New Zealand's Climate & Demographics

New Zealand's Climate

New Zealand's Demographics

New Zealand's Climate

New Zealand is in the same hemisphere as South Africa and Australia, having a temperate climate with moderate, year-round rainfall and in the North Island especially, an absence of extreme temperatures.

The country enjoys a pleasant and generally stable climate. Average summer temperatures will be between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius and winter temperatures between 10 - 18 degrees.

New Zealand is long and narrow, stretching a distance of 1600 kilometres in a North to South direction and being no more than 450 kilometres wide, at its widest point. The North and South Islands have a combined area of approximately 268,000 square kilometres. 

The sea moderates the climate bringing mild temperatures and a reliable climate throughout the year. The country is close to the International dateline and it is claimed that Gisborne, on the East Coast of the North Island is the first city in the world to see the light of each new day.

October through to April are the warmest months and May to September are the coolest. A typical summers day in the North will range in temperature between 24 and 30 degrees centigrade (72 and 86 Fahrenheit), while a mid-winters day will rarely fall below 14 or 15 degrees centigrade (around 52 Fahrenheit).

Auckland has never known snow. Or so I thought when I wrote this section some years ago. Apparently in 1939 it did snow in Auckland and a number of our extinct volcanoes had a dusting but it was well melted by morning tea time.

In the south it can be quite different or even in the north at higher elevations. Christchurch will occasionally have snow but is generally a very dry and sunny climate. Dunedin too is very dry with low year round rainfall but it is more likely than Christchurch to experience snow in winter.

Snow is generally not seen at sea level, though there is an abundance of snow during winter in the South Island high country and in the mountain ranges in the North Island. Both the North and South Islands have ample winter ski fields, with the South Island renowned for the majesty of its mountains and beauty of its woodlands, lakes and rivers.

Nelson, at the top of the South Island is the sunniest city in the country, however most of the country enjoys over 2000 hours of sunshine per year. The country is largely pollution free but on still winter days in Auckland and Christchurch air quality can certainly be at levels we should not be proud of.

Weather Tables

Table 1: Average Rainfall and Average Sunshine Hours

Table 2: New Zealand's Climate Summar (1971 - 2000)

Data are mean annual values for the 1971 - 2000 period, for locations having at least 5 complete years of data. Extreme temperatures are for the full historical record. Monthly temperature and rainfall data for each location are recorded in separate tables.

NIWA Analysis of 2010

Annual mean sea level pressures were above average over the New Zealand region in 2010. The increased prevalence of anticyclones ('highs') near New Zealand produced a relatively settled climate for the year overall, with average or above average annual temperatures in all regions, normal or above normal sunshine hours in most districts, and drought at either end of the year. 

The large-scale climate setting changed from a moderate El Niño at the start of the year, to a La Niña by July. The La Niña climate pattern intensified to moderate-to-strong by September, and prevailed through the end of 2010. The Southern Annular Mode (SAM), a climate pattern affecting the westerly wind strength and location over and to the south of the country, was strongly positive overall in 2010. This contributed to the prevalence of anticyclones experienced near New Zealand. 

Mean annual temperatures were above average (between 0.5°C and 1.2°C above the long-term average) in the northeast of the North Island, and in Nelson, Marlborough, parts of Canterbury, Fiordland and parts of Westland, the southern Lakes District and central Otago. Mean annual temperatures were near average elsewhere (within 0.5°C of the long-term average). The national average temperature for 2010 based on a 7-station series was 13.1 °C, 0.5 °C above the 1971–2000 annual average. 2010 was the 5th warmest year since 1900, based on this 7-station series. The four warmer years were 1971 (+0.6 °C), 1998 (+0.9 °C), 1999 (+0.8 °C), and 2005 (+0.6 °C). 

In broad terms, six months of the year were wetter than normal and six were drier than normal (with clear geographical exceptions). The net result was that annual rainfall totals for 2010 as a whole were in the near normal range (80 to 119 percent of normal) across most of the country. The exceptions were eastern parts of the North Island (specifically Coromandel, parts of the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, and Wairarapa), Blenheim, parts of North Canterbury and southwest Fiordland, which experienced above normal annual rainfall (with totals more than 120 percent of normal). In contrast, areas of Northland, Auckland and Waikato, Otago, the Lakes District and parts of the West Coast and Buller recorded below normal annual rainfall totals (between 50 and 85 percent of normal). 

It was a sunny year in the west, both in the North Island, and in the west and south of the South Island. It was the sunniest year on record for Te Kuiti, since records began there in 1962. Whakatane was the sunniest location in 2010, recording 2561 hours, followed by Nelson (2474 hours) and Blenheim (2415 hours). 

Notable climate features of 2010 (in various parts of the country) included two droughts, several heat waves, and three significant rainfall events. 

Drought was declared in January in Northland, and in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, South Taranaki, South Canterbury and Otago in April. The drought broke in May, only to be declared again in December in Northland, Waikato and Ruapehu. Heat waves affected the West Coast at the end of January, Central Otago on 8–9 March, and numerous locations on 28–30 November and 12–15 December. 

Exceptionally heavy rain occurred on 31 January in the northeast North Island; widespread heavy rain and flooding occurred in the southwest South Island from 25–27 April, resulting in flood-threshold levels of Lake Wakatipu; and a sustained period of heavy rain during 24–30 May in the eastern South Island caused numerous floods, slips, road and property damage. On December 28, heavy rain, flooding and high winds caused havoc for many areas of the country. 

New Zealand's Demographics:

New Zealand has a diverse and multicultural society with those of European extraction accounting for approximately 70% of the population. Approximately 15% of the population is Maori, 3% Polynesian and the balance is made up of a wonderful variety of ethnic peoples. Dutch, South Africans, Chinese, Indians are just a few who have settled in New Zealand over the years.

Auckland is the largest city, (and is the world's largest Polynesian city) with a population of over 1.3 million people. Wellington and Christchurch are the next largest cities with approximately 350,000 residents each. Christchurch is the largest of the South Island cities.

Statistics indicate that the population of New Zealand is around 4.3 million. By 2050 it is projected there will be 4.5 million people living in New Zealand after which based on current projections the population will slowly decline in line with our aging population.

Recent surveys suggest that the population of Auckland will continue to outstrip the rest of the country and growth over the next decade is expected to be in excess of 37%. This growth is in part at the expense of other centres, but while there is a drift of population from the South Island to North Island the largest factor is immigration from overseas. As a comparison it is anticipated that Southland, our southern most province will see a decline in population of over 6%, while the South Island's population will grow only 5.8% over the period.