These data incorporate the results of water quality monitoring of lakes in the Rotorua region by Environment Bay of Plenty for the purpose of state of the environment reporting

These macro-invertebrate data incorporate the results from the national river water quality network (NRWQN) from 66 sites throughout New Zealand for the purpose of monitoring long-term trends. The NRWQN was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science, & Technology through NIWA's Nationally Significant Database: Water Resources & Climate programme. Current funding (from July 2011) comes from the NIWA Environmental Information/Monitoring programme core funding. The data are collected annually in summer, and data collection was initiated in January 1989.

Aquatic macroinvertebrate life history, physiological and habitat information for New Zealand taxa

Comprises plant survey results for 206 lakes, over 17,500 plant records, using survey method of Clayton (1983), and other supporting information vegetation surveys

Freshwater invertebrates collected semi-quantitatively from wetlands (e.g. bogs, fens, swamps) below an altitude of 250 m, and which are subject to a range of anthropogenic pressures (i.e. relatively pristine to heavily impacted). At the scale of each wetland, environmental information was collected; then, within each wetland an average of 3 (but up to 6) different water bodies (i.e. sites) were sampled with water quality parameters measured at each site; and at each site, two 'replicate' invertebrate samples were collected (i.e. A and B samples).

These samples were collected from three locations in the Waimakariri River as part of a biodiversity survey. Subsamples were examined at x400 and an assessment made of the relative abundance of the main taxa present, on a scale of 1 (rare) to 8 (dominant). Identifications are to genus level, and to species level for some of the diatoms.

These data are derived from diatom samples collected from throughout New Zealand from 1997 to 2004, from a broad range of freshwater habitats, as part of investigations into diversity patterns in freshwater diatoms

Comprises over 2,000 invasive plant survey results held by the Department of Conservation, New Zealand herbaria, and regional councils. The Pest Status and Aquatic Weed Risk Assessment Ranking of invasive plant species are also recorded.

The New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database (NZFFD) records the occurrence of fish in fresh waters of New Zealand, including major offshore islands. We maintain the database at our Wellington campus. Data stored include the site location, the species present, their abundance and size, as well as information such as the fishing method used and a physical description of the site. The latter includes an assessment of the habitat type, substrate type, available fish cover, catchment vegetation, riparian vegetation, water widths and depths, and some water quality measures.

Samples were collected in a visiting scientist project (W. Vyverman, K. Saabe; University of Ghent, Belgium), within the FRST-funded freshwater biodiversity programme, in early 2001. All samples were benthic grab samples (composites of several subsamples). A comprehensive suite of environmental data (including water chemistry) was collected at the same time. Identifications were done at the University of Ghent, to genus level except for some probably endemic taxa. Voucher slides of each sample are held in the NIWA diatom collection (slide numbers are the same as the siteID).