Freshwater quality

NIWA provides measurement, knowledge and tools to the managers of New Zealand's stream, river, lake and groundwater quality.

  • SHMAK videos banner image

    SHMAK videos

    We've developed a series of instructional videos on what SHMAK is and how to use it
  • NIWA's underwater health check

    Feature story
    At the bottom of our lakes are NIWA divers with waterproof clipboards. Sarah Fraser jumps in to find out what they’re doing.
  • Environment report a clear picture of change: NIWA

    Media release
    The latest state of the environment report released today provides New Zealanders with clear evidence that our climate, freshwater and marine systems are changing, says NIWA.
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    Individual instructions

    Instructions for using Nalgene Storm Water Sampler bottles and DGTs.
  • Guidance manual

    The guidance manual provides methods for sampling urban streams and stormwater
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    Instructional videos

    Video guides for installing the Nalgene Bottles and DGT's
  • Scientist collects rubbish to rid rivers of plastics

    Feature story
    It may be rubbish to everyone else, but to Amanda Valois each little scrap of plastic on a river bank or in a waterway tells a valuable story.
  • Reducing sedimentation

    Feature story
    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.
  • Community project inspires scientists

    Media release
    A project to restore a stream catchment in Kaikōura—damaged in the 2016 earthquake—is being described as inspirational by NIWA scientists.
  • Water sensitive urban design: a concrete case

    Feature story
    The hard concrete surfaces that characterise New Zealand towns and cities are barely likely to register as a problem with most people. But they're never far from the minds of our urban water researchers.
  • Environmental Flows Strategic Allocation Platform (EFSAP)

    EFSAP is a water planning and management tool designed to assist with setting regional or large-scale water resource use limits for rivers.
  • Underwater footage shows exceptional clarity of Te Waikoropupū Springs

    Media release
    On the bottom of New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs is an underwater garden of vivid green, pinks and inky blues.
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