OIA Directory Listing

Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService) - Te Ratonga Tirorangi

Commonly used abbreviated name

MetService

Relevant legislation

Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited was established under the State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986 and operates under the Companies Act 1993.

Organisation type

State-Owned Enterprise

Organisation outline

Office of the Chief Executive, Digital, Science & Innovation, People, Met Integrity & Met Data Service, Meteorological Operations, Pou Tuhuono, Research & Innovation, Finance, Facilities and PMO

Senior Leaders and their respective responsibilities

Rob Harrison – Acting Chief Executive Officer

Keith Hilligan – Chief Financial Officer

Colin Brown – Chief Digital Officer

Norm Henry – Chief of Science and Innovation

Trevor Shailer – Pou Tūhono

Organisation responsibilities

MetService is New Zealand's national weather authority, providing comprehensive weather information services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help protect the safety and well-being of New Zealanders and the New Zealand economy. MetService is responsible for delivering a range of weather services that directly support the safety of life and property. This includes forecasts and warnings of adverse weather tailored to the needs of the public, maritime community and aviation sector, within New Zealand and in the wider South Pacific region. As a State-Owned Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService) 2 Enterprise, MetService is also required to provide its services in a wholly commercial context.

Its principal business activities are:

  • Provision of New Zealand’s National Meteorological Service through a contract with the Ministry of Transport, including the supply of public-safety weather warning and forecasting services;

  • Safety-critical aviation forecasting services for the New Zealand domestic aviation sector and the RNZAF, as well as services to the international aviation community on behalf of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and subject to the requirements of the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO);

  • A comprehensive range of data and forecast services provided to the public and to business customers through MetService’s digital platforms, including web, mobile, apps and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces);

  • Media weather graphics products for broadcast television, print and online media services in domestic and international markets;

  • Forecasting and consultancy services for the commercial marine sector; and

  • Other specialised weather products and services for industries whose business economics are affected by weather-related impacts and risks such as transportation, energy, oil and gas, retailing, construction, agriculture and mining.

Advisory groups, boards, committees, trusts and statutory officers

Privacy officer

Directors

MetService Board, including its two sub-committees, Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee, and People, Culture and Remuneration Committee

The Board also establishes special purpose committees if required for particular issues.

Organisation data records

MetService provides a broad range of meteorological data, including but not limited to:

  • Observational data – representing measurements of the current state of the atmosphere, oceans, and earth’s surface.

  • Model data – representing outputs from numerical weather prediction models and associated statistical (or other) post-processing models.

  • Output data – representing information intended for use by clients or other end users, generally based on some combination of observational data, model data, and value-add by professional meteorologists.

  • This information can be found on https://www.metservice.com/ and for our end-user data https://insights.metservice.com

Organisation description – policies/guidelines/manuals

  • App Terms of Use

  • API Terms and Conditions

  • Website Privacy Policy

  • Data Access Policy

  • MetService General Advertising Terms and Conditions

  • Code of Ethics

Corporate publications

MetService’s Corporate publications can be found at about.metservice.com/company-documents

This includes MetService’s:

  • Statements of corporate intent

  • Annual reports

  • Company Constitution

  • Half-year reports

Required records or documents

MetService, like all public offices under the Public Records Act 2005 is required to maintain a wide range of public records. Much of this information can be found on https://www.metservice.com or https://insights.metservice.com

Statutory outputs

As a State-Owned Enterprise, MetService prepares an annual Statement of Corporate Intent (SCI) which is presented to the House of Representatives by the Minister for State Owned Enterprises. The purpose of the SCI is to publicly set out our intentions and activities for the coming three years, and to provide a basis for shareholders and the wider public to assess our performance.

MetService is also required to provide annual and half-yearly reports. These documents record MetService's achievements in delivering on its purpose; we help people stay safe and make informed decisions, based on the weather

Frequently requested information

Weather Data

Information about the MetService Rain Radar network

Operational Information about MetService

Guidance on transferring requests

If MetService does not hold the requested information, we will transfer the request to the appropriate agency within 10 working days.

OIA Exemptions

MetService receives a number of requests for weather data as well as information about its general operations. MetService does not have any particular areas where it is exempt from responding to OIA requests.

Data sharing

Given MetService’s SOE status, the details of its data-sharing arrangements are commercially sensitive. However, MetService does have an arrangement with the Ministry of Transport as designated under the Meteorological Services Act 1990. Further, MetService does share data as part of its role as New Zealand’s representative in the World Meteorological Organisation. The WMO Information System (WIS) is the mechanism by which National Meteorological and Hydrological Services around the world undertake weather and climate-related data exchange and management.

MetService undertakes this function for New Zealand, with state-of-the-art telecommunication facilities providing connections to countries across the South Pacific, and to major global weather centres such as the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the Japan Meteorological Agency, the United States National Weather Service, and the United Kingdom’s Met Office.

Information about the data exchanged on the WIS is held in a number of online catalogues containing a wide range of meteorological data and products. If you’d like to learn more about the WMO Information System, please email data.manager@metservice.com

Contact

OIAR@metservice.com

04 470 0700

https://about.metservice.com/contact