About us

The aim of the LERNZ program is to identify and remediate threats to lake ecosystems, to provide new tools for monitoring, management, and assessment, and to communicate research findings to stakeholders. 

New tools and methods developed by LERNZ are successfully applied by managers and communities to restore freshwater biodiversity and water quality, so that the ecosystem services and opportunities provided by fully functional ecosystems can be enjoyed by all New Zealanders. 

LERNZ began in 2005, nearly 20 years ago, when The University of Waikato led an Outcome Based Investment (OBI) entitled “Restoring freshwater ecosystems and resurrecting indigenous lake biodiversity”, which was funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) for a period of 10 years. The OBI created an integrated platform of research into the problems created by harmful algal blooms and pest fish in New Zealand lakes. It aimed to provide tools to reverse biodiversity decline, and models that integrate the drivers and effects of pest fish populations and harmful algal blooms. 

LERNZ continued to increase the capability of decision makers and managers to achieve favourable outcomes for lake health and resilience at a national scale, and to raise the level of knowledge about how lakes respond to environmental pressures and management solutions though the “Enhancing the health and resilience of New Zealand lakes” programme funded by the The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment between 2015 and 2019.