Water quality in cities was twice as bad as on farmland, Nick Smith said today.

Some orchardists using windmills, frost fans and overhead irrigation to combat a freeze.

Cyclone Donna is deteriorating but will still bring heavy rain to parts of New Zealand.

Studies find major tree-planting efforts needed as well to curb greenhouse gases.

A climate scientist gives a 25 per cent chance of Tropical Cyclone Donna visiting NZ.

NZ's cyclone season has been back-loaded, but ultimately close to normal, NIWA says.

Whangaparaoa was drenched with nearly five times its normal April rainfall, figures show.

After April's deluge, rainfall between now and July is set to be closer to normal.

Pesky pine pollen from New Zealand forests could be altering far-away ocean ecosystems.

Five findings from a new independent stocktake of the state of our lakes and rivers.

Broadcaster Alison Ballance discusses her new book on New Zealand's great white sharks.

Floodwaters or sanitation concerns, or both, are keeping Edgecumbe residents away.

Enjoy the fine weather while it lasts as another storm is set to move over the country.

A breach in a stopbank of the Rangitaiki River was closed at 11pm last night.

Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll explains what you need to know about Debbie.

A school is being evacuated and flooding is hitting lots of areas in in the North Island.

It is expected to pour with rain today.

Recordings of Gray's and strap-toothed beaked whales have been captured in NZ waters.

The skies are beginning to clear after last night's storm, but the respite may be short-lived, with thunderstorms and more heavy rain forecast for later today.

COMMENT: The Environment Minister's promise to make 90 per cent of rivers swimmable by 2040 is a cynical sleight of hand, writes Gen Toop from Greenpeace.

Endurance athletes looking to improve their times might consider swishing with a mouth rinse that contains a little sugar during their next performance.

Our forests and other land areas may be sucking up to 60 per cent more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere than previously thought and we can likely thank our native trees for much of it.

Two months into the job, new Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith talks to science reporter Jamie Morton about the state of the sector.

Regional climate variability caused an unusual period in which some of NZ's glaciers grew bigger, while glaciers worldwide were shrinking, a new study shows.

Preparing New Zealand's water stores for a warmer climate is a major focus of new research projects just awarded more than $2 million.

It's a question summer-deprived Wellingtonians couldn't be blamed for asking: Why is Australia sweltering in a heat wave while their own city hasn't broken 25C all season?

If you thought summer was missing in action last month, official figures released today prove it.

We can expect normal temperatures in the coming months but less rain.

The dramatic, kilometres-deep canyons that lie hidden beneath our waves need protection from human pollution and damage, scientists say.

The "safe version" of a Great White shark has washed up on Wellington's shore, leaving experts puzzled about what may have happened to it.