MenuMain navigation

Stream Health Monitoring and Assessment Kit

How healthy is your stream? SHMAK - the New Zealand Stream Health Monitoring and Assessment Kit - has been designed to help you find out.

NIWA’s Stream Health Monitoring Assessment Kit (SHMAK) gives land owners, iwi, school and community groups simple, scientifically-sound tools and resources required to monitor the ecological health of New Zealand’s streams.

Copyright © 2019 NIWA
P. O. Box 16269 Christchurch

Summary of SHMAK system

A summary of what the SHMAK kit comprises, and various uses for it.

SHMAK Manual

You can download the entire manual here or just download the chapters you need.

Identification and e-guide

A guide on identification of common freshwater invertebrates found in New Zealand waterways and lakes.

NZ Water Citizens Database

NZ Water Citizens is a landing page for anyone in New Zealand interested in volunteer stream monitoring.

Resources and References

Links to related resources and websites
Members of the Silverstream Restoration Group (Upper Hutt) monitoring the type and amount of periphyton (algae) growing in the Mawaihakona Stream. [Allen Sheppard]
Poor water quality compounds stream straightening. [NIWA]