Coasts

Latest news

Our seas are sizzling again

Media Release

30 November 2021

Coastal sea temperatures around Aotearoa New Zealand have risen well above average, NIWA forecasters say.

Coastal flooding likely to be main driver for adaptation

Media Release

12 October 2021

New NIWA-led research shows increasing flood risk is going to be what leads people to make changes to adapt to sea-level rise.

Fabulous Fiordland showcased in new e-Guide

Media Release

5 October 2021

With cascading waterfalls and native bush tumbling down mountainous terrain, Fiordland is one of the most eye-catching parts of the country. But peer beneath the waves and you'll see that Fiordland's marine invertebrate and seaweed communities are every bit as remarkable and awe-inspiring.

Scientists, iwi investigate bringing back rock oyster industry

Media Release

28 September 2021

A project is under way to determine whether Aotearoa New Zealand’s long defunct rock oyster industry can be revived.

Our work

Marine food webs

We need information on the food web structures of our marine ecosystems in order to manage the effects on the ecosystem of fishing, aquaculture and mining, as well as understanding the potential impacts of climate variability and change on our oceans.

Changes in juvenile fish habitats

NIWA is looking for people who have had a long association with the Hauraki Gulf or Marlborough Sounds to help them with a research project on juvenile fish habitats.

Coastal adaptation to climate change

NIWA is developing guidelines and advice to help coastal communities adapt to climate change.

Plastic pollution processes in rivers

Most of the plastic in the ocean originates on land, being carried to the estuaries and coasts by rivers. Managing this plastic on land before it reaches the river could be the key to stemming the tide of marine-bound plastics. The aim of this project is to understand the sources and fate of plastic pollution carried by urban rivers using the Kaiwharawhara Stream as a case study.

Latest videos

Plankton in the Ross Sea

Plankton are the base of the oceans food web and are vital to our survival. But as our world changes will they be able to continue to play this essential role? Join us as we follow a group of NIWA scientists investigating various aspects of this question in the ocean around Antarctica.

Shifting Sands

Dr Joshu Mountjoy discusses NIWA's work in assessing the tsunami hazard just south of Kaikoura.

Find out more about this research.

Antarctic Coastal Marine Life in a Changing Climate

NIWA marine ecologist Dr Vonda Cummings discusses the likely effects of climate change on marine invertebrates living on the seafloor of the Ross Sea coast.

Next Stop Antarctica

Our Far South is an expedition that aims to raise New Zealanders' awareness of the area south of Stewart Island. Gareth Morgan, Te Radar, scientists and 50 everyday Kiwis are onboard to learn and then share their experience. This is the first video produced by them, showing some of the highlights of the trip so far.

Plankton in the Ross Sea

Sea Surface Temperature Forecasts October 2021 - March 2022

Forecasting sea surface temperatures several months in advance is challenging. To give us insights into what might happen around Aotearoa New Zealand in the months to come, NIWA scientists have combined predictions from eight different climate models from institutes around the world.

Our seas are sizzling again

Media Release

30 November 2021

Coastal sea temperatures around Aotearoa New Zealand have risen well above average, NIWA forecasters say.

Coastal flooding likely to be main driver for adaptation

Media Release

12 October 2021

New NIWA-led research shows increasing flood risk is going to be what leads people to make changes to adapt to sea-level rise.

Fabulous Fiordland showcased in new e-Guide

Media Release

5 October 2021

Scientists, iwi investigate bringing back rock oyster industry

Media Release

28 September 2021

A project is under way to determine whether Aotearoa New Zealand’s long defunct rock oyster industry can be revived.

Study discovers microplastics in New Zealand’s seabed

Media Release

16 July 2021

A pilot study carried out by NIWA and the University of Auckland has found microplastics in samples collected from the seafloor in the Marlborough Sounds.

Storm surge forecasting

We combine capabilities in weather, storm surge and tide forecasting with tide gauge observations to predict sea levels for specific locations under forecast weather conditions.

Lost scientific buoy recovered from Kāpiti seafloor

4 May 2021

Researchers have recovered a scientific buoy from the Kāpiti Marine Reserve that went missing in late March.

Marine reserves join ocean acidification network

Media Release

22 April 2021

A joint NIWA and Department of Conservation (DOC) project is extending New Zealand’s ocean acidification monitoring network to include marine reserves.

Seabirds spend nearly 40% of their time on high seas, study finds

Media Release

4 March 2021

A global effort by seabird researchers, including those from NIWA, has resulted in the first assessment of where the world’s most threatened seabirds spend their time.

Science update 5 from Richard O’Driscoll

Day 34 of the Ross Sea Life in a Changing Climate (ReLiCC) 2021 voyage on RV Tangaroa. We are back in New Zealand waters and due to arrive in Wellington on the morning of Monday 15 Feb.

Queen of the critters

Feature story

11 February 2021

Sadie Mills has come a long way from scaring the inhabitants of Scottish rock pools. Sarah Fraser explains.

Norse goddess reveals seabed secrets

Feature story

11 February 2021

A large, orange Scandinavian robot gives NIWA’s marine geologists an in-depth look at changes to the seafloor off Kaikōura.

A job for the buoys

Feature story

11 February 2021

New Zealanders and Pacific Island communities are on their way to having the most advanced tsunami monitoring system in the world.

Message in a bottle: Glen Walker, bosun

Glen Walker is the bosun aboard NIWA’s research vessel Tangaroa currently exploring the waters around Antarctica. His reading list is exclusively sea disaster stories.

Science update 3 from Richard O’Driscoll

Day 20 and we are now more than halfway through the Ross Sea Life in a Changing Climate (ReLiCC) 2021 voyage on RV Tangaroa.

Watch out for jellyfish blooms

Feature story

28 December 2020

Jellyfish blooms are likely to be a common sight this summer with rising ocean temperatures one of the main causes of substantial population growths.

2021 - Antarctic voyage

RV Tangaroa undertook a 45-day voyage to the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea in January-February, 2021.

Storm-tide red-alert days 2021

Storm-tide red alerts are the highest high tide (also known as king tides) dates that Emergency Managers and Coastal Hazard Managers should write in their diaries and keep an eye on adverse weather (low barometric pressure, onshore winds), river levels and sea conditions (waves and swell).

Chance find leads to first look at coral larvae

Media Release

12 November 2020

Small orange flecks spotted floating around in a respiration chamber at a NIWA laboratory have led to a discovery about the spawning habits of a deep-sea stony coral in New Zealand waters.

Underwater robot getting close-up look at Kaikōura Canyon

Media Release

8 October 2020

A six-metre long orange underwater robot is flying through the Kaikōura Canyon for the next month collecting information on how the canyon has changed since the 2016 earthquake.

Scientists conducting snapper research off North Island’s west coast

Media Release

6 October 2020

People along the Kapiti and Wanganui coast may spot NIWA’s research vessel Kaharoa operating close to shore in the next few weeks as scientists carry out a survey of snapper, tarakihi, red gurnard and John Dory.

Making Waves - Sep 2020

Welcome to the September edition of Making Waves. As always, our commitment is to deliver quality science for the benefit of New Zealand.

Serious games as a tool to engage people

NIWA is using serious games to look at problems holistically, support understanding and give a framework for climate change adaptation decision-making.