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

  • Planning for coastal adaptation

    Service
    Coastal risk exposure for New Zealand, adaptation guidance for local government and relevant summaries of previous court cases and Building Act 2004 determinations.
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    Climate mapping

    Read about how NIWA can map any aspect of climate to help guide your organisation's response to a changing and variable climate.
  • Inspection at Mt. Dobson Climate site in Canterbury on 03.05.2024

    Climate Summaries

    Publication series
    View annual, seasonal and monthly summaries of temperature, rainfall and sunshine data from across New Zealand.
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    Mitigation and best practice options

    Some simple steps to minimise the effects of mining activities on water quality and mahinga kai.
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    NZ from Space - About

    AQUA and TERRA are polar orbiting satellites that both pass over New Zealand twice per day.
  • Wellington science fair

    Science and Technology Fairs

    NIWA is a major sponsor of the Auckland, Manukau City, North Harbour, Waikato, Wellington, Canterbury and Bay of Plenty – Science & Technology Fairs.
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    Weather plots: temperature and relative humidity

    Objective: to observe the relationship between temperature and relative humidity.
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    How deep is the snow at your place?

    Measurements of snowfall at low elevations around New Zealand are few and far between, and yet the data would be really helpful in understanding how snowfall occurs and quantifying snow-related risks.
  • Canterbury

    All aspects of the climate of Canterbury are dominated by the influence of the Southern Alps on the prevailing westerly airflows.
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    Cloud Imagery

    On this page
    NZ Region Cloud Analysis Australasian Region Infrared Hemispheric Infrared NZ High-res Visible Contact
    All transmissions from GMS-5 are no longer received at NIWA’s satellite reception station in Wellington. We are working on an alternative data feed and will be able to bring back these images later this year. Once we start receiving data again, it will then be calibrated, re-mapped onto standard map projections, and archived.
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    Smelt

    Smelt have a distinctly forked tail and a strong cucumber smell.
  • Determining the age of fish

    Research Project
    NIWA expends considerable effort on determining the age of commercial fish species. But why age a fish? And how do we do it?