Freshwater

We provide public information on river, lake, and groundwater conditions across New Zealand including freshwater quantity and quality.

Rachel Crawford and Paul Franklin inspecting a fish passage on the Waikato River.

Freshwater and Estuaries Update

A seasonal review and outlook for New Zealand's water resources, and an update on NIWA's freshwater research

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    Overview of environmental flow tools

    Methods/tools that can be used to assess ecological flow requirements in rivers with varying degrees of hydrological alteration and instream values.
    Freshwater

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    New Zealand River Maps

    NZ River Maps is a simple, yet flexible, web-based tool that allows users to map and interrogate estimates for over 100 freshwater variables for the entire national river network.
    Freshwater

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    Environmental Flows Strategic Allocation Platform (EFSAP)

    EFSAP is a water planning and management tool designed to assist with setting regional or large-scale water resource use limits for rivers.
    Freshwater
    Freshwater quality

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    Underwater footage shows exceptional clarity of Te Waikoropupū Springs

    Media release
    25 May 2018
    On the bottom of New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs is an underwater garden of vivid green, pinks and inky blues.
    Rivers
    Freshwater quality
    Freshwater

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    Waikoropupu Springs video

    NIWA freshwater scientists have completed monitoring the ultra-clear water of the Te Waikoropupū Springs near Takaka.
    Freshwater quality
    Freshwater

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    Water sensitive Urban Design 26 April 2018

    Freshwater quality

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    Water count

    Feature story
    20 April 2018
    Ruth Beran discovers that public interest in the state of fresh waterways has driven a dramatic change in the tools used by scientists.
    Freshwater quality

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    Citizen science: Monitoring the Maitai

    Feature story
    11 April 2018
    The first Wednesday of the month finds Philippa Eberlein and her Friends of the Maitai colleagues collecting samples from the Maitai River in Nelson.
    Citizen science

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    Research projects

    Freshwater

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    Research areas

    Freshwater

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    Summer Series 2017 - Citizen scientists take on Hutt River

    Feature story
    08 January 2018
    A group of volunteers who love the Hutt River are helping to care for it over summer.
    Freshwater quality

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    Summer Series 2017 - A day out measuring at Molesworth

    Feature story
    02 January 2018
    As the road behind Hanmer Springs turns to gravel and a dust cloud forms in the rear vision mirror, the southern edge of Molesworth Station unfolds.
    Rivers