More regions to face drought declarations
Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson says the present weather conditions remain challenging for farmers.
The MetService is forecasting more heavy rain for an already sodden Nelson/Tasman region from late Friday.
It has been just under two weeks since the region was hit with flooding, which forced some farmers to dump milk. The New Zealand Transport Agency has only managed to open the area of State Highway 6 between Rai Valley and Blenheim this morning, with other sections of the highway set to open tomorrow morning, weather permitting.
MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey says Westland could see over 300mm of rain and 50 to 70mm could hit the ranges near Nelson and northern Marlborough.
“This amount of rain wouldn’t normally cause too many problems in Nelson and Marlborough but because they have already had extreme amounts of rain recently it could lead to more slips,” Glassey says.
Nelson and Blenheim have already beaten their wettest winters on record by considerable margins, receiving close to three times their averages for winter.
Nelson Airport has recorded over 700mm rain since the beginning of June, beating their previous record of 570mm in 1970. Meanwhile, Woodbourne Airport in Blenheim has had approximately 560mm this winter, beating their previous record of 377mm in 2010.
Orange Heavy Rain Warnings and Watches are likely to be issued for the West Coast, Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough regions in the coming days.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Through collaborative efforts with exhibitors, visitors, and industry partners, Fieldays says it is reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility with new initiatives for 2025.
Fonterra has announced a record forecast opening organic milk price of $12.30/kgMS for the new season.
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…