Freshwater

Maintaining good water quality is important for healthy ecosystems and healthy humans. NIWA are experts in providing and servicing the water quality monitoring equipment you need to effectively monitor water quality in lakes, streams, coastal waters and estuaries

NIWA's Urban Runoff Quality Information System (URQIS) provides planners, engineers and researchers with information about the quality of stormwater from different locations and landuses and under different flow conditions.

The New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database (NZFFD) contains over 50,000 freshwater fish observations from across New Zealand from 1901 to the present.

NIWA is active in a broad range of eDNA topics and can provide expert advice on applications and expected outcomes. We welcome inquiries into our services and can assist with experimental design.

Report: Trends analysis for selected indicators of Waikato River health and wellbeing 2010-2019

NIWA, through the MBIE-funded Cultural Keystone Species programme (2016-2020), have developed a series of iwi engagement booklets sharing science knowledge to support species management strategy.

Few New Zealand lakes retain their indigenous vegetation, and the condition of many lakes is under threat from land-use changes and the invasion of alien aquatic plants.

Blooms of hazardous cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in rivers, lakes and reservoirs can cause problems for both animal and human health. How can you find out whether an algal bloom is potentially toxic?

NIWA offers a range of standard toxicity tests for both freshwater and marine environments.

How healthy is your stream? SHMAK - the New Zealand Stream Health Monitoring and Assessment Kit - has been designed to help you find out.

To prepare for changes in climate, our freshwater and oceans decision-makers need information on species vulnerability to climate change.

Our biosecurity management tools include: assessment models, field surveys, management advice and the testing of control methods.