A new report suggests Kiwis don't have free enough access to weather data.

An MBIE review suggests the tight restrictions on data could be limiting innovation and economic opportunities.

The review was carried out following pressure from Weatherwatch, which says Government agencies MetService and NIWA have unfair and exclusive access to taxpayer-funded data, which they use for their own commercial gain.

Weatherwatch head forecaster Philip Duncan said weather information should be freely available to all New Zealand residents and private companies at the same time.

"It's so wrong when $150 million is going to NIWA and MetService and then we can't even use that data. Open weather data helps save lives."

Duncan said all New Zealanders should be able to access taxpayer funded weather data when they need to from whichever source suits them.

"Civil Defence says the more information you have the better you are in an emergency and yet the way that NIWA and MetService operate is the opposite, that you have to use them only. And if their website goes down, well that's the end of it - tough luck."

The PWC report says weather data in New Zealand is largely not open access and the current model encourages the government operators to commercialise services themselves rather than assist others to do so.

"We considered this issue as being a natural monopoly similar to the telecommunications or electricity sectors," the report says.

Weaterhwatch.co.nz says the costs of making data freely available are being grossly exaggerated to protect the current set up.

It says an email it has from MBIE indicates the Minister of Research, Science and Innovation, Dr Megan Woods, has requested MBIE explore the recommendations of the report.

The minister also wants to ensure the costs of any changes, likely to be met by the taxpayer, are proportionate to the benefits.

Additional reporting - NZ Newswire