After a lengthy stay at the top of the country's sunshine standings, Whakatane has narrowly lost its title as the "sunniest spot in New Zealand" to Blenheim.
NIWA's climate database confirms that Blenheim topped the sunshine standings in 2015 with 2814 hours of sunshine recorded, 29 hours ahead of Whakatane, with Lake Tekapo, Nelson, New Plymouth and Gisborne trailing further behind.
Whakatane mayor Tony Bonne has passed on his congratulations to Marlborough District mayor Alistair Sowman.
"We're gracious in defeat and acknowledge that Blenheim has outshone us," he said.
"But Whakatane held the title for four out of the previous five years and we were a very close second in 2015, so we're certainly not short of sun."I guess it's only fair that we share our sunshine capital status around every now and then."