OLW was formally launched on 26 January 2016 by the Minister for Science and Innovation Steven Joyce; its inaugural director was Ken Taylor, and Chief Scientist was Richard McDowell.

[4][5] In December 2015, after feedback from MBIE's Science Board, the OLW Directorate sought advice from Ray Collins at the University of Queensland on incorporating value chain management into the proposed research programme.

In 2020, New Zealand's National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management set safe "bottom line" levels for the agricultural pollutants nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and E. coli in rivers, lakes, and estuaries.

[11]A project led by Richard McDowell examined whether fencing livestock out of large (high-order) streams would reduce contamination by nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment, and E. coli.

[15] In New Zealand, phosphorus concentrations in waterways were decreasing, another OLW-funded study found, in response to strategies like fencing off and planting alongside farm streams and improved practices in fertiliser application since the 1990s.

[16] In a partnership with Healthier Lives, OLW researchers examined agricultural scenarios aimed at orptimising a healthy diet while minimising nitrate and phosphate water pollution.

[17] A global survey of periphyton (algal) in 1406 large rivers, led by Rich McDowell, predicted 31% of the world's land mass had catchments susceptible to high levels of peripyton growth.

[25][26] Consumers of New Zealand products overseas were found to be willing to pay a premium for sustainably-produced and organic produce, which could reward farmers complying with new water and climate regulations.

[27] However, unlike other small advanced economies, New Zealand's distance from world markets pose unique challenges, and an OLW study found that this sort of geographic isolation is often not fully taken into account by policy advisors when developing economic strategy.

For example, a study on school meal programmes found that, while essential for alleviating food poverty, they could not be based solely on nutritional content, but needed to include culturally-relevant dishes.

This meant a large investment in dairy buildings, half of which will be needing replacement in the 2040s; at the same time 78 per cent of all water use consents, including those by all three irrigation conpanies in the area, will have expired.