About us
The mission of the Deep South Challenge: Changing with our Climate is to enable New Zealanders to adapt, manage risk and thrive in a changing climate.
We know that scientists, industry and communities must work together if society is to adapt to our changing climate. Climate science can be complex and challenging, and isn’t always effectively incorporated in planning and decision making. Our challenge is unique among climate research programmes in New Zealand for the way it joins together physical science, predictive climate modelling and social science. To guide planning and policy, we're bringing together new research approaches to determine the impacts of a changing climate on our climate-sensitive economic sectors, infrastructure and natural resources.
We’re engaging closely with central and regional government, whānau, hapū and iwi, business, infrastructure and industry. We’re collaborating with decision makers to share our research about the kinds of climate change impacts we can expect in the coming decades and centuries, and to develop the kinds of tools required to help people make decisions in the face of complex changes in the future.
Through innovative community engagement and multi-disciplinary research collaborations, our five interlinked programmes connect scientists with society.
Our objective
Our objective, set by Cabinet, is to understand the role of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean in determining our climate and our future environment. Building on our objective, our mission was developed to guide our vision, research priorities and activities.
Our mission
Our mission is to enable New Zealanders to adapt, manage risk, and thrive in a changing climate.
Our governance and management structure
The following schematic outlines our governance and management structure. Māori leadership and input is included at all levels.
Deep South Challenge governance schematic. Click on the image to expand it.
Independent Science Panel
The Independent Science Panel provides our Board with independent science advice and input into the challenge’s science strategy and priorities. The panel also helps with assessments of science quality and performance.
Read more about the Independent Science Panel
Governance Board
Our independent Board was appointed by the collaborative parties of the Deep South Challenge.
Read more about the Governance Board
Kāhui Māori
Our Kāhui Māori provides the Governance Board and Science Leadership Team with strategic advice and input into our science strategy and priorities, and helps with the assessment of science quality, performance and responsiveness to iwi, hapū, whānau and Māori business goals.
Read more about the Deep South Challenge's Kāhui Māori
Science Leadership Team
The Science Leadership Team is responsible for scoping, leading and developing of the Deep South Challenge.
Read more about the Science Leadership Team
Challenge Parties
The Deep South Challenge, hosted by NIWA, is a research collaboration between the following Crown Research Institutes, universities and research providers:
Latest news and updates
DSC Seminar | "Who pays? And is it fair?" Legal liability and ethics in climate adaptation
In the first of our Deep South Challenge seminars for 2019, we hear from Lisa Ellis and Catherine Iorns, researchers from different fields, both looking at the question of who should fund climate adaptation.
The cascading impacts of climate change: New research released
New Zealanders are increasingly confronted with the obvious climate impacts like flooding, drought, heat stress and coastal flooding. We’re also now asking whether we should build sea walls or retreat to higher ground, or what we should do when insurance become unavailable for our coastal homes.
Vision Mātauranga funding round delayed until July 2019
Last last year, we indicated our plan to release a Vision Mātauranga funding round early in 2019. This funding round supports research within the Māori Domain of the Deep South Challenge: Changing with our Climate. We want to let you know that this funding round will now open in July 2019.