Coasts

Latest news

Chance find leads to first look at coral larvae

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.

Tsunami evacuation zones home to 1 in 10 New Zealanders

Media Release

19 August 2020

NIWA scientists have completed the first national assessment of people and buildings at risk in New Zealand’s tsunami evacuation zones.

Our work

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.

Restoration of seagrass beds in Whangarei Harbour

Seagrass beds form an important undersea habitat for small fish, seahorses and shellfish in New Zealand.

Latest videos

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.

New Zealand Marine Sciences Society 50th Anniversary Conference

6 July 2010 to 9 July 2010

Summer Series 8: The science of sand

For many of us, summer isn’t summer without getting some sand between our toes. But did you ever wonder what that sand is made of, and how it got there?

Background

About tidal energy in the Cook Straight.

Shallow Survey 2012

20 February 2012 to 24 February 2012

The 6^th International Conference on High Resolution Surveys in Shallow Waters was held in Wellington, New Zealand.

Our quality management system

Our Quality Management System is our commitment to quality, productivity, consistency and customer satisfaction.

NIWA holds ISO9001:2008 certification.

About Instrument Systems

The Instrument Systems group is located at NIWA in Christchurch, New Zealand. Our 16 staff have a diverse range of technical, engineering and science skills, and we have extended capability from being part of a wider team.

Training

We provide training in the use and maintenance of our instruments, software and data collection systems.

Service contracts

We offer service contracts to minimize downtime if an instrument fails. We keep a full range of spares in our Christchurch store and can courier a spare to the contract holder on receiving a request.

Evaluation

We evaluate new products to ensure that they're 'fit for purpose' before we approve them for widespread use.

Calibration

We calibrate environmental sensors, at our Christchurch laboratory, using reference instruments that are themselves calibrated to traceable standards by an independent organization.

Support

We service and support individual instruments, systems and nationwide networks.

Installation

We install monitoring and control systems of all sizes, throughout New Zealand, in the Pacific Islands and even the Antarctic.

Supply

We supply a complete range of environmental monitoring equipment, from small components to large systems. We also supply accessories and miscellaneous items.

Manufacturing

We manufacture items such as cables and circuit boards through to subassemblies for both standard and specialized systems.

Development

We develop custom environmental monitoring and irrigation flow-control solutions.

Design

We design instruments and systems of instruments. We have full mechanical and electronic CAD capability.

Did sea-level gauges in New Zealand detect the 2010 Chile Tsunami?

Rob Bell's analysis of the tsunami signature.

Contacts

Contacts for NIWA Invertebrate Collection staff.

Services

Instrument Systems offers a number of services, including: design, development, manufacture, supply, installation, service and support, calibration, evaluation, hire, training and service contracts.

Water Level Recorder - NIWA Hydrologger

A cost-effective water level recorder. Comprises a water surface float-driven shaft encoder and internal data logger with rainfall input. Connects directly to compatible communications devices.

Wave Gauge - NIWA DOBIE

When deployed underwater, this self-contained instrument records and analyses water waves. It can trigger other instruments and send alarms via a communications link.

Tide resources

NIWA has a range of online tools and information relating to tides, including a tide forecaster, yearly tide envelopes and storm tide "red alert" days.

Sign up for NIWA's Coasts Update

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Predicting long-term contamination in estuaries

Land-derived sediments and heavy metals are two contaminants threatening the health of New Zealand’s estuaries. NIWA has developed the Urban Stormwater Contaminant (USC) model to predict long-term sediment and heavy metal accumulation under various land-use and management scenarios. The model has recently been applied to the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours to aid planning decisions.

Seagrass restoration success in Whangarei

Beds of New Zealand seagrass (Zostera muelleri) provide important habitat for coastal species such as small fish, seahorses, and shellfish. Much of New Zealand’s seagrass habitat has been lost or degraded, mainly as a result of sedimentation. NIWA is leading a small-scale seagrass transplantation trial in Whangarei Harbour, with promising early results.