2023 brought more rain to much of New Zealand

The latest update to our surveillance report on drought and rainfall in New Zealand shows that many areas of the eastern and northern North Island received 50% or more excess rainfall over their normal levels in 2023. 

Climate change is expected to increase the amount of rainfall Aotearoa experiences, which is a concern as high concentrations of populations who are vulnerable to health effects linked to increased rainfall live in areas prone to extreme rain, particularly Māori, young children and people living in higher levels of deprivation. 

Read more about this in the surveillance report.