Our Roles and Responsibilities
As New Zealand’s designated National Meteorological Service (NMS) MetService plays an important role providing services to New Zealand and the wider Pacific.
State Owned Enterprise
In 1992, New Zealand established MetService as a State Owned Enterprise (SOE). This was to enable our scientists to commercialise their expertise – creating revenue that would help support operations and reduce the cost of weather services to the taxpayer, while also delivering export earnings for New Zealand.
The State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986 (the Act) requires MetService to operate as a successful business and to be:
as profitable and efficient as comparable businesses not owned by the Crown
a good employer
an organisation that exhibits a sense of social responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community in which it operates and by endeavouring to accommodate or encourage these when it is able to do so.
The Act spells out the broad nature of the Crown’s ownership of the company, defining the role of directors and outlining the responsibilities of shareholding Ministers. The reporting requirements for SOEs are also outlined in the Act.
The Act creates an arms-length relationship by distancing management tasks from political control. Under the Act, the Government must fund any non-commercial activities that the Government wants carried out.
Our contract with the Ministry of Transport
New Zealand is a Member State of the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations Specialized Agency that facilitates cooperation and data exchange between Member States.
The Meteorological Services Act 1990 requires the Minister of Transport to ensure the provision of a meteorological forecasting and warning service, as well as the collection of data required to support that service. In effect, the Act addresses New Zealand’s obligation to the World Meteorological Organization to maintain a National Meteorological Service for the safety of life and property.
The Minister of Transport meets the requirements of the Meteorological Services Act through a contract with MetService.
In summary, the services provided by MetService under the contract are:
Severe weather forecasts and warnings for New Zealand land areas
Forecasts and warnings for marine areas, including coastal and inshore recreational areas, and the South Pacific high seas
Operation of the Wellington Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre and the Wellington Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, which are World Meteorological Organization regional support services
Meteorological support for land-based and maritime Search and Rescue
Other meteorological services as required to support the Government’s response to unexpected events
Representation of New Zealand at the World Meteorological Organization
Operation of a national weather observing network to support weather forecasting and warning services
Protecting the Public
Under contract with the Crown, MetService is the only authorised provider of severe weather warnings and other public safety weather services to the people of New Zealand.
Severe Weather Warnings
MetService issues weather warnings to the public, media and local civil authorities when expected weather conditions will meet specified criteria. These include:
Heavy rain, strong wind and heavy snow affecting an area of 1000m² (Approximately the size of a box drawn around Lake Taupo).
Severe thunderstorms (featuring downpours, hail, strong wind gusts, damaging tornadoes).
Heavy coastal swells.
For details, please see our Weather Warning Criteria and Weather Warning System information.
Marine Forecasts and Warnings
MetService is responsible for issuing warnings of gales, storms and hurricanes as required for the Tasman Sea and a large part of the South Pacific Ocean, extending halfway to South America, and from latitude 25°S to 55°S (roughly 6% of the world's oceans). Twice daily, synopses and forecasts are issued for the same area.
Four times daily, detailed marine warnings and forecasts are issued for the coastal waters of New Zealand (up to 100 km from the coast) and the Chatham Islands (the precise areas covered for these coastal services are as specified in the New Zealand Nautical Almanac).
Warnings of near gales (25 to 33 knots) are issued as required for the Auckland marine area - Manukau and Waitemata harbours and the Hauraki Gulf south of a line from Cape Colville to Bream Head.
Four times daily, inshore marine forecasts are issued for the Bay of Islands, Auckland marine area, eastern Coromandel, Wellington Harbour and south coast, for Waitarere to Pukerua Bay, and for Pegasus Bay from the mouth of the Waimakariri River to Lyttelton Harbour.
MSL analysis and forecast charts are made available on this website.
Mountain and national forecasts
MetService issues four short forecasts each day describing weather conditions across New Zealand for the next two days. Two extended short forecasts are also issued each day, covering the following three days.
For the mountain areas of New Zealand, two brief forecasts are issued daily, covering the next two days, and two extended brief forecasts are issued daily, covering the following three days.
Emergencies
From time to time, emergencies arise where urgent meteorological advice is needed, such as weather information for national and international search and rescue operations, bio-security risks, volcanic eruption, and marine pollution incidents. MetService works closely with the relevant agencies - such as Civil Defence, NZ Police and Maritime NZ - to ensure that the required meteorological information is on hand when needed.
World Meteorological Organization Representative
All weather forecasting relies on international co-operation and exchange of data. The world's National Meteorological and Hydrological Services work with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations' authoritative voice on weather, climate and water. Their combined efforts are essential for the maintenance and improvement of global weather observations, meteorological services and meteorological research, and for ensuring their contributions to the protection of life, property and the environment and to sustainable development.
The Chief Executive of MetService or his designate is the Permanent Representative of New Zealand with WMO.
MetService sends data gathered from the New Zealand region to other WMO member countries around the world. This is used as input to sophisticated computer models at major centres such as London and Washington. These models build pictures of the world weather, and forecast how weather patterns should change over the next week or more.
MetService forecasters have access to the best global models and high-resolution regional models, which are integrated into our day-to-day forecasting process. Global model data is accessed through agreements with overseas modelling centres, while MetService’s Forecasting Research team develops and maintains a suite of high-resolution, local-area models.
For more information on the work of WMO relating to weather, visit their website: http://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/weather
Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre
Internationally there are six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs), together with six Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs), which have regional responsibility to provide tropical cyclone warnings and information.
MetService operates TCWC Wellington, so all official warnings and information about tropical cyclones that could affect New Zealand originate from us.
See our Tropical Cyclone Information page to learn more.
Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre
Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMC) are responsible for the distribution of information, advisories and warnings for one or more specific weather types in a defined geographical area of responsibility, as part of the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO's) World Weather Watch. The RSMC is effectively the focal point for that type of weather in the region.
Under WMO's Marine Meteorology and Oceanography Programme, MetService (RSMC Wellington) has responsibility for issuing marine information, advisories and warnings for Marine MetArea XIV, which covers the South Pacific and Southern Oceans south of the Equator, from 160°E in the west to 120°W in the east and down to the ice edge, at around 55°S.
This large area of ocean is divided into a number of 'sea areas', for which MetService prepares 'High Seas' forecasts and gale/storm warnings (click on the links to see the latest forecasts):
We delegate preparation of forecasts for the sea area north of 25°S (called sea area 'Islands') to RSMC Nadi operated by the Fiji Meteorological Service. Forecasts for sea areas in neighbouring MetAreas are prepared by other National Meteorological Services.
Observational Data Collection
MetService operates a comprehensive weather observing network over and around New Zealand which complies with recognised international standards as prescribed by the WMO. This includes data collected from:
Surface observations over New Zealand (automatic weather stations)
Upper air observations using a variety of means (ground-based equipment, aircraft, satellites)
Weather radars
Ships
A network of drifting buoys in the Tasman Sea
Data Distribution and Availability
Observational data from the Regional Basic Synoptic Network as defined by WMO is freely distributed internationally through WMO with no restrictions on use. In addition, public access to a particular set of observational data is made available at no charge through our website.
Online New Zealand meteorological data for the last 24 hours includes:
Surface observations from at least 40 stations, updated 3 hourly;
All upper wind, temperature and humidity observations from New Zealand ground based stations;
Weather radar images from Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury and Southland, updated every 3 hours;
Weather satellite images covering the eastern Australia-Tasman Sea-New Zealand region, updated every 3 hours.
All observational data gathered in direct support of the public forecast services provided under MetService's contract with the Ministry of Transport is also passed to Earth Sciences NZ for archiving in the National Climate Database which can be accessed via DataHub.
Support Services to the Pacific
MetService maintains close links with the meteorological agencies of various Pacific Island states and, as far as possible, to monitor the quality and integrity of data gathered from the Pacific Islands, and provide appropriate technical advice.
All warnings of hazardous weather for the South Pacific region, normally received from the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, are forwarded to Radio New Zealand International and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
MetService provides backup for the main warnings and forecasting responsibilities of the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre, should that Centre temporarily shut down or be cut off, possibly due to a direct hit by a Tropical Cyclone.