Overview

This dataset contains a range of meteorological variables collected by automatic weather stations in Tairāwhiti, New Zealand, during the Mātaki Marangai project. The Mātaki Marangai project was a project run by Bodeker Scientific to engage school students in Tairāwhiti in weather observation and analysis. As part of this, automatic weather stations were set up at 8 schools in the region to monitor and log the weather. Further information on the project is given below. 

Locations

The automatic weather stations are located at 8 schools across Tairāwhiti:

• Ngata Memorial College, Ruatoria, (178.32356, -37.891531)
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Waiū o Ngāti Porou, Ruatoria, (178.3208, -37.89)
• Te Kura o Hiruharma, Ruatoria, (178.2605, -37.928)
• Makarika School, Ruatoria, (178.226, -37.9519)
• Hatea-a-Rangi School, Tokomaru Bay, (178.3158, -38.1319)
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Nga Taonga Tuturu ki Tokomaru, Tokomaru Bay, (178.3158, -38.1273)
• Te Kura Kaupapa o Mangatuna, Tolaga Bay, (178.3154, -38.1352)
• Tolaga Bay Area School, Tolaga Bay, (178.3001, -38.3724)

Time Period

The time period of this dataset is from late March 2024 to mid November 2024, with some data gaps in certain locations due to internet access or hardware issues. The data are logged at irregular intervals, with a minimum of 5 minutes between observations. More up to date data may be available at the live tracking sites, listed below. 

Variables

The following variables are included in the dataset: 

• Air Temperature (Celsius)
• Dew Point (Celsius)
• Air Pressure at station (hPa)
• Relative Humidity (%)
• Rainfall Rate (mm/hr)
• Rainfall Accumulation (mm) - see below for more details
• Wind Speed (kn)
• Wind Direction (Degrees)
• Wind Gust Speed (kn)
• Wind Gust Direction (Degrees)

Important: The "report date/time" is local time. Care should be taken when working with rainfall accumulation, as the accumulations reset at UTC midnight, as opposed to local midnight.

Further Information 

Project Information

The Mātaki Marangai project was run by Bodeker Scientific, in collaboration with He Oranga Trust and the New Zealand Meteorological Service. The project was co-funded by New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Unlocking Curious Minds fund, and the MBIE Smart Ideas project DeepWeather. 

Links to read more about the project:

• https://www.mataki-marangai.com/home 
• https://www.bodekerscientific.com/projects/m%C4%81taki-marangai 

Live streaming data

The automatic weather stations are no longer being looked after by the Mātaki Marangai project. However, the data are still being logged and will continue to be while the schools keep them running. To see updated data, please check the following sites:

• Ngata Memorial College
• Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Waiū o Ngāti Porou
• Te Kura o Hiruharma
• Makarika School
• Hatea-a-Rangi School
• Te Kura Kaupapa o Mangatuna
• Tolaga Bay Area School

The weather station at TKKM o Nga Taonga Tuturu ki Tokomaru stopped logging data in September 2024 as the school was moved to a different site.