Discover Northland's wetlands, including Aupouri Peninsula wetlands, Muriwhenua wetlands, and Whangarei Harbour.
With over 800 kilometres of coastline, Kaipara Harbour is New Zealand’s largest enclosed harbour and estuarine system with a high diversity of habitats including freshwater swamps, saline wetlands, coastal scrub and forests.
Learn about wetlands in the Waikato region, including three of only six wetlands in New Zealand that are recognised as being internationally important.
Learn about conservation efforts to protect and restore the Bay of Plenty region's wetlands.
Estuarine wetlands in the East Coast/Hawke's Bay region include Ahuriri Estuary, Waitangi Estuary and Porangahau Estuary. Lakes Tutira, Poukawa and Hatuma are the largest open freshwater wetlands found in the region.
Find out about wetlands in the Wanganui region including Lake Pukepuke and the Ramsar-listed Manawatu Estuary.
The Wellington region features a number of wetlands including Lake Papaitonga, Pauatahanui Inlet, Waikanae Estuary, Pencarrow Lakes and Lake Wairarapa.
Wetlands are extensive and diverse on the Chatham Islands, where around 8.5 percent of New Zealand's threatened freshwater fish are found.
Learn about some of the wetlands in the Nelson/Marlborough region, including Waimea Inlet and Farewell Spit, which is a designated Ramsar site.
The West Coast features a number of wetlands, including Karamea/Otumahana Estuary, Totara Lagoon, Lake Ianthe, Okarito Lagoon, Hapuka Estuary, Shearer Swamp and more.
In Canterbury, braided rivers with their wide shingle beds, numerous snaking water channels and highly variable flows, provide habitat for several of New Zealand's endangered wildlife species.
Lake Waipori, Lake Waihola and their associated wetlands provide some of the most significant waterfowl habitat in Otago.
Southland's large tidal estuaries and coastal lagoons (Jacobs River Estuary, New River Estuary, Bluff Harbour and Awarua Bay, Waituna Lagoon and Toetoes Harbour) serve as critical habitat for a number of native species.
back to top
The value of conservation
Ramsar convention on wetlands
National Wetland Trust website
Fish & Game New Zealand website
Find out about World Wetlands Day in New Zealand.