Flooding in Wairoa in June. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
Growers and breeders will never begrudge the heavy rain seen in the Wairoa district in the past few weeks, but it is more challenging for some than others, a farmer says.
MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for Wairoa in northern Hawke's Bay from 2pm-10pm Saturday.
The watch comes after two month's worth of rain fell over the district on Boxing Day and 27 December, while more heavy rain battered the town on New Year's Eve.
National Federated Farmers board member Sandra Faulkner, who is also a local farmer, said Wairoa had had more than 200 millimetres of rain in December, and 600 millimetres in the hill country. The average for this time of year was up to 65 millimetres.
Faulkner, who farms sheep and cattle as well as growing citrus and crops, said the rain was a plus for livestock and grass growth but not for her other ventures.
"It depends entirely on what your focus is. For us, with multiple, different enterprises on the farm, it's a little bit of a double-edged sword. But that said we will never begrudge soft rain in December, January, you just don't ever wish it away!"
It was welcome after three months of dry weather, she said.
"It has fallen gently, for want of a better term. In other words, it hasn't come in such heavy doses that the land couldn't cope with it, so we haven't seen the damage we saw in 2023.
"But it's enough now that it can buzz off, is basically what I think everybody is thinking!"
Nearly two years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, heavy rain still triggered anxiety for many locals, including farmers, Faulkner said.
"There are still those that are struggling with sub-par access, road access in particular. So any heavy rain tends to trigger some real anxiety.
"Your thoughts definitely go to those folk when you when you see these big weather events coming ... it's going to take years for that to recede in people's memories."
Bad weather was now "very well forecast", she added.
"Our emergency services up and down the East Coast and probably all the way through to Northland, I would say very well-schooled when it comes to weather events now."
Her thoughts went out to local tourism operators and holiday visitors, she said.
"Those [who] go looking for that wonderful East Coast summer that we're so renowned for. Once again our New Year got rained on. So I do feel for them and I think most farmers would.
"We'll roll into 2025 and always wish for the best."
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