Bay of Plenty chefs in 35C kitchens drinking sports drinks, air conditioning installers toiling in 50C roof cavities, builders going through “a few hundred bucks” of sunscreen, and lifeguards are all working through the heat this summer.
So how are people sweating it out in searing temperatures coping?
MetServicemeteorologist Daniel Corrigan says, “We’ve just had a week’s worth of warmer than average temperatures across Aotearoa New Zealand” and the “Bay of Plenty is no exception”.
Corrigan said the weather included “hot sunny days as well as some muggy nights” for the region.
“While the Bay of Plenty hasn’t had any record-breaking temperatures, daytime maximum temperatures have been in the mid to high twenties and overnight minimum temperatures in the high teens.”
Nationwide, temperatures are rising. MetService has issued a heat warning for Auckland with the temperature set to rise to 27C but to feel even hotter, with 98 per cent humidity.
Hot in the kitchen: How chefs cope with summer heat
Rotorua’s Atticus Finch and Sobar & Cafe restaurant owner Sid Saluja said he ensured his kitchen staff are “getting enough days off” during summer months.
Saluja said it could get up to 35C when cooking in the kitchen.
The business has recently installed air conditioning units in the commercial kitchen to beat the heat.
“It’s hot in the kitchen, but it’s fun,” Saluja said.
Atticus Finch sous chef Sim Ranjit Singh (left) and head chef Som Raj Mehja. Photo / Andrew Warner
He said that during the winter months chefs “get the privilege of staying around the heat” but in summer “it’s the opposite”.
“We’ve recently added a couple of fans in the kitchen just to get the air moving.”
Atticus Finch head chef Som Raj Mehja, a chef of 24 years, said his boss “keeps giving us Powerades ... and time breaks” to handle the heat of the kitchen.
“On some days, it’s really hot.”
Atticus Finch sous chef Sim Ranjit Singh said working as a chef this summer “has been different from other years”.
“Last year, we weren’t really prepared for it. This year we were way more prepared, we had [an] ample amount of chefs.”
Owner of Dylan Oswald Construction Dylan Oswald.
Dylan Oswald Construction Rotorua owner Dylan Oswald said it could be “extremely hot” during the summer months working outside and doing physical work.
“Before Christmas, we had a few scorcher days. We were working on a slab which is pretty hot”.
Oswald said the company spent “a few hundred bucks” on supplying sunscreen to all its builders each summer and had bought his team of seven fishermen-style long-sleeved shirts to protect them from the sun.
He said some of his employees “wear buffs which you can pull up over your face and neck”.
“They help heaps. Especially because you don’t get sunburned.”
Working in 50-degree roof cavities
Bay Breeze Heatpumps director Calum Henderson said that during the peak of summer, the living room temperatures of homes without air conditioning were mid to high 20s.
”But up in the roof where we’re working, [it’s] up to 50C and above.”
Henderson said the time spent in roof cavities varied between jobs but it could be up to a full day.
He said the heat could also trigger headaches and the key was to “keep hydrated”.
Tauranga Landscaping owner Alan Collingwood said he advised his team of five to “hydrate as much as possible” and wear “good wide-brimmed hats” and sunscreen.
Collingwood said he had sunscreen “permanently” in his truck.
“We also try to pick the hottest times of the day that we are working in the shade, if there’s any shade on the property.”
Surf Life Saving New Zealand eastern region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said it could get “really hot on the beach” where surf lifeguards spend their day.
He said the risk of fainting or getting heatstroke while on patrol was “high” if the “right steps” were not taken.
“Surf lifeguards stay cool and protect themselves from the sun by staying sun smart. They all wear wide-brim hats, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirts, and plenty of sunscreen.
“They’re also encouraged to drink water throughout the day, seek shade when needed, and many of them go for a quick swim to cool off.”
Gibbons-Campbell said it was unknown how much sunscreen lifeguards went through each week but “we know they go through plenty of it”.
“Tubes of sunscreen are on high rotation, and they are constantly making sure there is a good supply available.”
Tauranga GP and Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners’ medical director Dr Luke Bradford. Photo / Mead Norton
Tauranga GP and Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners’ medical director Dr Luke Bradford said symptoms of heatstroke included “nausea and vomiting, confusion [and a] real decrease in energy”.
“If you starting to suspect any of that you need to remove yourself from the heat [and] get into a cool shady place.”
Bradford said drinking cool water and placing “wet towels or flannels dipped in cold water over the back of your neck around your head”.
“If that’s not settled it, and you are feeling worse, definitely seek medical help.”
A WorkSafe New Zealand spokesperson said “managing heat is an issue where being flexible is critical” in the workplace.
“It’s very difficult to give a maximum or minimum temperature based on air temperature alone. There are other factors to consider as well including humidity, radiant heat, clothing and the type of work being done.”
How to recognise the signs of heatstroke:
When a person is suffering from heat stroke, their body temperature can rise to 40 degrees or more.
