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

Coasts

NIWA aims to provide the knowledge needed for the sound environmental management of our marine resources.

  • Acoustic recordings of rare whale species in Cook Strait

  • Managing mangrove expansion

    This manual aims to provide the guidance needed to manage mangrove expansion, while maintaining the ecological integrity of estuaries and harbours.
  • Critter of the week: Hyalinoecia quill worms - Big rig truckers of the sea

    In this critter "quill" is not part of a feather but rather a unique tube built by a polychaete worm that lives in it.
  • Recording underwater biodiversity after earthquakes

  • Earthquake's unseen impact

  • Massive mudslides in Kaikōura Canyon destroy seabed life

    Media release
    Huge mudslides from November’s earthquakes have wiped out all organisms living in the seabed of the Kaikōura Canyon.
  • Earthquake’s Unseen Impact

    NIWA scientists on board RV Ikatere have been surveying the coastal area around Kaikoura for the first time since November's magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
  • Sustaining the sea

    Feature story
    We examine how the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge plans to enhance the use of marine resources within biological constraints.
  • Muddy sinks

    Feature story
    New Zealand’s mangrove swamps and coastal marshes may be particularly adept at absorbing and storing the carbon we emit.
  • Critter of the Week: A squat lobster for a star!

    Squat lobsters are known for their lengthy eyelashes and come in many different sizes from the mighty Munidopsis aries (90mm carapace length) to some species which have bodies only a few millimetres long.
  • Important submarine canyon ecosystems at risk

    News article
    A NIWA scientist is calling for greater protection of submarine canyons around New Zealand as their rich marine life comes under increasing threat from human activity.
  • A nod to Ngāmotu

    Feature story
    Barb Hayden is never far from the sea. In fact, it’s been a constant in her life—a personal and professional passion.