Hazards

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 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.

New Zealand has low-lying coastal areas that are vulnerable to inundation (flooding) by the sea.

Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning great wave in harbour.

River floods occur when water spills from a river channel onto land that is normally dry, and are one of New Zealand's costliest natural hazards.

Some commonly-asked questions about tornadoes in New Zealand.

Floods are not unusual in New Zealand, but those that hit us early this winter broke records. Why did they occur? Should we expect more? Can we predict future floods?

A glossary of common climate change and meteorological terms.

The current method for calculating wind speed-up is inadequate, and can grossly under-predict correct design wind speeds in NZ's complex terrain.

Information about climate and weather and links to climate-related websites.

Management of stream riparian areas - including vegetation and stock access - influences the health of streams and downstream water bodies.