Minister Collins defends NIWA amid misleading allegations
READ THE FULL STORY OVER AT CENTRIST.CO.NZ
Minister Collins is responsible for overseeing the climate agency NIWA, and has provided inaccurate information, while defending the agency against accusations of misleading Parliament.
This revelation follows the release of the Climate of Fear report, which exposed the absence of historic mega storms from NIWA’s Historic Weather Events (HWE) database, calling into question the reliability of NIWA’s extreme climate predictions.
Evidence shows NIWA did rely on disputed database
In response to inquiries from Centrist regarding her confidence in NIWA and its board, Minister Collins stated she had been assured by NIWA that "no historical climate records have been lost" and that NIWA relies solely on its National Climate Database for weather and climate analyses, dismissing the use of the HWE catalogue.
“NIWA climate scientists, and other climate scientists nationally and internationally, use the New Zealand National Climate Database to identify and analyse weather events or trends in climate, including the frequency or severity of weather events. They do not use NIWA’s Historic Weather Events catalogue [Centrist emphasis].
“I accept these explanations. Accordingly I confirm that I continue to have confidence in NIWA and its board,” concluded Minister Collins.
NIWA’s use of (inaccurate) historic weather data revealed
A NIWA analysis of Cyclone Gabrielle flooding dated 23 February this year and released to Centrist by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, shows NIWA’s assurances to Collins were false.
The document formed the core of NIWA’s evidence to the HBRC Independent Review of Cyclone Gabrielle’s flood response, and in its list of scientific references at the end of the NIWA report, the only NIWA database referenced is “NIWA 2018: NIWA’s Historic Weather Events Catalogue.”
Government oversight and accountability under scrutiny
Minister Collins' continued confidence in NIWA and its board, based on the agency’s misleading assurances, is now under scrutiny. The minister's belief that no historical records were missing and that the HWE catalogue was not used is now clearly contradicted by evidence presented in the Cyclone Gabrielle review. This situation raises broader questions about government oversight and accountability regarding climate data management.