NIWA

Freshwater and Estuaries

We provide public information on catchment, river, lake and estuary conditions across New Zealand including water quantity, quality and ecosystem health.

Freshwater and Estuaries

Robust science is critical in the sustainable management of our precious freshwater resources and estuarine environments.

The National Centre for Freshwater and Estuaries provides public information on river, lake, and groundwater conditions across New Zealand including water quantity and quality. It also acts as a distribution point for new technology and management tools for water-related issues.

Freshwater and Estuaries services

Our goal is to bridge the gap between science and the community in the field of freshwater resources, by providing science, technology and resource management services to New Zealand.

Freshwater and Estuaries management tools

Some of the useful methods, guidelines and modelling tools we've developed to assist with management of freshwaters.

Feature: Reducing sedimentation

Feature story
15 October 2018
New Zealand is a land of erosion. We’re losing about 192 million tonnes of soil a year, according to the latest report Our Land 2018, from the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics NZ.

Feature article: 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.

Abstraction art

5 October 2017
NIWA has developed a smart addition to its suite of tools assisting in the planning, regulation and evaluation of water use.

Causes and effects of water quality degradation

Understanding and predicting the sources of contaminants, developing technologies to clean up the sources, and understanding the consequences of water quality degradation for aquatic ecosystems and human use of waterways.

Algae ID guides

A collection of ID guides to algae. Groups include major freshwater algal groups, diatoms and blue-green (cyanobacteria), red and green algae.

News