The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA (), is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintains nationally and, in some cases, internationally important environmental monitoring networks, databases, and collections.
, NIWA had 697 staff spread across 14 sites in New Zealand and one in Perth, Australia. Its head office is in Auckland, with regional offices in Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Nelson, and Lauder (Central Otago). It also has small field teams, focused mostly on hydrology, stationed in Bream Bay, Lake Tekapo, Rotorua, Napier, Whanganui, Greymouth, Alexandra, and Dunedin. NIWA maintains a fleet of about 30 vessels for freshwater, marine, and atmospheric research.
On 1 July 2025 NIWA became Earth Science New Zealand in a merger with GNS Science, and is considered as a Public Research Organisation.
History NIWA was formed as a stand-alone organisation in 1992 as part of a government initiative to restructure the New Zealand science sector.Davenport, S. and Bibby, D., 2007. Contestability and contested stability: Life and times of CSIRO's New Zealand cousins, the Crown Research Institutes. Innovation, 9(2), pp.181-191. It was previously part of the Meteorological Service of the Ministry of Transport but was separated into a Crown entity focusing on long-term weather patterns and climate change.
Its foundation staff came mainly from the former Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and the Meteorological Service of the Ministry of Transport. One of the DSIR divisions absorbed was the N.Z. Oceanographic Institute. The Fisheries Research Division of the former Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries joined NIWA in 1995.
NIWA is currently structured as a limited liability company under the Crown Research Institutes Act 1992
Most of NIWA's revenue is from contestable research funding and commercial consultancy work. , NIWA had a revenue of $123.8 million and assets of $103.6 million.
On 26 September 2024, the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Judith Collins, announced that NIWA would be acquiring the MetService.
On 14 May 2025, the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Shane Reti, confirmed that NIWA would be integrated into a new Public Research Organisation called the New Zealand Institute for Earth Science.
Mission statement "NIWA's mission is to conduct leading environmental science to enable the sustainable management of natural resources for New Zealand and the planet."
Research Research programmes NIWA focuses on atmospheric, marine, and freshwater research – extending from the deep ocean to the upper atmosphere – in New Zealand, the Pacific, Southern Ocean, and Antarctica.
NIWA's research spans diverse fields:
aquaculture aquatic biodiversity aquatic biosecurity atmospheric science climate change coastal ecology renewable energy fisheries hydrology marine geology mātauranga Māori natural hazards (e.g. tsunami, storm surge, floods, earthquake, volcano) oceanography sedimentology
Research projects are undertaken in collaboration with local and central government agencies, other Crown Research Institutes, industry, private research companies, and universities in New Zealand and the rest of the world. In 2007–08, NIWA scientists were involved in more than 970 collaborations and NIWA had formal links with some 150 overseas institutions.
Within New Zealand, NIWA has close working relationships with many Māori entities (85 entities in 2007-08) through its Māori environmental research group, Te Kūwaha o Taihoro Nukurangi. NIWA set up the Te Kūwaha – Māori Environmental Research group to develop ways of sharing knowledge with Māori communities and empowering Māori business with the latest science. This is a critical part of science in Aotearoa New Zealand as institutes have been criticised for poor representation for Māori and Pasifika researchers.McAllister, T.G., Naepi, S., Wilson, E., Hikuroa, D. and Walker, L.A., 2020. Under-represented and overlooked: Māori and Pasifika scientists in Aotearoa New Zealand’s universities and crown-research institutes. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, pp.1-16. The team have had notable success with a taonga species guide and Māori specific climate impact research.King, D.N., Goff, J. and Skipper, A., 2007. Māori environmental knowledge and natural hazards in Aotearoa‐New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 37(2), pp.59-73.
People Past and present staff include:
Helen Bostock – oceanographer Helen ES Clark (Rotman) – zoologist Dennis Gordon – zoologist Janet Grieve – zoologist Barb Hayden – marine biologist Clive Howard-Williams – freshwater biologist Andrew Leachman – master mariner Dave Lowe – atmospheric scientist Brett Mullan – climate scientist Wendy Nelson – phycologist James Renwick – climate scientist Natalie Robinson – polar oceanographer Jim Salinger – climate scientist Simon Thrush – marine ecologist Dianne Tracey – deep-sea marine biologist David Wratt – climate scientist
Awards In 2007, 12 NIWA climate scientists – Greg Bodeker, Matt Dunn, Rod Henderson, Darren King, Keith Lassey, Dave Lowe, Brett Mullan, Kath O'Shaughnessy, Guy Penny, James Renwick, Jim Salinger and David Wratt – shared the Nobel Peace Prize with other contributors to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Research facilities NIWA's research facilities include: A gas laboratory which uses gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to assess the composition of gases and their isotopes in samples of air and water, and isotope analysis of solid material. An ecotoxicology laboratory for assessing the effects of contaminants – such as heavy metals, pesticides, and wastes – on aquatic organisms. Aquaculture research facilities at Bream Bay in Northland and at Mahanga Bay, Wellington. An upper atmosphere research laboratory located at Lauder, Central Otago, New Zealand. Additionally, NIWA also operates (in conjunction with Antarctica New Zealand) a suite of atmospheric in situ and remote sensing instruments at Arrival Heights, Ross Island, Antarctica.
Lauder Atmospheric Research Laboratory
The NIWA Lauder Atmospheric Research Laboratory takes atmospheric measurements for the purpose of observing and better understanding interactions between the stratosphere, troposphere and global climate. This is achieved through measurements of ozone, solar radiation, aerosols and greenhouse gases. There are approximately 10 staff (scientists and technicians) working at the Laboratory (December 2015).
Location Lauder is located 33 km north-east of Alexandra, in the South Island of New Zealand.Atmospheric Research at NIWA Lauder Information Pamphlet, accessed 2 December 2015 It also hosts a telescope part of the BOOTES network. This location was chosen for the laboratory due to the area's low horizons, clear skies, dry atmosphere, and southern latitude location.Installing solar panels chance to test benefits, accessed 3 December 2015
Research history A research laboratory was originally established at Lauder in 1961 with the purpose of observing the aurora.
In the mid-70s Lauder was a ground tracking station for the satellite ensemble "International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies" (ISIS (satellite)). By the late 1970s research had shifted focus to the stratosphere. This shift was driven by the fear of ozone depletion due to manufactured gases, and by the fact that the ozone hole had been discovered. Lauder had begun measuring UV radiation, ozone, and other gases associated with ozone depletion.McKenzie, R., Connor, B., Bodeker, G. (1999). Increased Summertime UV Radiation in New Zealand in Response to Ozone Loss. Science. [Online] 285 (5434), 1709–1711. 10.1126/science.285.5434.1709. From the 1990s Lauder has also monitored the effects of ozone depletion on solar UV irradiance.McKenzie, R., Kotkamp, M., Ireland, W. (1996). Upwelling UV spectral irradiances and surface albedo measurements at Lauder, New Zealand. Geophysical Research Letters. [Online] 23 (14), 1757–1760. 10.1029/96GL01668
Recently, research at Lauder has focused on interactions between climate change and ozone depletion and Lauder now measures most gases that contribute to climate change. Computer models to predict future atmospheric changes have also been developed at Lauder, and the atmospheric measurements taken at Lauder are used in climate models around the world.
Measurements Measurements of the atmosphere at Lauder can be carried out in situ, and through remote sensing. In situ measurements are mostly done at ground-level; however balloons are launched weekly and carry out in situ measurements through the atmosphere to altitudes of approximately 30 km. Data from these balloons enables atmospheric profiles of temperature, pressure, water vapour, and ozone to be produced. One method of remote sensing measurements at Lauder uses a LIDAR system to generate ozone profiles to 100 km in altitude. Another LIDAR measures aerosols in the atmosphere to 50 km in altitude. Other remote sensing at Lauder uses UV/Vis grating and FTIR spectrometers to measure trace gases in the atmosphere. Measurements at Lauder are also used to calibrate satellites such as OCO-2 and GOSAT.
Importance The Lauder Atmospheric Research Laboratory is well known throughout the international world of atmospheric research through its participation in the international Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC), BSRN, TCCON, and GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN).
Lauder has many ongoing long-term measurements, including the longest time-series of nitrogen dioxide in the world.
The Laboratory is located in a data-sparse region of the globe. The oceans of the southern hemisphere and the Antarctic region play an important role in the global climate system and so measurements taken at Lauder are valuable to the global scientific community.
Solar radiation measurements at Lauder are used in studies on the effects of UV radiation on human health and in the solar energy and building industries
High Performance Computing Facility In 2018 NIWA commissioned 3 powerful Cray supercomputers called Mahuika, Maui and Kupe, forming the HPCF (High Performance Computing Facility). The HPCF is capable of processing more than two thousand trillion calculations per second. 2 of the 3 Cray supercomputers (Mahuika and Maui) are located in NIWA's Wellington campus, while Kupe is located at the University of Tamaki Data Centre. It also leads investigations such as the analysis of genetic information, the modelling of the impact of climate change and forecasting weather related hazards. The detailed specifications of the HPCF can be found here.
NIWA Invertebrate Collection The NIWA Invertebrate Collection (NIC) is the largest repository of marine invertebrate (animals without a backbone) specimens from the New Zealand region, southwestern Pacific, and the Ross Sea (Antarctica). It holds representatives of almost all phyla in the New Zealand region. Collected over the last 50 years and still growing, the collection holds several million specimens, ranging from single-celled organisms to giant corals. , it included over 2100 type specimens of species new to science (800 holotypes and 1300 paratypes). The collection is used by scientists, teachers, and journalists throughout New Zealand and the world.
Natural Hazards Centre In 2002 NIWA teamed up with the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science to create the Natural Hazards Centre as a New Zealand resource for all hazards information and advice. The centre develops systems to monitor and predict the following hazards: earthquakes, tsunami, floods, storms, landslides, coastal flooding and waves, coastal erosion, and volcanoes.
Research vessels