MetService provides weather and information presentation services to customers around the world from its base in New Zealand. It has particular expertise in supporting the media, aviation, and energy industries, and in national meteorological service operation.

Customers appreciate our services because they are based on combining professional meteorological judgement, technologically advanced processes, 24 by 7 quality management, and innovation in addressing their requirements. The company employs about 180 staff, and headquarters are in Wellington. Jobs at MetService are advertised on our Employment page.

Metra is the name for our international media, aviation and energy business. This is separate from our provision of meteorological services within New Zealand, where we produce and issue forecasts and official weather warnings on behalf of the Ministry of Transport, and are certified by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The company has been in existence since 1992, when it was established as a State Owned Enterprise. The annual report provides a record of recent market and technological developments, along with strong financial results.

MetService gathers, analyses and provides weather information for the public of New Zealand, and for a wide range of domestic and foreign commercial customers.

MetService History

The observation and studies of New Zealand's weather started as early as the 1840s. The weather forecasting service began in 1861, when a spate of shipwrecks prompted the Government to start a storm warning service as part of the then Marine Department.

Forecasting remained a marine service until 1926, when it became part of the newly-formed Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. At the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, forecasting became part of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The focus on aviation continued with a move in 1964 to the then Department of Civil Aviation, which in 1968 became part of a new "super ministry", the Ministry of Transport.

During the 1980s there was increasing pressure on government funding for meteorology in New Zealand, together with a government-wide move to "user-pays" for specialised services, and to more autonomy and accountability for government departments. A combination of commercial competition in the deregulated market for meteorological services, and reform of publicly funded science, led to the establishment of two government owned companies in July 1992.

1. MetService, a State-Owned Enterprise. Our business is operational meteorology, and we provide weather forecasting services to three main customer groups:
• The Minister of Transport (for the people of New Zealand)
• Civil and Military Aviation
• Media and Industry
   
2. National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).   As one of nine New Zealand Crown Research Institutes (CRIs), NIWA's mission is to provide a scientific basis for the sustainable management of New Zealand's atmospheric, marine and freshwater systems and associated resources.

Vision

Soon after the establishment of MetService, we formulated a "vision"; it has been modified subsequently. We use it to guide everyone's daily work and decisions, and it has become a central focus for the company.

This Vision is how we would like to see ourselves described by a knowledgeable observer in a few years:

• A global leader in valuable weather and presentation services
• Growing through customer appreciation of our innovative solutions operational excellence and outstanding service
• Profitable and well organised by highly skilled enthusiastic and alert people passionate about the success of our company

Services for Customers

All of our services are provided commercially to customers. We are passionate about using the term "customers", rather than referring to "users". To us, "user" carries the connotation of someone who receives and uses services, taking what they can get, with little right to specify what the services should be, and little right to complain.

On the other hand a "customer" has clout, particularly in a deregulated, competitive market. Services provided must respond to their needs, and demonstrably bring benefits to them, or else they may take their money elsewhere.

Of course, many people using meteorological services do not pay directly. They may be receiving services paid for on their behalf by their government (to whom they, of course, pay taxes), or by their company, or by their newspaper, or by their radio or television station. This does not stop them from being treated as a customer, so long as they are "Someone who has the ability to influence a purchasing decision".

A Quality Business

Since the establishment of MetService as a State-Owned Enterprise the quality of forecasts has improved.

For example, the accuracy of warnings of heavy rainfall has gone up. This is demonstrated in the diagram on the right, which shows our Hit Rate and False Alarm Ratio for warnings of rainfall greater than 100 mm in 24 hours or 50 mm in 6 hours. We issue around 200 such warnings in New Zealand each year.

Such improvements have come about because of focusing our research, development, training, and forecast operations on customer benefits, not just meteorology.

We have embarked on a quality management programme in accordance with the international ISO 9001 standard. Certification was achieved in November 1995. This was a world first for a National Meteorological Service operation.

Each country has its own public policy concerning the provision of its meteorological services, and to what extent they should be provided commercially. Our experience in New Zealand has been that the cost to the government has reduced substantially, the accuracy, range and availability of forecasts has increased, and our customers are purchasing more. It is a source of enthusiasm and challenge for the people in our company that they can participate in a business that is founded in meteorology.