News

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

  • Kaikōura earthquake provides world-first insight into submarine canyons

    Feature story
    Research conducted after the 2016, 7.8 magnitude Kaikōura earthquake has provided scientists with an extremely rare opportunity to understand the processes that shape submarine canyons.
  • 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.
  • A say on the sea shore

    Feature story
    Coastal communities around New Zealand are getting a say on how to respond to sea-level rise, and NIWA is helping them.
  • Burning wood - not as cosy as it seems

    Feature story
    As temperatures drop over winter months, many Kiwis turn to their fireplaces to heat their homes. However, most of us are not fully aware of the immense impact that wood burning can have on people and the environment.
  • NIWA 2018 glacier survey

    Feature story
    What happens when the contribution from seasonal snow and ice melt changes in a warmer world?
  • Reducing sedimentation

    Feature story
    New Zealand is a land of erosion. We’re losing about 192 million tonnes of soil a year, according to the latest report Our Land 2018, from the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics NZ.
  • Shark survival tale

    Feature story
    As part of a Pacific-wide study, NIWA is measuring the survival rate of sharks returned to the sea by commercial tuna fishers.
  • Fieldays - farming for the future

    Feature story
    Farmers visiting Fieldays at Mystery Creek in June could not have missed the take-home message: that science and innovation are key to their continued success.
  • Profile: Juliet Milne - a different point of view

    Feature story
    As a child growing up in Dunedin, Juliet Milne was always a sporty, “outdoorsy” type.
  • Handwritten files provide sediment treasure chest

    Media release
    A NIWA scientist who spent years poring over handwritten scientific notes stored in about 50 large wooden drawers, has seen the fruits of her labour now being used in ways she never imagined.
  • NIWA staff capture incredible images

    Media release
    Once, or twice a year, when the tides and moon align, the brightly coloured jewel anemone will spawn, sending trails into the ocean in a spectacle that few get to witness.
  • Busy season for NIWA scientists in Antarctica

    Media release
    The new science season at Antarctica is just a few days away from opening and NIWA researchers are busy packing containers and shipping them to the ice where they will be reunited with them in the coming months.