Freshwater

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

  • IrriSET - Irrigation Strategy Evaluation Tool

    IrriSET helps farmers to understand the economic viability and environmental efficiency of various irrigation strategies and prioritise their irrigation investments.
  • Effective mitigation systems to manage contaminant losses

    Research Project
    Nutrients, sediment, and microbial contaminants are mobilized from urban and agricultural landscapes and enter streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries. These contaminants can degrade water quality, ecological health, and cultural values.
  • Native freshwater and saltwater plant cultivation booklets

    These booklets help provide guidance on the cultivation and restoration of native submerged macrophytes for environmental rehabilitation initiatives in freshwater and saltwater environments.
  • In the snow: new tool to advise New Zealanders of snow conditions

    Media release
    A new tool giving near real-time snow data has been made available to the public for the first time.
  • Demand grows for NIWA’s Riparian Management Training

    Media release
    NIWA has updated and restarted a course using a riparian planning tool developed by one of its former chief scientists more than 20 years ago.
  • Ki uta ki tai: NIWA’s role in mountains-to-sea estuarine management

    Media release
    Estuaries are coastal waterbodies where freshwater mixes with seawater. Many estuaries in Aotearoa New Zealand have been impacted by pollutants and contaminants entering via freshwater.
  • Removing barriers to ensure freshwater fish can complete their life cycle

    Media release
    New Zealand has just over 50 native freshwater fish species. Of these, 85 % are endemic and 75 % are deemed to be at risk of decline or are threatened.
  • Mt Potts electronic weather station (EWS)

    Our highest elevation site at 2128 m, Mt Potts is also one our sites very exposed to wind.
  • Upper Rakaia electronic weather station (EWS)

    The Upper Rakaia SIN site is located at 1752 m on a north facing slope in the Jollie Range. Records start in 2010.
  • Albert Burn electronic weather station (EWS)

    The Albert Burn SIN site is located at 1280 m in the upper Albert Burn valley, east of Mt Aspiring/Tititea. Records start in 2012.
  • Ivory Glacier - compact weather station (CWS)

    The Ivory Glacier SIN site is located at 1390 m next to Ivory Lake, west of the main divide of the Southern Alps/ Kā Tiritiri Te Moana.
  • Cultural Keystone Species

    Research Project
    A four-year research programme focused on the co-management and restoration of our freshwater taonga species.