Greater Wellington Region

  • Climate change will cause more deaths from air pollution, study finds

    Media release
    New research estimates that if climate change goes unchecked 60,000 more people will die globally from air pollution in 2030 – just 13 years away.
  • So far, so stormy

    Media release
    Today’s low came spinning off the coast of Hawke’s Bay funneling strong winds through the Cook Strait and hitting Wellington region with strong winds before moving on to Taranaki and Auckland this afternoon.
  • Winter 2020 – NZ’s warmest winter on record

    Media release
    New Zealand has just experienced its warmest winter on record, according to official NIWA climate data.
  • (no image provided)

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

    Education Resource
    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is charged with assessing the most up to date scientific, technical and socio-economic research on climate change.
  • Sea-level rise

    Education Resource
    One of the major consequences of climate change is rising global sea levels.
  • Native forests absorbing more carbon dioxide

    Media release
    New Zealand’s forests and other land areas may be absorbing up to 60% more carbon dioxide than has been calculated, with much of this uptake likely occurring in native forests, NIWA scientists have discovered.
  • (no image provided)

    Floods

    Education Resource
    River floods occur when water spills from a river channel onto land that is normally dry, and are one of New Zealand's costliest natural hazards.
  • Inspection at Mt. Dobson Climate site in Canterbury on 03.05.2024

    Climate Summaries

    Publication series
    View annual, seasonal and monthly summaries of temperature, rainfall and sunshine data from across New Zealand.
  • (no image provided)

    Mean monthly temperatures (°C)

    These datasets are available in a range of formats.