Freshwater

Erica Williams' story starts with the website of Moerewa School, where pupil Tyra-Lee explains her connection to a very special place in her small Far North town.

The government has released the ‘Clean Water’ package of proposed reforms, aimed at making more of our rivers swimmable. But how is ‘swimmable’ to be measured, and do these measures stack up?

NIWA's Freshwater and Estuaries Chief Scientist Dr John Quinn believes the dairy industry has been responsive in the tools it has adopted to reduce its impact on waterways.

Temperature affects the number and type of animals and plants that live in a waterway.

What are the potential sources of chemical contamination from mining activities?

The WASH Koro project Mobilising community-led water supply, sanitation and hygiene improvements in Fijian villages is a collaborative participatory project that aims to provide self-help tools to mobilise communities to recognise and address their own water supply, sanitation and health/hygiene needs.

An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where freshwater from the land meets and mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

Management of stream riparian areas - including vegetation and stock access - influences the health of streams and downstream water bodies.

Nutrients in waterways are essential for the growth of algae and aquatic plants but too much can destroy an ecosystem.

How may agricultural activities impact riparian vegetation around a waterway?

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.