Taiao data

Start with the environmental question rather than the agency catalogue.

Wai

• Freshwater monitoring and LAWA
• River networks and catchments
• Groundwater
• Wetlands

Whenua and ecosystems

• Land cover and land-use change
• Soils and land-resource data
• Biodiversity and protected areas

Coast, climate and hazards

• Coast and estuaries
• Climate, rainfall and hydrology
• Natural-hazard data

Main national publishers

The landscape changed in 2025: NIWA and GNS Science merged into Earth Sciences New Zealand. Historic URLs/brands remain in active data systems and scientific documentation, so MāoriGIS.nz uses the current organisation name while retaining the old name where it identifies a dataset or portal.

Other major sources include MfE Data Service, LAWA, DOC Open Spatial Data, the Bioeconomy Science Institute/Manaaki Whenua LRIS resources, LINZ and regional/unitary councils.

For how to use these layers together see Investigating an awa and Taiao mapping.

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026