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Latest news

Hotspot Watch 15 January 2021

Hot spot

15 January 2021

A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.

Hotspot Watch 8 January 2021

Hot spot

8 January 2021

A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.

Valuable work of weather volunteers

Feature story

23 December 2020

Every day at 8am Hawke’s Bay farmer Robert Buchanan heads out to his rain gauge to measure the rainfall.

Wet, warm, cold, dry – the holidays with a bit of everything

Media Release

21 December 2020

In a year that has brought us a bit of everything weather-wise, we’re happy to report that Aotearoa will be on Mother Nature’s good side this holiday period — mostly.

Our work

Forecasting weather systems

NIWA’s research into forecasting weather systems aims to increase the resilience of New Zealand communities to weather-related hazards.

Our Future Climate New Zealand

Our Future Climate New Zealand is an interactive website that lets you to look at projections for a number of climate variables for New Zealand between now and 2100.

Seabed 2030

Last updated:

11 August 2020

NIWA is leading a New Zealand partnership to map the South and West Pacific Ocean's seabed as part of a worldwide initiative to map the entire globe’s seafloor.

The Stormy Seas project

Does climate change affect the position of the Subtropical Front around New Zealand? This has important consequences for New Zealand's climate and biological productivity.

Latest videos

Glacier melt: A Time Capsule

Since 2016 enough ice has melted from the South Island’s Brewster Glacier to meet the drinking water needs of all New Zealanders for three years.

Tropical Cyclone Outlook: November 2020-April 2021

Tropical cyclone outlook Nov 2020 - Apr 2021

The NIWA and MetService assessment of named tropical cyclone (TC) activity indicates 8 to 10 named TCs could occur in the Southwest Pacific basin between November 2020 and April 2021. This seasonal outlook is for normal to below normal activity in terms of overall named cyclone systems in the region.

New Zealand 2019 climate summary

NIWA climate scientist Nava Fedaeff presents the NIWA annual climate summary for New Zealand 2019.

Handwriting recognition casts new light on climate change

Outlook: June – August 2017

June – August 2017 temperatures are about equally likely to be above average (40% or 45% chance) or near average (40% chance) for all regions of New Zealand.

Global setting: May 2017

The tropical Pacific continued to exhibit an ENSO (El Niño – Southern Oscillation) neutral state (neither El Niño nor La Niña) during May 2017, although is now close to the threshold of a weak El Niño.

Current climate: May 2017

May 2017 was characterised by mean sea level air pressures that were higher than normal over and to the southwest of New Zealand.

Technical note on revised January 1945 Hokitika Adjustment

In the 2010 NIWA Report on the seven-station temperature series (Mullan et al., 2010), two alternatives were offered for the adjustment at January 1945 between the records for Hokitika Town and Hokitika Southside. An offset of -0.52°C (a negative value meaning the new site is colder) was calculated by comparing the changes at Hokitika from 1935-1944 to 1945-1954 with those at four comparison sites. An offset of ‑0.68°C was calculated from a direct comparison between the two Hokitika records from the overlap of 30 months for August 1943 to January 1946.

Technical note on in-filling of missing data for ‘Masterton’ in 2016

In April and May 2016, the Martinborough EWS (agent 21938)1 experienced some technical difficulties, and a number of 9 am observations were missing

The impact of El Niño and La Niña on New Zealand's climate

El Niño accounts for less than 25 percent of the year-to year variance in seasonal rainfall and temperature at most locations in New Zealand, however its effects can be significant.

Sign up for the New Zealand Climate Update

NIWA provides a free climate information e-newsletter. Sign up to receive our 3 month outlooks, global climate perspective and climate summary.

Map North

Northern New Zealand
Kaitaia, Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga

This is a sub-tropical climate zone, with warm humid summers and mild winters. Typical summer daytime maximum air temperatures range from 22°C to 26°C, but seldom exceed 30°C. Winter daytime maximum air temperatures range from 12°C to 17°C. Annual sunshine hours average about 2000 in many areas. Tauranga is much sunnier with at least 2200 hours. SW winds prevail for much of the year. Sea breezes often occur on warm summer days. Winter usually has more rain and is the most unsettled time of year.