Recent December rainfall has eased concerns for Hawke's Bay farmers heading into the driest time of year.
On December 7 Hawke's Bay made Niwa's weekly Hotspot Watch as one of five North Island areas experiencing soil moisture deficits after receiving no or very little rain for several weeks.
This had caused some concern among the region's farmers who would have been affected by dry conditions if no rainfall had occurred.
However, a few days of rain pushed Hawke's Bay off the list for the following week and it has remained off due to further bouts of rain including a wet four days following Christmas with 27.6mm recorded by MetService in Napier on Boxing Day.
Hawke's Bay Federated Farmers president Will Foley said there had now been enough rainfall to alleviate any concerns among farmers.