Can farmers plough on? Hawke's Bay rain disruptions could be problematic

Flooding after rain in the Elsthorpe area a week ago. Rain is forecast throughout Hawke's Bay for much of the next week. Photo / Warren Buckland

One of the wettest years in recent Hawkes Bay history is threatening a ploughing match on what are usually some of the drier soils in the region.

Central Hawke's Bay farmer Chris Minehan says the paddock set aside for the season opening Takapau Ploughing Match on October 8 has been affected by the rain this winter and spring.

Another 20 millimetres in the next few days could see a rare cancellation of what is the first round of the national Silver Plough series.

A decision to cancel would be unlikely to be made before Tuesday, according to ploughing officials, but Minehan, who provides the land, as did his father before him, said: "It has dried out on top with a bit of wind. But if it got too wet they'd just have to pull the plug".

There have been few if any weather related cancellations of the match in the history of the club which dates back more than 110 years, although, as with most events, there have been cancellations in the Covid 19 era.

According to the latest rainfall statistics, there has been more than 1080mm of rain at the Takapau Plains recording station this year.

In September there had been 171mm, almost three times the September average.

Rain or showers are forecast throughout Hawke's Bay every day for the next week, with a "heavy rain watch" notice issued on Friday by MetService for the area north of Napier, for the 18 hours from 1pm Friday until 7am Saturday.

MetService warned of periods of heavy rain which could approach "warning criteria," posing prospects of a wet Friday night's NPC rugby match at McLean Park, Napier.

Heavy rain is expected on Saturday for Hawke's Bay Racing's Spring Racing Carnival in Hastings.

Problems are also now being predicted for the food chain, with Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay provincial president Jim Galloway saying pea planting is already more than three weeks behind schedule.

The ground had become so wet there is "just nowhere for it to go", he said, highlighting that there was 30-40mm in a day last week, and adding: "The water levels came right to the top. We wouldn't want that again."