Water Research Centre

The Water Research Centre is a cross-institutional network of leading engineers and scientists working to secure Aotearoa, New Zealand’s water future. Our mission focuses on five key areas:

• Designing water infrastructure resilient to climate change
• Improving treatment efficiency and resource recovery
• Developing tools to assess and manage threats to water resources
• Shielding communities from flood, drought, and tsunami risks
• Nurturing the next generation of water professionals

We use a cross-disciplinary approach in our research by utilising the knowledge of faculty members from different faculty and University research centres. This helps us solve current and emerging challenges faced by industry and the government. 

Our research activities and development can be classified under the following three strategic areas:

1. Building resilient water systems

Enhancing the resilience of water resources, infrastructure, and communities to disasters, climate change, and emerging contaminants.

• Post-disaster drinking water and wastewater resilience.
• Nature-based and culturally informed water systems.
• Resilient water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
• Mapping water and wastewater vulnerabilities in NZ.
• Imparting resilience to NZ water bodies against climate change.

2. Sustainable and decentralised water management

Developing and implementing decentralised, resource-efficient, and environmentally sustainable water and wastewater treatment solutions.

• Decentralised drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment technologies.
• Māori and Pacific community engagement.
• Life cycle assessment of environmental solutions.
• Circular wastewater treatment approaches.
• Partner with engineering design and consultancy firms to develop and showcase cutting-edge technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and micropollutant discharges in treated effluent.
  

3. Protecting public health and aquatic ecosystems

Safeguarding public health and the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems from emerging threats and contaminants.

• Smart technologies for detecting, quantifying, and treating water pollutants (e.g., microplastics, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, toxins, heavy metals).
• Antimicrobial resistance and pathogens in freshwater and seawater
• Wastewater-based surveillance for emerging threat detection and mitigation
• An innovative analytics platform – Scalable Omics-driven Platform for Holistic Integration and Analysis (SOPHIA, meaning wisdom) – to predict and mitigate the effects of climate change on the health of waterways, aquatic organisms, and communities, as illustrated in the figure below.

To address the skills gap in New Zealand’s water sector, we are developing flexible educational pathways for water professionals through micro-credentials and short courses in collaboration with leading institutions.

We have access to state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure for water research and innovation to progress water research from conception to application.

Testing and analytical facilities:

• Physical, chemical, microbiological and process engineering laboratories
• Pilot-scale infrastructure
• Physical and computational modelling
• High-resolution chemical and microbiological characterisation of polluted environments
• Whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis

Technical capabilities:

• Bench-to-pilot scale experimentation
• Manual and autonomous environmental sampling
• Theoretical and computational analysis and prediction
• Integrative multi-media environmental data analysis
• Applied environmental solutions development
• Mitigation strategies for chemical and microbiological contaminants

• Build inclusive research partnerships: We are collaborating with Taumata Arowai, Water New Zealand, Water Research Australia, and the Crown Research Institutes to establish an NZ Water Science Forum. Share your capabilities and contribute to building an inclusive, trusting, and transparent research culture.

• Conduct innovative research: Collaborate on developing holistic solutions to environmental challenges faced by communities through exploratory high-risk and high-reward research initiatives and implementing innovative ideas in the field.

• Upskill students and water professionals: Join us in training and upskilling current and future water professionals through industry-oriented courses delivering advanced scientific content, enabling the development of thought leadership skills, and sharing the knowledge of applied water research needs and advancements.

• Connect globally: Work with us to serve the needs of our rapidly expanding network of communities and professional organisations in New Zealand, the Pacific, India, Africa, China and other parts of the world.

Director

Professor Naresh Singhal

Co-directors

• Dr. Kilisimasi Latu (Community Engagement, University of Auckland)
• Professor Bruce Melville (Industry Partnerships, University of Auckland)
• Professor Yun Sing Koh (AI Technologies, University of Auckland)
• Professor Mark Milke (Teaching and Learning, University of Canterbury)
• Associate Professor Ricardo Bello Mendoza (Research and Innovation, University of Canterbury)

Other members

University of Auckland:

Professor Ajit Sarmah 
Dr Andrew Brown
Dr Arezoo Rahimi
Dr Cody Mankelow
Dr Febelyn Reguyal
Associate Professor Lokesh Padhye
Dr Sandeeka Mannakkara
Dr Tumanako Fa`aui
Associate Professor Wei-Qin Zhuang

University of Canterbury:

Associate Professor Hamish Mackey
Dr Simone Larcher