Climate Summary for June 2025

04 July 2025

Temperature	Temperatures were above average (0.51-1.20°C above average) or well above average (>1.20°C above average) for most of the North Island, Tasman, Nelson, southeastern Canterbury, Otago, eastern Southland, and Fiordland. Temperatures were below average (0.51-1.20°C below average) for parts of the Mackenzie Basin. Temperatures were mostly near average (±0.50°C of average) elsewhere.
Rainfall	Rainfall was above normal (120-149% of normal) or well above normal (>149% of normal) for northern, central and southern parts of the South Island, Wellington, Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Auckland. Rainfall was below normal (50-79% of normal) or well below normal (<50% of normal) for northern Northland, eastern Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, and southern parts of the West Coast.
Soil Moisture	At the end of June, soil moisture levels were lower than normal for Hawke’s Bay. Soil moisture was higher than normal for eastern parts of the South Island from Marlborough to Dunedin (excluding Christchurch and Banks Peninsula). Near normal soil moisture levels were typical for the remainder of the country.

Overview

June 2025 mean sea level air pressure was higher than normal to the south of Aotearoa New Zealand, and mostly near normal over the country. This was associated with more easterly winds than normal for the lower South Island, and more northwesterly winds than normal for the upper North Island. ENSO-neutral (El Niño – Southern Oscillation) conditions remained present in the tropical Pacific. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were above average off the west coasts of both the North and South Islands, with Marine Heatwave (MHW) conditions[1] experienced in these areas. In contrast, SSTs off the east coasts of the country cooled compared to previous months, and in some areas were slightly below average by the end of the month.

It was a rather mild start to winter for most of the country overall. The nationwide average temperature in June 2025 was 9.4°C. This was 0.7°C above the 1991-2020 June average, making it New Zealand’s 16th-warmest June since NIWA’s seven station temperature series began in 1909. Temperatures were above average (0.51-1.20°C above average) or well above average (>1.20°C above average) for most of the North Island, Tasman, Nelson, southeastern Canterbury, Otago, eastern Southland, and Fiordland. Temperatures were near average (±0.50°C of average) for eastern parts of Marlborough, eastern parts of Canterbury from Hurunui to Christchurch, and central and southern parts of Southland. In contrast, temperatures were below average (0.51-1.20°C below average) for parts of the Mackenzie Basin, where snowfalls early in the month were followed by many days of severe frosts.

Rainfall was above normal (120-149% of normal) or well above normal (>149% of normal) for inland Southland, Otago, Canterbury south of Christchurch, Marlborough, Nelson, Tasman, Wellington, much of Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Auckland. Rainfall was below normal (50-79% of normal) or well below normal (<50% of normal) for northern Northland, eastern Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, and southern parts of the West Coast. Rainfall was typically near normal (89-119% of normal) for remaining areas.

Further Highlights:

The highest temperature was 23.2°C, observed at Whakatu on 5 June.
The lowest temperature was -12.9°C, observed at Aoraki Mt Cook Airport on 8 June.
The highest 1-day rainfall was 151 mm, recorded at Milford Sound on 25 June.
The highest wind gust was 191 km/h, observed at Cape Turnagain on 1 June.
Of the six main centres in June 2025, Auckland was the warmest, Tauranga was the wettest and sunniest, Christchurch was the coolest and driest, and Dunedin was the least sunny.
The sunniest four locations in 2025 so far are Taranaki (1398 hours), Bay of Plenty (1347 hours), Auckland (1332 hours) and wider Nelson (1284 hours).