Freshwater Ecology Technician - NIWA

Job details
Here’s how the job details align with your profile.
Job type

Permanent
 
Location
Hamilton, Waikato
 
Full job description
About us

At Earth Sciences New Zealand, we're proud of our contribution to science and innovation in Aotearoa. You'll be part of a collaborative and purpose-driven organisation where your work has impact. To deliver the science needed to achieve meaningful change, we are committed to providing the best for our people, strengthening domestic and international collaborations, partnering with Māori, supporting Pacific resilience, leveraging advanced technologies, and investing wisely in essential assets and infrastructure. We also uphold our environmental responsibilities and maintain a strong focus on financial sustainability, ensuring our work continues to make a lasting difference.

About the position

In this position, you will be enhancing the capabilities of our Hamilton-based team by advancing research and practical solutions to address New Zealand's freshwater biodiversity challenges. We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced freshwater ecology technician for a permanent position in our Hamilton office to support a range of largely freshwater projects. The position will mainly provide technical support for research and consultancy work focused on freshwater fish and invertebrate ecology but with the expectation that you would also work across a range of other freshwater and marine areas as required.

Key responsibilities include:

Planning and logistics for fieldwork excursions.
Carrying out freshwater fish surveys in New Zealand rivers and lakes.
Performing macroinvertebrate surveys and the processing of samples in our laboratory.
Deployment of in-situ biotelemetry equipment for monitoring of fish migrations and assessment of populations.
Data collation, analysis and archiving
About you

What we are looking for

Your strong fieldwork skills in freshwater ecology.
Your experience in planning and leading phases of fieldwork deployments.
Your ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, often with others but sometimes on your own.
A good working knowledge and skill in the identification of New Zealand's freshwater fish and macroinvertebrate species.
Your skills in electric fishing and experience in biotelemetry applications. Certified user credentials would be beneficial.

We don't expect perfection in our candidates - if you think you have what it takes, but don't meet every point in the position description, please still get in touch!

What you'll bring

A qualification in ecological science or a related field.
Minimum of 2 to 5 years' experience in an ecological science role.
Demonstrated experience in ecological fieldwork and data analysis.
Strong skills in using environmental monitoring instrumentation.
Full NZ driver license is essential
What we offer

Varied, challenging and important work with talented colleagues in an organisation devoted to earth science.
A high performing organisation with a focus on employee development and wellbeing
Generous leave entitlements and employee benefits
Apply now

If this sounds like the next step in your career, we'd love to hear from you.


Job Details

Crown research institute
NIWA

Reference #
59256

Posted on
29 Aug 2026

Closes on
14 Sep 2026 23:55

Location(s)
Hamilton

Expertise
Biosecurity, Marine & Freshwater Science, Statistics, Environmental management systems, Technical writing, Climate change adaptation

Job level(s)
Technician

Work type(s)
Permanent

More details (document)
Freshwater Ecology Technician T2T3 PD - August 2026.pdf