On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to become Earth Sciences New Zealand.

tan1116 - cladorhizid sponge

A strange group of deep-sea organisms are the cladorhizid sponges, a group of carnivorous sponges (imagine a venus fly trap under water). These only stand about 2 cm tall but some members of this family are much larger and very elaborate. Collected around 900 m SE Chatham Rise. Credit: Owen Anderson /NIWA