Videos
See NIWA scientists talking about their work, along with fascinating animations and underwater footage.
If you don’t have a net, you can collect stones from the streambed and collect the invertebrates that are clinging to the stones.
If your stream has a muddy-bottom or soft-bottom (made of silt or mud), you need to use a different method than if your stream has a stony-bottom.
The SHMAK method for rubbish involves collecting and identifying all the rubbish (litter) in the stream and on the stream banks.
Macrophytes are large aquatic plants. How to assess macrophyte cover with just a measuring tape and a willingness to get wet.
The SHMAK visual habitat assessment gives your stream a score that you can use to assess changes over time or compare streams.
Two methods for describing streambed composition: the visual assessment method is quicker while the Wolman walk is more accurate.
Use an ice-cream tray to isolate and separate your invertebrates. The Benthic Macroinvertebrate Field Guide helps you with identification.
Before you look at what animals you have collected, follow these methods to clear away debris (stones, sand, leaves, twigs) from your sample in the net.
Use a net & the kick-net method to collect a greater range of benthic macroinvertebrates and more accurately assess the diversity of the community.
SHMAK Stream Site Assessment - How to record some basic information about your stream site so you can interpret your results.
Check out the winning entries from the 2019 NIWA Staff Photography Competition.
NIWA climate scientist Nava Fedaeff presents the NIWA annual climate summary for New Zealand 2019.
Health and safety is the most important element of any activity. Watch this video before you go out into the field.
Most of us are visual learners. So we’ve created some short videos that demonstrate the methods outlined in SHMAK.
How healthy is your stream? SHMAK—the New Zealand Stream Health Monitoring and Assessment Kit—has been designed to help you find out.
An introduction to NIWA scientists and the wide range of work they do.
NIWA scientists jump overboard to check out the health the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes.
Foreign marine pests can threaten our marine life and it’s important to find them early before they can set up home here.