NIWA provides data through NIWA DataHub through different data licenses, depending on the data, the purposes for which it is used and/or the nature of the user. The exception to this is for certain non-copyright data, which is open access and subject to on a non-known rights statement: such non-copyright data is clearly identified as such.  

Where data is licensed, then the relevant licence is clearly identified and a link to the licence terms and conditions is provided. You should ensure that you have read and understood the applicable licence terms and conditions before downloading or purchasing that data.  

NIWA uses its own licences for certain data based on the purpose for which that data will be used. Summaries of the Non-Commercial and Commercial (Restricted) Use licences available on DataHub are provided below.
Links to the full terms and conditions of these licences can be found here:

  

Non Commercial Use Licence  

This licence provides access to data where it is being used for non-commercial purposes. The term non-commercial, as used in the context of NIWA’s data licensing, means academic research or other activities that are not undertaken for financial gain or advantage and that are not intended to produce services, works, or outputs for commercial use. Whether a particular use is non-commercial or commercial depends on the purpose for which the data is being used, not the user. Examples of non-commercial use include: 

  • Public-good research funded by the government or an NGO that isn’t intended to have any commercial application or gain (e.g., Marsden-funded activities). Research funded by commercial sponsors or for commercial application will usually require a commercial licence.  
  • Use for personal information or activities. 
  • Preparation of material within an academic setting for course study, research, assessment, training and instruction (excluding for commercial gain). Examples include use by a student for their dissertation or thesis or a teacher as part of an examination question. 
  • Preparation of academic papers or presentations. 
  • Internal use by a business for compliance with that business’s own audit/regulatory requirements and other statutory reporting requirements. 
  • Carrying out mandated public duties, for example, use by a local government agency to inform regulatory settings or use by central government to inform policy settings. 
The Non Commercial Use Licence has the following restrictions on data use: 
  • The data and any outputs derived from the data cannot be sold, licensed or otherwise commercially traded. 
  • The data cannot be passed to anyone or published or hosted. 
  • Certain types of outputs can be published provided they do not include the full dataset or significant tranches of it and attribution to NIWA is provided.  

  

Commercial (Restricted) Use Licence 

This licence is for when the data will be used commercially. Commercial use, in the context of NIWA’s data licensing, means use of the data as part of a commercial activity, whether for research or educational purposes or product or business development. This includes use of the data: 

  • To develop or create educational materials or resources that will be sold in exchange for a fee.  
  • As part of paid-for-services work, including consultancy activities for a third party. For example, a Crown Research Institute providing advice to a private entity. 
  • As part of a research project that has (or is intended to have) a commercial application. 
  • To support business activities that are intended to secure a commercial advantage or otherwise to generate revenue or some form of monetary compensation. For example, an insurance company using data to assess the risk exposure of assets it insures. 
  • A party using data for providing asset risk/ exposure assessment services to another party, such as a consultant commissioned by a regional council to assess climate change risk in a region. 
  • The Commercial (Restricted) Use Licence has the following restrictions on how the data can be used:  
  • The data and any outputs derived from the data cannot be sold, licenced or otherwise commercially traded. 
  • The data cannot be passed to anyone or published or hosted. 
  • Certain types of outputs can be published provided they do not include the full dataset or significant tranches of it and attribution to NIWA is provided.  

 

Different Licensing Options  

If you wish to negotiate access to data on terms different to how it is licensed via DataHub, please lodge a request through data enquiries.