In November 2010 the Government issued a Statement of Core Purpose for each of its Crown Research Institutes that defines their purpose, expected outcomes, scope of operation, and operating principles. This Statement of Corporate Intent (SCI) sets out NIWA's strategy for delivering against its core purpose over the next five years. The SCI is reviewable annually.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) is a Crown Research Institute incorporated as a company on 1 July 1992. Ownership is held equally between two shareholding Ministers appointed by the New Zealand Government who also appoint a Board of Directors to govern the company.

NIWA is New Zealand's leading provider of atmospheric, freshwater and marine research and associated services. NIWA currently employs c. 700 staff spread across 15 locations (with major sites located at Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch), has assets of $127M and annual revenues of approximately $120M. Revenue comprises Core Funding, contestable science funding from the Ministry of Science & Innvoation, and other funding received through the provision of applied science services to a diverse array of clients. Science assets that are of national benefit include research vessels, a high eprformance computer, a large-scale aquaculture facility and national measurement networks for climate and water resources.

NIWA's skills and assets are deployed to conduct science that supports New Zealand's economic growth, enhances human well-being, and enables environmental stewardship of the country's natural resources. These benefits are achieved through collaboration with other science organisations and the transferring of knowledge to end-users of our science.

Strategic partnerships with end-users ensure both the relevence of NIWA's science programmes and the use of knowledge transfer mechanisms that will encourage uptake. Further strengthening of these relationships will provide further national benefit, particularly where it is directed toward business sectors that utilise natural resources or are weather-dependent. This SCI continues the shift in NIWA's science activities towards knowledge transfer that was begun in 2010/11 in response to the recommendations of the Crown Research Institutes Taskforce.

The Statement of Core Pupose document is available as a PDF (see link below ).