A review of hydrologic research in the tussock grasslands and mountain lands of New Zealand

Abstract

Deficiencies in regional and national goals and objectives for water management make it difficult to assess the relevance of New Zealand's hydrologic research effort to present and probable future needs. The situation is further confounded because the results from much hydrologic research are unpublished and publicly unavailable.

This review of published and “unpublished” research reports indicates that the attention paid to any topic does not necessarily reflect its hydrologic significance. The reader may well conclude that more difficult topics have been ignored in favour of those that are easier and less expensive to research.

In commenting on future directions for research, the authors have declined to list topics. To do so would merely reflect their biases. Instead, they believe that this should properly be the responsibility of a task force convened by the National Research Advisory Council.

The authors do, however, set out their attitudes to future research and research administration.