New Zealand’s National Science Challenges

As New Zealanders looking to the future, we are faced with many opportunities – and challenges. These include improving the health of all our people, advancing our economic growth, protecting our ...

Protecting estuaries

Estuaries are extremely valuable. They: are nurseries – breeding grounds for fish and birds maintain the health of coastal fisheries and waters are a buffer between land and sea – protecting the ...

Understanding kaitiakitanga

The traditional concept of kaitiakitanga is part of a complex, social, cultural, economic and spiritual system that has been established through long association of iwi and hapū with land and ...

Feral cats and conservation – role-play

Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest cat ownership rates in the world. Nearly 40% of households have at least one cat – for the most part, we’re fond of our cats. Unfortunately, domestic ...

Should cats be allowed to roam freely?

Aotearoa New Zealand has a lot of cats! Forest & Bird reports we have: 1,134,000 companion cats 196,000 stray cats millions of feral cats – there’s no data on feral cat abundance but this is ...

Roaming cats – draw the line

Should cats be allowed to roam freely? It’s an emotive question with lots of underlying factors. For example, are we talking about cherished cats or feral cats – pets or pests? Does this matter ...

Global Earth Challenge

Be part of a worldwide movement and use Global Earth Challenge to submit or classify photos to help our planet’s environment and human health. Global Earth Challenge is a citizen science campaign ...

ClimateViz

This citizen science project wants your assistance to extract information from various climate scientific graphics to help combat misinformation and support scientific communication. Using this ...

Big Butterfly Count

This New Zealand-based citizen science project collects data about butterflies in our gardens, schools, parks and farms – any location in the country or on the outer islands. This annual event – ...

Ethics and bird conservation – case study

This class case study provides an example of introducing ethical thinking into the classroom to explore a controversial issue in science. It shows how the ethical frameworks in the Ethics ...

Estuaries – a context for learning

With 75% of New Zealanders living within 10 km of the coast, many students will be familiar with estuaries. In scientific terms, estuaries are the interface between the land and the sea – the ...

Weeds and native ecosystems – a context for learning

Introduced plant species – friend or foe? This might depend on who is answering the question. Over 25,000 exotic plants have been introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand. Some of these are highly ...

Kaitiakitanga

NIWA's Maori development officer, Apanui Skipper and Weno Iti, the Te Kūwaha manager (NIWA Māori Development Centre), describe what kaitiakitanga means to them.

Estuaries

Estuaries in New Zealand

NIWA scientist, Andrew Swales describes what estuaries are, how New Zealand estuaries have changed over time and why they now need to be monitored.

Environmental forensics

Dr Candida Savage explains the clues she collects in estuaries and fiords, to understand how changes in land use affect these environments. Click on the labels to watch the videos for more ...

Weeds that threaten native ecosystems – slideshow

A slideshow of weeds and the adaptations that make them problematic in a New Zealand setting. Use the Slideshow menu for further options, including view full screen, and go here for the download ...

Should cats be allowed to roam freely? – graphic ...

Use this interactive graphic organiser to explore your personal views about cats being allowed to roam wherever they wish. Place each statement card where you feel it belongs. There are no right ...