Severe weather risk: MetService issues weather watches as storms sweep northern North Island
A slow-moving front over central New Zealand is forecast to move eastwards today, while another front is expected to move northwards over the lower South Island tonight.
MetService meteorologist Dom Barry told the Herald a complex trough affecting the North Island is bringing a large amount of rain for Northland all the way down to Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
A number of weather watches have been issued and many may be upgraded to warnings, Barry said.
Associated with those fronts, Kiwis are forecast to see thunderstorms and localised downpours, particularly for the likes of Northland, this morning.
Aucklanders should expect to see the heaviest falls in the morning.
“If there happens to be a thunderstorm pop up, that will also have some heavier falls associated with that,” Barry said.
For the South Island, there are multiple fronts affecting the southern part of the island.
“For areas north of Otago and Southland and southern Westland, mainly fine for eastern coast areas, Canterbury, Canterbury High Country, Marlborough-Nelson area, not looking too bad,” Barry said.
“There’s just a bit of rain about Buller in the morning, which turns to showers in the afternoon.”
A number of regions were likely to have also experienced muggy temperatures overnight.
“We’ve got some areas, the likes of Taupō, Rotorua, looking at temperatures that are six-ish degrees above average overnight,” Barry said.
Those areas were looking at overnight temperatures of 12-14C, he said.
Weather watches and warnings
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A heavy rain watch is in place for Northland until 10am today.
Aotea Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula are under the same watch until 8pm tonight.
Auckland is also under a heavy rain watch until 11am and Waikato until 1pm.
Bay of Plenty and the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers are under the same watch until 3am on Thursday.
This comes after a week of heavy rain across the country. Wellington, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt all recorded their second-wettest days of this year so far on Monday.
“This is not the greatest news for parents and caregivers who may be wanting their kids outside to burn energy,” Barry said.
“However, it is not all bad news – there will be gaps between periods of rain where the little bundles of energy can get outside."
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A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
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Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.3% Yes
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46.7% No
Thousands of police warnings could be wiped because of protocol breaches
Thousands of formal warnings issued by police could be wiped from official records and compulsory training for all staff has been introduced because police haven't followed proper protocol for years, the Herald can reveal. Relying on formal warnings during police vetting has also been stopped nationwide because of the botch-up, and police are now inviting anyone who has concerns about a formal warning they've received to contact police and request a review of their records.
The background: Deficiencies in the formal warning system were first identified in 2021, after a High Court judge found the way warnings were issued breached the law. Central to the court’s ruling was that police didn’t understand that for a formal warning to be issued, a suspect must accept responsibility for their offending, and there must be sufficient evidence to prove the offence. After that ruling, police said they’d review their policies. However, the Herald has learned that four years since flaws were first identified, significant issues remain. A review conducted last year found that of a sample of 467 warnings issued between 2019 and 2024, only 171 were compliant. Police said those found to have breached policy were then wiped from official records.
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