The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

Drought prompts financial aid, water warnings in Horizons region

Whanganui Chronicle
13 Mar, 2025 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

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

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.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“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.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

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

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Council working to keep gifted farm free from wastewater

23 Jun 11:17 PM
The Country

Could spiders help NZ's farms?

23 Jun 09:42 PM
The Country

Brief winter respite to be swept away by heavy rain, severe gales

23 Jun 07:00 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Council working to keep gifted farm free from wastewater

Council working to keep gifted farm free from wastewater

23 Jun 11:17 PM

Pain Farm was originally gifted for sports and playground use in 1932.

Could spiders help NZ's farms?

Could spiders help NZ's farms?

23 Jun 09:42 PM
Brief winter respite to be swept away by heavy rain, severe gales

Brief winter respite to be swept away by heavy rain, severe gales

23 Jun 07:00 PM
Why rice is poised to survive better in a warming world

Why rice is poised to survive better in a warming world

23 Jun 06:00 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP