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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 to monitor the ecological health of New Zealand’s streams.

If you would like to order a kit download the order form and email it to instruments@niwa.co.nz.  

If you have any questions about SHMAK email shmak@niwa.co.nz.


Overview of SHMAK

An overview of what the SHMAK kit comprises, and various uses for it.

SHMAK Manual

Download the entire manual or just the chapters you need. A printed version is also available.

SHMAK videos

We've developed a series of instructional videos on what SHMAK is and how to use it

Identification and e-guides

Downloadable and printable guides 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]