We report a detailed investigation of the Ni$_{2}$MnGa shape memory alloy through magnetic, electronic, and thermal measurements. Our measurements of the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) reveal that this technique is very sensitive to the onset of the pre-martensitic transition in sharp contrast to other transport measurements. With the ANE being sensitive to changes at the Fermi surface, we infer on the link between the structural modulations and the modulation of the Fermi surface via its nesting features, with the magnetic field induced strain being the mediating mechanism.