NIWA Invertebrate Collection
The NIWA Invertebrate Collection (NIC) holds specimens from almost all invertebrate phyla. This is a result of about half a century of marine taxonomic and biodiversity research in the New Zealand region, the South West Pacific and the Ross Sea, Antarctica. New Zealand lies in the South West Pacific, a region that harbours one of the world’s highest species diversity in some marine invertebrate groups with a high proportion of endemic species (that don`t occur anywhere else). This huge diversity is, amongst other things, related to the variable seafloor relief and New Zealand’s ancient geological history. NIWA is fortunate to hold a significant representation of New Zealand’s marine biodiversity in the NIWA Invertebrate Collection at Greta Point in Wellington.
The collection is a valuable resource for research in the areas of:
- taxonomy
- evolutionary biology
- understanding marine ecosystems and biodiversity
- ecological research
- improving biosecurity measures
- informing marine conservation
The NIC is of national and international significance because it is essential for determining the evolutionary and biological relationships of the New Zealand biota in relation to the rest of the world.