Our facilities

The Field Station offers a range of facilities and equipment for research, including:

• Aquaculture facilities for macroalgal research
  • Covered outdoor recirculating aquaculture system for seawater or freshwater with nutrient and temperature control comprising 12 high rate algal ponds (HRAPS) of 20 m2 surface area each and x 12 1000 L tanks.
  • Temperature and light controlled indoor recirculating aquaculture system comprising x 4 500 L tanks and:
  • Temperature and light controlled recirculating flow bed system for small scale mesocosm experiments.
  • Temperature and light controlled algal culturing laboratory.
  • Temperature and light controlled plant growth cabinets x 7.
• Environmentally controlled shellfish culture faculty.
• Research vessels capable of various diving and survey activities in the harbour and out at the offshore islands (Access to 2x boat ramps within 200m from the field station).
• Sampling and survey equipment
  • Water quality sampling/monitoring probes (various)
  • Baited underwater video survey equipment
• Commercial walk-in freezer
• Workshop
• Fully equipped scientific research laboratory

Additionally, new teaching and research laboratories for aquaculture (first dedicated labs for this in New Zealand) were commissioned in 2019 and are now in full use.

For further enquiries regarding equipment please contact the Tauranga Technical Team Leader at bonnie.lewis@waikato.ac.nz. Additionally, further equipment is available for use in the Hamilton campus.