The key remote sensing technology for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Forest Flows programme, SimSAR L- and P-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar, has arrived in NZ. Once the paperwork is approved, it will measure soil moisture at a fine spatial resolution to a depth of up to 1.5m within forested catchments. The technology will help unlock the mysteries of water use, retention and release in planted forests. The University of Auckland's Delwyn Moller is leading this component of the programme with collaboration from University of Southern California's Mahta Moghaddam and her lab.