About this database...

Both Environment Waikato and the Department of Conservation play an important role in the management of the Waikato coastline and marine waters.

Environment Waikato is responsible for managing the effects of activities in the coastal marine area (CMA) that extends from mean high water springs to 12 nautical miles out to sea. EW is therefore the consenting authority for activities such as marinas, marine farms, and seawalls, while also being responsible for navigation and safety. EW gathers information about the coast and undertakes coastal monitoring programmes to help establish policies and monitor their effects.

The Department of Conservation is the central government organisation charged with conserving the natural and historic heritage of New Zealand. The Department manages or administers marine reserves, the protection of marine mammals and offshore islands that are set aside for conservation. Key conservation activities include working with threatened species to save them from extinction and caring for our marine life by creating marine reserves. Many coastal and marine research projects have been carried out in the Waikato region by the Department of Conservation to assist in decision making processes.

Apart from Environment Waikato and the Department of Conservation many other research agencies such as NIWA, Universities and Consultancies have collected information about the Waikato coastline and marine waters and have captured this information in published and unpublished articles and reports. Trying to find out what information exists for a certain topic you are interested in can sometimes be very difficult and time consuming, because no resource exists that summarises coastal and marine projects that have been carried out in the Waikato region.

Since 2003 Environment Waikato and the Department of Conservation have been working on the development of a coastal marine information database for the Waikato region including a broad range of data (e.g. biological, geological, physical, chemical, social, recreational). The main objective of this project is to collate all available coastal and marine information for the Waikato region into one single source of information, freely available as a resource for government agencies, researchers, consultancies and the general public. The results so far are published on this website in the so called "Waikato Coastal database".

The database does not contain raw data, but exists of a set of metadata sheets providing information about the research project including the purpose and a brief summary of the research, the organisation or person who carried out the research, the date when the research was carried out, specific reports and related information, availability of the information and contact details to source the information. Database searches can be made based on location, keywords, organisations or themes.

This database is not regarded as being complete and will continue to be updated as new information becomes available. Happy searching!