Dry autumn hits Hawke's Bay farmers

Te Mata Peak is framed by autumn leaves. The season has been dryer than normal in Hawke's Bay this year. Photo / Warren Buckland

Farmers are struggling in the midst of a dryer-than-usual Hawke's Bay autumn.

The Niwa climate report for April said soils were "notably drier than normal" in Hawke's Bay, and parts of the region had also received significantly less rainfall than would have been expected.

MetService data also showed the twin cities received less than the historical average of rainfall last month.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president Will Foley said some farmers were "struggling" with the dry weather, as the autumn season became known as the "autumn dry".

"The rainfall generally has been enough, but there's an area out toward the coast that's still struggled to recover from the autumn dry. Omakere, Pourerere, down to Porangahau, they just haven't been getting the rainfall we get inland. If we get 50mm, they'll only get 20mm, which hasn't been enough to get their pastures going. They are struggling out there."

While many pastures had received enough rain, dams and creeks were still dry.

"All of [last year] was relatively dry, so it's just been an accumulation of dry weather. There's not a lot of groundwater [in Hawke's Bay]."

He said that in recent years the autumn season had been lacking in rain.

"We wish it wasn't but, for whatever reason, the climate seems to be changing in a way that a dry autumn is becoming the new normal."

Niwa forecaster Chris Brandolino said Hawke's Bay could expect increasingly dry weather in the coming decades, thanks to climate change.

"As our climate changes and evolves, there will be more frequent and extreme weather events, including droughts."

He said time spent in drought in the eastern North Island was expected to double or triple by 2040.

MetService forecaster Nicole Ranger said residents could expect fine weather today, with northwesterly winds freshening tomorrow, and a possibility of gales in exposed places on Thursday.

Rain was expected about the western hills on Thursday, clearing on Friday, which would become fine in the afternoon.

Saturday was looking fine.