Major shakeup for the NZ science system
The government has announced a major restructuring of the country's seven crown research institutes (CRIs), which will see them merged into three public research organisations (PROs).
La Nina-like patterns are currently observed in the tropical Pacific Ocean, says the MetService.
However, the influence from the tropics is likely to be minimal in New Zealand in the short-term.
“The Tasman Sea has been driving most of our weather lately, and this pattern is forecast to continue into November,” says MetService Meteorologist Georgina Griffiths.
“A mixture of low pressures and westerly winds is expected to prevail over New Zealand during November”.
Temperatures are expected to be fairly variable during November. Next week is predicted to be extremely warm for this time of year. For eastern areas of both Islands (Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Canterbury, eastern Otago), and also for Southland, monthly temperatures are predicted to be above average. Elsewhere, November temperatures end up ‘near average,’ overall.
Above normal rainfall is signalled for the West Coast of the South Island. For the eastern regions of both Islands, November rainfall totals should run fairly close to the norm, possibly a hint drier. In all other regions, November should end up slightly on the wet side of the ledger (near normal to above normal totals).
Frequent lows in the New Zealand region left their calling card in October.
Rainfall was abundant in many regions, with the notable exceptions of Wairarapa and southern Hawkes Bay. The North Island copped an unusually wet start to October, as did Nelson and Otago.
“Canterbury and Marlborough also picked up significant totals during October, with 50-80mm of rainfall commonly recorded in these regions,” says Griffiths.
The first half of the month ran unusually warm across the country, but finished with a cooler southerly regime. However, October as a whole ended up on the warm side of the ledger.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.
For the most part, dairy farmers in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti and the Manawatu appear to have not been too badly affected by recent storms across the upper North Island.
South Island dairy production is up on last year despite an unusually wet, dull and stormy summer, says DairyNZ lower South Island regional manager Jared Stockman.
Following a side-by-side rolling into a gully, Safer Farms has issued a new Safety Alert.
Coming in at a year-end total at 3088 units, a rise of around 10% over the 2806 total for 2024, the signs are that the New Zealand farm machinery industry is turning the corner after a difficult couple of years.

OPINION: Meanwhile, red blooded Northland politician Matua Shane Jones has provided one of the most telling quotes of the year…
OPINION: This old mutt has been around for a few years now and it seems these ‘once in 100-year’ weather…