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

Oceans

NIWA aims to provide the knowledge needed for the sound environmental management of our marine resources.

  • Squat lobster memoir hot off the press

    Media release
    After a decade-long effort, NIWA’s latest Biodiversity Memoir has just rolled off the presses. Written by marine biologist Kareen Schnabel, the 350-page treatise presents everything we currently know about the different kinds of squat lobster living in New Zealand’s waters.
  • Nameless nodes get new look from NIWA

    Media release
    At the bottom of the Southern Ocean, near Cape Adare in East Antarctica, lies an undersea ridge which until this month was only known by its co-ordinates: -71.2132 latitude, 172.1649 longitude.
  • Can sound be used to characterise gas composition in the water column?

    Underwater gas bubbles acoustic monitoring and seabed mapping around Whakaari Island
  • Tracking our ocean wanderers

    Feature story
    Albatrosses may be masters of the skies, but they are surprisingly vulnerable on the water. Campbell Gardiner talks to two scientists working to keep these magnificent seabirds airborne.
  • A cold day in the office

    Feature story
    Five specialist NIWA divers were left ‘gasping’ during their recent plunge under the ice near Scott Base.
  • Concepts in sustainable aquaculture - IMTA

    Media release
    New ways to address environmental sustainability challenges.
  • NIWA crew face record time at sea

    Media release
    Coronavirus border restrictions mean six NIWA staff face four straight months at sea in a bid to keep an international ocean research project afloat.
  • NIWA mapping seafloor around Whakaari/White Island

    Media release
    NIWA scientists are heading to the waters around Whakaari/White Island in the Bay of Plenty next week to survey changes to the seafloor.
  • NZ deep-sea corals

    Corals can live hundreds to thousands of years. What do we really know about them?
  • New ocean data from under the world’s biggest ice shelf

    Media release
    New measurements from the ocean under the centre of the Ross Ice Shelf have significantly improved our understanding of the complex processes that drive melting in Antarctica.
  • Benthic fauna on the Campbell Plateau

    2020 - Campbell Plateau biodiversity

    A team of scientists and crew headed to the Campbell Plateau south of New Zealand onboard R.V. Tangaroa to conduct a deep-sea camera survey of the seabed to better understand the biodiversity of seabed habitats in commercial fishing areas.
  • Extremely rare albino shark discovered in Auckland

    Media release
    A deep dive into the collection of an Auckland War Memorial Museum has revealed an extremely rare albino shark.