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.

  • Generating synthetic wind data

    Research Project
    NIWA has recently created synthetic, multi-year, 10-minute wind datasets at 15 wind farm sites across New Zealand. These will be used by the Electricity Commission to model the impact of wind farms on the national grid.
  • Tornado damage Whenuapai.

    Extreme weather - winds and tornadoes

    Education Resource
    Due to its position in the 'Roaring Forties', a belt of strong winds in the Southern Hemisphere which generally occur between the latitudes of 40 and 49 degrees, as well as its small size, New Zealand is a windy country.
  • Lesson 9: Ngā Tohu o te Taiao – Māori environmental indicators

    Education Resource
    This lesson will explore the use of Māori environmental indicators [tohu] to anticipate local weather and climate conditions.
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    HIRDSv4 Usage

    NIWA's High Intensity Rainfall Design System (HIRDS) offers planners and engineers more certainty about the frequency of high-intensity rainfall events, enabling them to better design stormwater drainage, flood defence systems and other vital structures.
  • Snow depth

    Ideas for projects using climate data

    Education Resource
    Ideas for projects using climate data
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    Tornadoes - how frequently do they hit New Zealand?

    News article
    Tornadoes, like the one that hit Auckland's western suburbs today, are relatively rare events in New Zealand.
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    Mean monthly wet-days

    These datasets are available in a range of formats.
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    Wellington

  • Assessment of crop and tree species growing potential using climate, soil and topographic information

    Research Project
    This project demonstrates how to assess high value alternative land-use options by means of a quantitative analysis of the growing potential of selected niche crops and tree species.
  • South coast waves

    Wave hazard research

    Research Project
    NIWA collects wave data, develops and verifies wave forecasting systems, and is developing and producing wave projections.
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    Definitions of drought

    There are several definitions of drought, depending upon whether it is viewed as a hazard or a risk.