Drought prompts financial aid, water warnings in Horizons region

Drought declaration has opened up support for those struggling with dry conditions. Photo / Bevan Conley

The dry conditions behind the current drought in the Horizons region is expected to last the month.

A medium-scale adverse event was declared across four regions by Agriculture Minister Todd McClay last week, following the Taranaki and Waikato regions' declarations in February.

Horizons group manager strategy, science and regulation Dr Lizzie Daly said the declaration followed months of low rainfall levels across most of the region.

Since Tuesday, five of seven districts in the region have received below average or low levels of rainfall compared to what is expected this time of year, she said.

Dry conditions also aren’t expected to change anytime soon.

“Niwa’s drought forecasting model, as well as MetService forecasts, show that it’s unlikely our region will experience significant enough rainfall in the coming month to change current conditions,” Daly said.

“Of course, forecasting models are never 100% accurate but we’re not anticipating conditions to improve in the short term.”

Daly said the rivers in the Horizons region have been affected by the dry weather, frequently moving in and out of low-flow water restrictions for a few months.

Due to these low flows, Daly urged people to be cautious with their water use.

“We all rely on water to be there when we turn on the tap. It’s important we maintain sufficient flow in waterways to ensure we have enough for everyone, and to protect our region’s ecosystems,” she said.

Daly recommended consent holders should continue to regularly check Horizons’ EnviroData and WaterMatters resources to stay up to date with any restrictions.

She said it was important for people to start accessing support and using caution in water use.

The declaration opened $100,000 funding availability for affected communities from the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry for Primary Industries and IRD.

Horizons senior emergency management adviser – resilience Matthew Putt said the Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management Rural Coordination Group is actively monitoring the situation to provide accurate and timely information and support to affected communities.

“We encourage anyone who may be struggling as a result of dry conditions in our region to reach out to your Rural Support Trust.”

Further support and advice resources for farmers, landowners, and growers can be found at horizons.govt.nz