News

Read about the important science being undertaken at NIWA, and how it affects New Zealanders

  • Hotspot Watch 28 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • Hotspot Watch 22 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • How does a fish climb a ramp? Very, very cleverly…

    Feature story
    New Zealand’s native fish are doing their best to climb up ramps in a NIWA laboratory so scientists can learn how to better help them navigate our tricky waterways.
  • Hotspot Watch 15 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • NIWA drones going where people can’t on the West Coast

    Feature story
    A team of scientists have been exploring some of New Zealand’s most remote and rugged coastal zones.
  • Hotspot Watch 8 January 2021

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • NIWA heads to Antarctica for critical climate, ocean research

    Media release
    NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa leaves soon on a six-week voyage to Antarctica, making it one of the few full scientific expeditions to the continent since the global outbreak of COVID-19.
  • Scientist spots shark sperm storage strategy

    Feature story
    A NIWA researcher has found the first evidence that female deep sea sharks store sperm as a strategy to preserve the species and possibly avoid aggressive mating encounters.
  • NIWA science divers finish mud marathon

    Feature story
    Where there’s mud, there’s scientists. NIWA divers recently got down and dirty while completing a harbour-wide dive survey in the Wellington area.
  • Scientists unite across world for decade of ocean research

    Feature story
    In 1872 the HMS Challenger left Portsmouth in the UK on a four-year circumnavigation of the globe to explore the deepsea.
  • Watch out for jellyfish blooms

    Feature story
    Jellyfish blooms are likely to be a common sight this summer with rising ocean temperatures one of the main causes of substantial population growths.
  • Valuable work of weather volunteers

    Feature story
    A vital network of rainfall and climate station volunteers across Aotearoa send their weather measurements to NIWA every month where they are used by scientists researching New Zealand’s climate.