Freshwater

This programme is focussed on understanding the effects of human use of surface and groundwater systems to inform more sustainable water allocation decisions that benefit ecosystems and communities.

How much water is in our rivers and groundwater aquifers, how has that has changed over time and how might it change in the future?

NIWA's Freshwater Centre organises its work around seven research programmes.
See the following pages to find out more about our research.

The seaweed known colloquially as nori in Japanese - used for making sushi - or karengo in Maori has been reclassified by an international team of scientists including NIWA's Dr Wendy Nelson.

New Zealand's geographic isolation and relatively recent colonization provide the opportunity for a unique genetic analysis of plant movement patterns to be explored.

Estuaries in New Zealand are experiencing sedimentation at higher rates than before humans arrived here: this represents a loss both for land and estuary productivity. We need to better understand what has been happening so that we can predict the future and fight these losses.

A significant threat to the biosecurity of New Zealand's freshwater habitats comes from plants that have been intentionally introduced.

NIWA has developed a model to assess the potential weed risk of aquatic plants.

NIWA is leading research aimed at helping local government to plan the development of New Zealand's cities and settlements in a way which protects and enhances the services and values associated with urban water bodies.

The objectives of this case study were to provide an example of how a risk assessment of an urban drainage system can be undertaken using an existing operational model

Stormwater management is recognised by the Ministry for the Environment as a local government service that is potentially at risk from climate change and may need adaptation.

Stormwater treatment is becoming increasingly important as we learn more about the adverse effects of diffuse pollution on our receiving environments.