Marine Metre² (MM²) is a hands-on citizen science project that invites anyone—families, sailors, students, or curious visitors—to explore New Zealand’s diverse coastlines.

The method is simple: head to a seashore, mark out a square metre, and record all the plants and animals you find. Surveys can be done at any time of year, from rocky shores to sandy beaches, making it an easy and engaging way to connect with the ocean wherever you are.

By sharing your results online, your data becomes part of a growing national database that helps scientists and communities track biodiversity and understand how coastal ecosystems are changing. It’s a wonderful way for kids to discover marine life up close, for sailors to give back as they travel, and for visitors to experience New Zealand’s coastlines in a meaningful, interactive way.

One square metre at a time, your observations contribute to protecting the sea for the future.

Data collected in Marine Metre² feeds into a larger Australasian database (BioCollect). This means data gathered by scientists, educators, schools, community groups, iwi and individuals provides an invaluable resource for marine scientists globally to research and track changes over time.