Our atmosphere and climate 2020

Both science and mātauranga pūtaiao build knowledge and understanding about our world. Often, we start with curiosity about something we’ve noticed and we want to find...

Māori knowledge and methods are increasingly being incorporated into New Zealand’s conservation practices. In this story, we meet researcher Dr Priscilla Wehi who uses both mātauranga...

Seaweek is New Zealand’s annual national week about the sea. It is coordinated by the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC) and includes...

Ko e feliuliuaki ‘o e ‘ea ‘oku hoko ia ko e taha ‘o e tefito’i palopalema lahi ‘aupito ‘oku ne uesia e ‘atakai mo natula he...

Koe feliuliuaki ‘a e ‘ea ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ki he ngaahi liliu kehekehe ‘oku hoko ki he kalaimeiti (Churchward, 1959) ‘o e fo’i mamani, pea koe...

Although weather and climate are closely related, they are not the same thing. The chief difference between weather and climate is time. Weather is defined as...

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) gathers weather data throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. NIWA and its predecessors have been gathering this information for...

Although weather and climate are closely related, they are not the same thing. The chief difference between weather and climate is time.

The world saw striking images in the months of March and April 2020 as countries dealt with a pandemic. Some metropolitan areas experienced clear skies as...

Our world faces a growing number of complex issues. As citizens, we have a responsibility to make informed decisions on issues like sustainability, health and wellbeing...

Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural environment has been shaped by climate. It has influenced both the physical environment and the plants and animals that have adapted to...

This resource provides explanations of some of the key terms and concepts encountered when learning about climate change. It includes references to New Zealand’s greenhouse gas...

Knowledge of tohu – biophysical indicators – has been passed down from tūpuna over many generations. From years of observation and tracking changes in the environment,...

Climate change threatens the loss of culturally significant land, taonga species and resources affecting the perpetuity of mātauranga and tikanga Māori.

We hear a lot about greenhouse gases – and the huge amounts that humans are responsible for pumping into the atmosphere each year. It might be...

Emissions are the release of greenhouse gases from human activities. They can be estimated in different ways, including production-based and consumption-based approaches.

Observation is a keystone of science. For millennia, people have observed nature to discover patterns in the weather. We’ve used these patterns as guides for where...

Earth’s climate is changing. We are able to directly observe this as glaciers melt and disappear and Arctic sea ice declines. The Earth’s average temperature is...

Earth is a dynamic system, made up of four central components known as subsystems – the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. These subsystems are interconnected by...

Climate change is defined as a long-term change to the Earth’s climate. But what does this mean? To understand climate change, we need to understand what...