January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nFurther north, there are heavy rain watches across the Grey and Buller districts in the upper South Island from noon-11pm Sunday.<\/p>\n
A strong wind watch is in place for the Marlborough area from 1-10am Sunday and in the Wellington and Wairarapa area from 2am Sunday to 4am Monday.<\/p>\n
Pawley advised people in affected areas to prepare their properties and drive cautiously in anticipation of the heavy rain and wind.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re in those regions where a heavy rain warning is in place, or indeed a watch further north, it\u2019s a good idea to clear your drains and gutters and make sure that you\u2019re prepared for the rain that\u2019s coming through.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can expect that there might be some damage to trees and power lines … [and] with winds picking up, wildfires can get out of hand quite quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hot start for 2026<\/p>\n
For the first few months of this year, above-average temperatures are expected, particularly in the north and west of the North Island.<\/p>\n
The Earth Sciences seasonal climate outlook for January to March also indicated above-average rainfall for the north and east of the North Island, and below-average rainfall for the west of the South Island.<\/p>\n
Fedaeff said a weak La Nina would be at play over New Zealand to start the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means we get more northerly and northeasterly winds, so more weather from the tropics, which is a warm place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Factors typically contributing to hotter years included warm seas.<\/p>\n
![\"MetService]()
MetService says New Zealand’s high temperatures are being caused by remnants of the Australian heatwave earlier this week. Photo \/ SOPA Images \/ LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cMarine heatwave conditions, which are in play now, they don\u2019t turn off as quickly as air temperatures do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earth Sciences\u2019 latest annual climate report showed 2025 was New Zealand\u2019s fourth-hottest year on record, with four of its five warmest years occurring since 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already have this massive boost from climate change,\u201d Fedaeff said. \u201cThat means that we\u2019re starting off on a warmer note just because we\u2019ve loaded that dice already.\u201d<\/p>\n
The climate report found most regions were hotter than average by between 0.51C and 1.2C, but parts of Northland and Bay of Plenty were significantly hotter, by more than 1.2C.<\/p>\n
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