News

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

  • Warmth dramatically outpaces chill so far this year

    Media release
    It's a story of the warm and the wet.
  • Shark conservation one watermelon at a time

    Media release
    Warrick Lyon is heading to the Marshall Islands to teach fisheries observers how to tag sharks.
  • Water sensitive urban design: a concrete case

    Feature story
    The hard concrete surfaces that characterise New Zealand towns and cities are barely likely to register as a problem with most people. But they're never far from the minds of our urban water researchers.
  • NIWA seaweed scientist tackling global climate change issue

    Media release
    One of the world's leading scientific publishers has named a paper cowritten by a NIWA scientist as one of 250 groundbreaking findings that could "help change the world".
  • NZ scientists launch their part in bold project to map seafloor

    Media release
    New Zealand’s contribution to an ambitious international project aiming to generate a definitive map of the entire ocean floor in less than 12 years, is being launched in Wellington tomorrow.
  • Lake Tekapo study raises awareness of tsunamis in NZ lakes

    Media release
    A pilot project has provided the most advanced mapping of a New Zealand lake ever and highlights the hazard to lakeside towns of tsunamis caused by landslides.
  • NIWA urges farmers to prepare for climate change

    Media release
    NIWA is encouraging farmers to plan for climate change so they can maximise their abilities to adapt and thrive as significant change begins to take place.
  • La Niña's gone; wild and unruly arrives

    Media release
    We've got hot temperatures, we've got cold temperatures, freezing temperatures, ice, snow, hail, rain - and even a few rays of sunshine. And one very confused weather pattern.
  • Underwater footage shows exceptional clarity of Te Waikoropupū Springs

    Media release
    On the bottom of New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs is an underwater garden of vivid green, pinks and inky blues.
  • Scientists bring in schoolchildren to help with air quality research

    Media release
    Pupils at a Central Otago primary school are helping NIWA air quality scientists learn more about pollution in their town in a four-month project that will track where smoke comes from and where it goes over winter.
  • NIWA undertakes an ambitious, complex seabed experiment

    Media release
    One of the most challenging scientific underwater experiments ever attempted by NIWA is taking place this month on the Chatham Rise.
  • Unidentified whale signals recorded in Cook Strait

    Media release
    Two yet-to-be identified species of beaked whales have been detected in the Cook Strait region. Identifying which species they are is important for understanding the status of marine mammal populations in New Zealand waters.