Weather hazards

NIWA plays a pivotal role in weather hazards research, providing critical information and tools for assessing, monitoring, and managing weather-related risks and impacts.

  • Solutions: Early warning of PNG floods

    Feature story
    NIWA has completed a project that aims to help build community resilience against flooding in the Bumbu River and contribute to improving Papua New Guinea’s disaster preparedness in the face of increasing climate-related disasters.
  • NIWA urges farmers to prepare for climate change

    Media release
    NIWA is encouraging farmers to plan for climate change so they can maximise their abilities to adapt and thrive as significant change begins to take place.
  • Beating drought

    Feature story
    How a regional climate history helped save a farm and cure depression
  • Kaikōura earthquake generated huge submarine sediment shift

    Media release
    The 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake has shown that more than 100 million dumptrucks of mud and sand flow through the Kaikōura Canyon every 140 years, scientists say.
  • Joining the flooded dots

    Feature story
    The term “joined-up government” was coined in the late 1990s to describe the coordination modern governments need to deal with large problems.
  • Flood focus

    Feature story
    Autumn and winter rain caused damaging floods and slips across New Zealand, yet again. Susan Pepperell investigates the nation's evolving skill in avoiding and coping with water.
  • A wave of hazard research

    Feature story
    It is well known that earthquakes can trigger tsunami but they can also be caused by landslides – with devastating effects.
  • On-call forecasting helps fight fires

    Feature story
    For the past year, NIWA’s meteorologists have been on call to provide real-time, comprehensive information about weather patterns that may accelerate a fire.
  • Calculated risk

    Feature story
    Imagine if you could foresee what would happen to your home in a severe flood or tsunami, and then work out how to prevent or reduce the impact before any such event occurred.
  • NIWA invests $18 million  in New Zealand’s future

    Media release
    NIWA is placing the future of New Zealanders at the heart of its operation by investing in new supercomputers that will significantly enhance scientists’ abilities to solve crucial issues facing the country.
  • PARTneR (Pacific Risk Tool for Resilience)

    Research Project
    Understanding how hazards impact people and the environment provides the foundation for informed decision making for a resilient Pacific.
  • Storms and cyclones

    Education Resource
    Common questions about storms and cyclones in New Zealand.