Hon Simeon Brown
Minister for State Owned Enterprises

Hon Dr Shane Reti
Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology

Merging the Government’s weather forecasting agencies will make for a more efficient, connected weather forecasting system, supporting a resilient economy and delivering benefits for everyday Kiwis State Owned Enterprises Minister Simeon Brown and Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti say.

Legislation will be introduced this year to enable NIWA’s acquisition of MetService, bringing government meteorology and climate science capabilities together.

“New Zealanders rely on timely and accurate weather forecasts to make critical decisions every day,” Dr Reti says.

“Data from NIWA and MetService inform some of our most important industries, from farming and agriculture, to insurance, to emergency management. This makes timely and accurate climate and weather forecasting critical for a resilient economy.”

Bringing the two organisations together will create efficiencies to reinvest in improvements to our climate science and weather forecasting capabilities, Mr Brown says.

“Having two taxpayer funded agencies with separate scientists, infrastructure and back office staff makes no sense.

“Bringing these two agencies together is not simply a ‘lift and shift’. NIWA and MetService are expected to deliver efficiencies, like merging weather forecasting capabilities, assets and services and streamlining back-office functions.

“Any resulting cost-savings achieved must then be reinvested to improve the critical science and services they deliver.”

These changes come at a time when the Government is undertaking the largest reforms to the science sector in 30 years, merging seven Crown Research Institutes into three focused Public Research Institutes and establishing a fourth new organisation focused on advanced technology.

Merging NIWA and MetService is a positive first step in these reforms, resolving a structural issue that has resulted in duplication and at times conflicting advice, Dr Reti says.

“Recent severe weather events have highlighted the importance of accurate weather forecasting and unified public weather warning messaging.

“I expect this move to result in a single, trusted authority during severe weather events, using consolidated infrastructure and world-class scientists working to a common purpose.”

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