Revolutionising ocean forecasting.

Marine Heatwaves | Temperature Sensors
Kaimoana Connectivity| Cross Cultural Ocean Knowledge

Bringing together 54 experts from across 14 national & international organisations, the Moana project is changing the way we see our seas.

 

While the oceans around New Zealand have been mapped, knowledge of local ocean dynamics is extremely sparse, and not readily available to the people who need it.

Access to good information and tailored-to-purpose products is becoming more important as our oceans are changing and marine heatwaves are impacting NZ waters and our ocean industries. The Moana Project is an $11 million ocean project funded by the NZ Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment. The project aims to vastly improve understanding of coastal ocean circulation, connectivity and marine heatwaves to provide information that supports sustainable growth of the seafood industry, science research efforts, iwi initiatives and how we manage our marine environments.

Interested in learning more?

  • Fishing for data: commercial fishers help monitor rising temperatures in coastal seas

    Research from the Moana Project has been featured on The Conversation, a network of news stories that are written by academic experts and researchers.

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  • SeaWeek 2023: Tracking ocean temperatures on a waka

    MetOcean's Naomi Puketapu-Waite held a stall at Taranaki’s SeaWeek event for 2023. SeaWeek is an annual event run by the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education, a national non-profit that promotes and supports lifelong learning and sustainability for Aotearoa New Zealand.

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  • Now available: Ocean temperature forecast shows if water is colder or warmer than expected

    A new forecast developed by the MetService-led Moana Project is now available on SwellMap, showing the difference between actual and expected sea surface temperatures for New Zealand waters

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  • Marine heatwaves abate with the start of summer

    For the first time in two years, New Zealand coastal waters are free of marine heatwaves.

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  • Longest continuous marine heatwave recorded in Bay of Plenty

    Marine heatwave conditions in Bay of Plenty have lasted a year - the longest continuous marine heatwave so far recorded for Aotearoa.

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  • Moana Project in the news

    With just over one year left of the Moana Project, our team is working hard and producing exciting results. In areas as diverse as ocean warming causing sponge bleaching or changes to fish stocks that might affect quota holders, to the blue carbon economy, our research is spreading far and wide.

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  • New Zealand recorded most impactful marine heatwave in history in 2022 - and this is just the beginning

    Despite being in the tail end of winter, marine heatwaves are still ongoing in many New Zealand coastal areas.

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  • Moana Project features on Sea Change podcast

    Wanting to catch up on all things Moana Project? Thanks to Sea Change podcast – the Moana Project has featured over five episodes. Sea Change is hosted by Heather Johnson, and it explores the different relationships people in Aotearoa New Zealand have with the moana.

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  • Blue carbon as a strategy to promote climate change mitigation and Indigenous sovereignty - PhD Student Mere Takoko

    Titled ‘Hinemoana Ki Tai: Restoring the Ocean Knowledge of Hawaiiki’, Mere’s PhD focuses on developing a Blue Carbon Plan for climate resilience based on mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori perspectives.

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  • Ocean research project has shed light on our changing oceans

    The Moana Project, a large five-year ocean research programme which concludes this month, has significantly advanced Aotearoa New Zealand’s ocean knowledge.

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The Moana Project aims to develop New Zealand's first Ocean-Atmosphere Knowledge Infrastructure.

Using state-of-the-art science, we will establish a suite of high-resolution open-access models detailing atmospheric conditions, sea level, ocean temperatures and ocean currents. The data and model results will be made openly available, directly and through a series of data access tools. This will facilitate world-leading science on the ocean circulation dynamics in NZ's economic exclusion zone, leading to improved understanding and the growth of the blue economy.

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