Meiobenthos from the Waiwhetu Stream (41°14.22′S, 174°54.28′E), a heavily polluted site, was low in density and numbers of species; a tubificid oligochaeteLimnodrihtscf.hoffmeisteridominated. In the Hutt River estuary (41°14.09′S, 174°53.85′E), meiofauna density was the same as in similar sediments world‐wide, but dominance by 2 species of harpacticoid copepods produced a low‐diversity assemblage. The fauna in the Pauatahanui Inlet (41°05.2′S, 174°54.05′E) was comparable in density and diversity to the faunas of muddy estuarine sediments in other parts of the world. The dominance of nematodes, abundance ofEchinoderescf.coulli(Kinorhyncha), and the variety of species suggest that the Pauatahanui site was the most normal of the 3 sampled.