"What is pretty key is the sea temperatures were quite warm for the first six to seven months of the year. For a coastal area, that can have a big impact for a place like Tauranga."
Tauranga's minimum temperatures were the second highest on record which related to Tauranga's low sunshine hours, he said.
"Cloud cover at night usually keeps temperatures warmer, it traps the heat. It's perfect to get the temperatures up."
High levels of north-westerly and north-easterly winds which "dominated" the first half of the year and westerlies during spring also contributed to the high temperatures, keeping the air "warm and dry", Mr Brandolino said.
Tauranga also had a drier December, collecting only 44.4ml compared to the 10-year average of 93.5ml, MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said.
"It's fine for the beach, but not so great for those growing crops."
The majority of the December rain fell in just two days. December 8 saw 25.6ml and the 23rd saw 14.2ml.
"The rest of it was odd little showers," Ms Murray said.
Federated Farmers provincial president for the Bay of Plenty Darryl Jensen described the year as "one of the toughest".
"On the whole it's been a tough, wet spring.
"Especially on dairy farms, it's not what it's normally been."
Niwa's annual report confirmed the spring months has been wetter than usual in the Bay of Plenty.
The moisture and rain throughout spring had taken its toll on farmers in the Bay, who usually relied on an increase of growth for the livestock.
Sheep and beef farms had also struggled with not having the feed to get their live weight yields.
Mr Jensen said a lot of farmers had issues with their cow cycles and mating during spring, which could have an effect on calf rates this year.
Richard Somerfield of Somerfield Berryfruit Farm said the berries had a late start but a good season.
"It would have been about 10-days later, but it's been a good crop with no major problems."
Kiwi Produce director Geoff Oliver said they had quite dry orchards, particularly in the Pukehina area, and hoped more rain was on its way.
NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular said the weather had made it a "challenging" season.
"Our growing regions had half the normal sunshine hours in Autumn and we went into a warmer than normal winter. It has been much windier, which is always a challenge for both the trees and the fruit on them."
"It is industry best practice not to pick after heavy rain as the fruit holds the water and becomes more fragile through the supply chain. Having said that, we are nearly 80 per cent through one of our biggest seasons ever, and returns from all our export markets held strong as demand for the amazing avocado remained very high."
A New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers spokesperson said growers expected 2016's warm winter would have an impact on 2017 harvest numbers.
"While it is very early in the season to estimate total volumes with any accuracy, indications are that volumes for the Green variety of kiwifruit will be down in comparison to last year's harvest.
"It is also important to note that volume forecasts move a lot during the season and we generally don't know the actual volumes until well into harvest."
What to expect this month
Ms Murray said the first, second and fourth week of January looked to be drier than normal, with the 3rd week looking to move back to a "more regular pattern".
"Overall it's a dry month, but temperatures look to be a degree lower than the long term mean," she said.
By the numbers
Mean minimum temperature
Te Puke: 10.4C, 1.5C higher than normal. The highest on record.
Tauranga: 11.9C, 1.2C higher than normal. The second-highest on record.
Mean maximum temperature
Te Puke: 19.5C, 0.5C higher than normal. The third-highest on record.
Extremes of low daily minimum temperature
Te Puke: -2.1C on July 2. Equal to the lowest on record.
Extremes of high daily minimum temperature
Te Puke: 15.8C on June 10. The tenth highest on record.
Tauranga: 16.5C on June 10. The tenth highest on record.