Freshwater

Transforming coastal lowland systems threatened by sea-level rise into prosperous communities

Updated 2025 – guidance for water quality monitoring in rivers, lakes and estuaries

Little is known what impact artificial streetlights have on flying freshwater insects which are integral to our waterway ecosystems.

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

NIWA is developing a national river flow forecasting tool for New Zealand that aims to support and strengthen our planning for and response to extreme rainfall events.

The project aim was to harness the filter-feeding capacity of native freshwater mussels on rafts to assist in lake restoration.

The Inner Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana ecosystem is facing proliferations of algae, de-oxygenation, reduced pH (acidification), reduced water clarity, and muddier sediments arising from historical and future land-derived contaminant inputs.

The eFlows Explorer webtool is designed to aid broad-scale river flow management planning across New Zealand

Te Nehenehenui (previously Maniapoto Māori Trust board) and NIWA are working collaboratively to support Ngāti Maniapoto whānau to reconnect with and participate in the assessment of their freshwater according to their values.

A summary of the main scientific publications, conference presentations and popular science publications.

Eutrophication occurs when nutrients in streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries cause excessive growth of aquatic plants and algae (primary producers).

The Whatawhata Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) Project is the longest continuously monitored before-after-control-impact (BACI) catchment-scale study in New Zealand.