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

  • Charts

    Publication series
    Charts of coastal bathymetry, sediment, and other information are available for purchase.
  • Tornado damage Whenuapai.

    Extreme weather - winds and tornadoes

    Education Resource
    Due to its position in the 'Roaring Forties', a belt of strong winds in the Southern Hemisphere which generally occur between the latitudes of 40 and 49 degrees, as well as its small size, New Zealand is a windy country.
  • Special Climate Statement 2017-18 Summer

    Sea surface temperatures in the southern Tasman Sea rose to exceptionally high levels in late 2017 and early 2018. These temperatures were far above any others previously observed at that time of year in the region, and extended west from New Zealand to Tasmania and mainland southeast Australia.
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    RV Ikatere

    Facility
    A versatile inshore vessel, RV Ikatere is equipped with high-precision multibeam and sub-bottom profiler transducers for surveying and mapping the seabed.
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    Common climate and weather terms

    Education Resource
    Confused about El Niño, or can't tell the difference between an Anticyclone and an Isobar? Let us help.
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    'Eleven-station' series temperature data

    Research Project
    Temperature trends from 1930s to present day
  • Shifting Sands – the end of a Kiwi dream

    Feature story
    The Kiwi dream of owning a beachfront property with panoramic views of the ocean is under threat—and not just for financial reasons.
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    What is ocean acidification?

    Education Resource
    Ocean acidification is the name given to the lowering of pH of the oceans as a result of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.
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    HIRDSv4 Usage

    ESNZ's High Intensity Rainfall Design System (HIRDS) offers planners and engineers more certainty about the frequency of high-intensity rainfall events, enabling them to better design stormwater drainage, flood defence systems and other vital structures.
  • Work-life balance

    We recognise that there's so much more to life than just work!