NIWA Environmental Data National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

Overview

NIWA Environmental Data refers to the suite of environmental databases, monitoring systems, and online data services maintained by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) of New Zealand. NIWA collects and manages significant national datasets in the climate, freshwater, marine, and atmospheric domains, operating one of the Southern Hemisphere's most comprehensive long-term environmental monitoring networks. On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to form Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Host Institution

NIWA was established in 1992 as a Crown Research Institute (now Crown Research Organisation) from divisions of the former Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and the Meteorological Service of the Ministry of Transport. It focuses on atmospheric, marine, and freshwater research from the deep ocean to the upper atmosphere, covering New Zealand, the Pacific, Southern Ocean, and Antarctica. NIWA operates approximately 30 research vessels and a nationwide network of climate and water monitoring stations.

Collections and Data Holdings

NIWA's National Climate Database contains more than 250 million individual measurements dating back to the 1850s, drawn from over 1,300 operational stations and more than 3,000 closed historical stations. Key databases and services include the National Climate Database (CliFlo), the New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database (over 50,000 observations from 1901 to present), the National Water Quality Network (operating at 77 sites since the 1970s), sea-level data, palaeotsunami records, and NIWA-SCENZ satellite water quality maps. NIWA also holds the longest continuous record of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations in the Southern Hemisphere, measured at Baring Head since the 1970s.

Access and Usage

NIWA environmental data is accessible through multiple online portals, including the National Environmental Data Centre (NEDC), DataHub (for climate data), and NIWA's public data platform. Many datasets are freely available; others are available through subscription or data service agreements. NIWA provides data to iwi, government, regional councils, businesses, and researchers. Climate projection data is available under CC-BY 4.0 licensing through the Ministry for the Environment's data portal.