New Zealand’s rapid weather changes, frequent rain, distinctive cloud patterns and strong winds all had a huge influence on the daily life of Māori. Each region developed a rich store of insights and knowledge relating to the domain of Tāwhirimātea.  

The very first settlers of New Zealand voyaged across the Pacific Ocean in waka using the environment as their navigation aids – the stars, ocean swells, bird flight, and marine creature movements. The tohunga aboard the waka used their expert skills and tikanga knowledge to guide and protect the people from physical and spiritual forces while crossing the huge distances of open ocean to Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud.

The dynamic motion of a mangōpare (hammerhead shark) echoes the hydrological cycle that generates our weather and the constant interconnected flow of air and water, sea and sky. The twin mangōpare design reflects the two key aspects of our business - weather prediction and oceanography and their interrelationship. One of those physical and spiritual forces is depicted in our brand symbol, the twin mangōpare.  The mangōpare represents strength, leadership, agility, tenacity, unrelenting determination, courage, and wealth. 

The twin mangōpare are equally balanced, each component as vital as the other. Their tight partnership embodies the skills and talents of MetService’s staff, and their connection to the people we serve and strive to keep safe.

As New Zealand’s oldest scientific institute we are informed by the traditional knowledge of Māori and continue to understand the weather with that context, and applying that knowledge for the benefit of all New Zealanders.