News

Read about the important science being undertaken at NIWA, and how it affects New Zealanders

  • Improving seasonal climate forecasts

    Feature story
    NIWA’s climate scientists are working to improve seasonal climate forecasts.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.
  • Meeting the challenge of ocean acidification

    Feature story
    New Zealand’s answer to ocean acidification is a model of the ‘best team’ approach – when organisations pool talent and resources to find solutions to national, or global, issues.]
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    Over the past week, soil moisture levels across the North Island have mostly remained the same or increased.
  • Summer Series Week 6: The laser lady of Lauder

    News article
    By day Penny Smale is a mum to two young boys, living on a rural property in the middle of a farming district in Central Otago. By night, she leaves home, walks the short distance to what is essentially a large outbuilding in a paddock, and fires lasers into the sky.
  • Scientists delve deep into oceans’ climate secrets

    News article
    NIWA’s research vessel Kaharoa carried out a three-week voyage to deploy the first Deep Argo floats to collect data on climate change at ocean depths of about 5700m.
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    Summer Series Week 5: The library with no books – inside NIWA’s Invertebrate Collection

    News article
    The Invertebrate Collection, housed at Greta Point in Wellington, comprises about 300,000 jars or specimens but only about 100,000 are officially registered. With new specimens being discovered all the time, there is a lot of work to do.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing these soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    Soil moisture levels across the North Island have increased significantly when compared to this time last week for eastern Northland, Auckland and Waikato regions where soil moisture levels are now normal to above normal for this time of year.
  • (no image provided)

    Science in the coldest place on earth

    Feature story
    Carrying out scientific experiments in the coldest part of the world is tough — even tougher if you’re miles away from Scott Base in a shipping container. But one NIWA scientist insists it’s a lot of fun.
  • Summer Series Week 3: Sea creatures

    News article
    Looking for something tasty on your beach for holiday dinner this summer? NIWA scientists have the lowdown on some of the most mouth-watering fish and seafood that are yours for the taking.