New Zealand will feel the impacts of a ‘Very Strong’ El Niño event over spring and summer of 2026/27. Here’s what you need to ...

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material that fish and other animals shed into the environment through skin cells, mucus, waste and gametes. By detecting these traces of DNA, eDNA can provide a ...

The standard six‑replicate eDNA design was set to give a robust, nationally consistent picture of stream fish communities. It's the right choice for regulatory reporting and for any situation where ...

A New Zealand-led team has completed the fullest investigation to date into January’s eruption of the underwater Tongan volcano. Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai (HT-HH) emitted the biggest atmospheric ...

Stories of tremendous forest fires, huge storm events, and suffocating heatwaves have dominated headlines over the past few years. We instinctively feel that our weather is getting wilder. Are we ...

A new NIWA-led study has found that climate change increased the amount of total rainfall during Cyclone Gabrielle by 10%. This additional rain fell during the most intense parts of the storm, ...

El Niño conditions have now been reached in the tropical Pacific atmosphere and ocean, according to criteria assessed by Earth Sciences New Zealand. The event remains in its early stages; impacts on ...

The newly described Australasian Narrow-nosed Spookfish, Harriotta avia. The Australasian Narrow-nosed Spookfish was described by NIWA Fisheries Scientist Dr Brit Finucci. It was previously thought to ...

Temperature 2025 was New Zealand’s 4th-warmest year on record, based on Earth Sciences New Zealand’s seven station series which begins in 1909. Annual temperatures were above average (0.51-1.20°C ...

The tables below show the probabilities (or percent chances) for each of three categories: above average, near average, and below average. In the absence of any forecast guidance there would be an ...

El Niño conditions persist in the tropical Pacific atmosphere and ocean, and by all measures the event has strengthened over the last month – including the strongest atmospheric measurements on record ...

Annual temperatures were above average (+0.51°C to +1.20°C above the annual average) across the majority of New Zealand. Pockets of well above average (>1.20°C from average) temperatures were observed ...