‘The grass is golden’: Farmers desperate for rain as drought threatens to spread across North Island

Concern about a drought in the Manawatū-Whanganui region is a harsh reality facing farmers, with weather forecasters predicting a dry March.

Drought is creeping down the west coast of the lower North Island with farmers bracing for the severe impact of a March without heavy rain.

Rangitīkei MP and farmer Suze Redmayne said there had been just 13mm of rain on her Turakina farm in February, which was the lowest amount recorded in the past 40 years.

“When you look at some parts of Rangitīkei the grass is golden - there’s just nothing there,” Redmayne said.

North Island farmers are hoping for sustained heavy rainfall in March to break dry conditions, lift water table levels and get autumn growth under way.

MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam said the monthly outlook showed an active front spreading up the country could bring rain in March, but a high-pressure system was continuing to dominate the long-range forecast and meant it was expected to be a dry month.

Drought was declared in Taranaki last week with farmers facing increasingly harsh conditions.

Federated Farmers Taranaki provincial president Leedom Gibbs said the demand for water for livestock in the hot weather was putting farmers under a lot of pressure.

“A milking cow in normal conditions needs 100 litres of water a day, and as soon as they get under heat stress, they need 200 litres - so it doubles,” she said.

She said the prospect of a dry March and the drought spreading was “deeply concerning”.

The Gullies farmer Laura Morrison said the dryness was “biting hard” on the coastal road between Whanganui and Marton.

“There’s still a bit of cattle feed around but generally people are running out pretty quickly now,” Morrison said.

Horizons Regional Council’s dry weather summary said Niwa’s predictions for forecast rainfall suggested dry and very dry conditions on the west coast, with the middle scenario of drier-than-normal conditions continuing until late March.

Gibbs said it was a long road ahead for farmers in the worst-affected areas.

“A lot of people are struggling for water to feed their stock, we’ve got people trucking water in every day and digging new bores,” Gibbs said.

Morrison said if an official drought was to hit the Manawatū-Whanganui region, the biggest concern was the dam water supply that a lot of farms relied on. Most farmers were prioritising making hay as feed would be in high demand.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said farmers were doing it tough and conditions on the ground were becoming extremely difficult with limited feed and pasture available across northern, central, and western parts of the North Island and the top of the South.

“That’s why I declared a drought in Taranaki last week and have instructed the Ministry for Primary Industries to keep a close eye on the wider situation,” McClay said.

“Additional support will be extended based on soil moisture levels, feed availability and farmer morale.”

Redmayne said farmers were pretty resilient and would be employing methods such as shifting stock or digging up dams to combat the current climate.

“The one thing you just can’t control is the weather,” she said.

Short bursts of rain in March would not reverse circumstances for many farmers, and in some cases could make matters worse, as sustained rain was needed to recharge heavilydepleted water tables.

Bellam said the heavy showers experienced in Whanganui and Feilding on Tuesday, would not last over the course of the week.

The rainfall recorded for February was sitting well below average amounts for many parts of the North Island. At MetService’s testing station at Whanganui Airport, there had been 3.4mm of rain in February compared to an average of 47.2mm.

In the South Taranaki region, Hāwera and Manaia were some of the driest areas, with a severe rain deficit.

Gibbs said it was important for any farmers who were worried about the ongoing weather conditions to seek help and let others know about the situation on their farm.

Farmers struggling with the dry conditions or drought can contact the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.