Freshwater

We provide public information on river, lake, and groundwater conditions across New Zealand including freshwater quantity and quality.

  • NIWA riparian survey video

    NIWA, supported by DairyNZ, are asking anyone who has planted along stream banks to take a short survey.
  • National riparian restoration database project

    Research Project
    NIWA is undertaking a five-year nationwide study to find out how different approaches to riparian planting influence water quality improvements and to provide better guidance to the people and groups undertaking stream restoration.
  • New buoy for Wellington Harbour to boost water quality information

    News article
    A buoy with the ability to “phone home” has been deployed in Wellington Harbour today to monitor currents, waves and water quality in the harbour.
  • Hapū joins forces with NIWA in tuna research

    Feature story
    Local hapū and NIWA are working together to find out more about juvenile freshwater eels or tuna in streams connecting to the Wairua River in the Wairoa catchment in Northland.
  • Q&A: Another way to measure river health

    Feature story
    There’s another way of measuring the health of rivers – the health of invertebrate populations that need them, says John Quinn, NIWA Chief Scientist, Freshwater
    and Estuaries.
  • Erica Williams - Where the water is clean

    Feature story
    Erica Williams' story starts with the website of Moerewa School, where pupil Tyra-Lee explains her connection to a very special place in her small Far North town.
  • Raising the bar for swimmable rivers

    Feature story
    The government has released the ‘Clean Water’ package of proposed reforms, aimed at making more of our rivers swimmable. But how is ‘swimmable’ to be measured, and do these measures stack up?
  • Dairy turns the corner

    Feature story
    NIWA's Freshwater and Estuaries Chief Scientist Dr John Quinn believes the dairy industry has been responsive in the tools it has adopted to reduce its impact on waterways.
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    Impacts

    Diverting water changes a waterways natural flow
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    Freshwater databases online

    More information about our online freshwater databases.
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    Giant kōkopu

    The largest member of the Galaxiidae family.