Nature threw drought and floods at Nelson and Tasman through 2025, with a whole lot of sunshine in between.
Earth Sciences New Zealand’s annual climate summary tells the story of extreme weather that can cause havoc in communities.
The vagaries of nature were felt early on, with a drought affecting parts of Tasman. By early March, the Minister for Agriculture had declared drought as a medium-scale adverse event, alongside Northland, Waikato, Horizons and Marlborough.
It went from one extreme to another. Just three months later, Nelson was drenched by heavy rain as an atmospheric river passed over western and northern parts of the South Island, and northern parts of the North Island.
That was just the beginning. In late June, heavy rain caused widespread flooding in Tasman, Nelson, and Marlborough, and a state of emergency was declared for these regions. Homes in Moutere, Brightwater, and Spring Creek were evacuated, while residents in Tapawera and Tadmor Valley were advised to head to higher ground. Approximately 60 northern South Island roads were closed due to flooding and fallen trees.
The floodwaters had only just receded, when on 11 July persistent heavy rainfall caused significant flooding in the Tasman region. Dozens of homes suffered damage and at least four were red-stickered, with 21 yellow-stickered.
Approximately 50 local roads were closed, with many schools, kindergartens and playcentres also closed. Around 13,000 homes across Motueka and Golden Bay lost power.
Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes, while there were reports of people needing rescue from their vehicles after becoming trapped in floodwaters.
The Nelson Tasman region was placed under a state of emergency, which remained in place until 17 July.
It was one of several emergency declarations around the country in 2025. Selwyn District, Christchurch, and Banks Peninsula were impacted by flooding in April-May, while Southland and Clutha had severe and damaging winds in late October.
In Tasman, those rain events produced near-record one-day rainfall totals in some areas. Tākaka had its third highest rainfall on 3 April with 290mm measured, and in Motueka, 164mm on 11 July was its fourth-highest on record.
By the end of the year, Richmond had received 1,237mm of rain, Nelson at the airport 1,368mm, Motueka 1,565mm, and Farewell Spit 1,570mm.
While it rained it was warmer, and Rainbow Ski Area never opened because the snow never came in 2025.
Earth Sciences New Zealand’s climate summary for the year reveals a warming country.
Four of New Zealand’s five warmest years on record have occurred since 2021. It is an ongoing warming trend observed both locally and globally which climate scientist Gregor Macara says is consistent with human-caused climate change, largely driven by human greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite the rain, the region is still one of the sunniest places in the country. Though it was pipped at the post by Taranaki this year, which recorded 2,743 hours of sunshine at New Plymouth, the wider Nelson region came in second with 2,672 hours recorded at Richmond. Marlborough followed with 2,644 hours recorded at Blenheim.
Earth Sciences New Zealand’s manager for climate, atmosphere and hazards, Nava Fedaeff, says the region’s big rainfall events put the region on the backfoot for claiming the sunshine crown in 2025.
“So many rainfall events certainly hampered your chances of having the crown.”
Rainfall events like Nelson Tasman experienced in 2025 will become more frequent in a changing climate, she says.
For the next three months though, near normal or below normal rainfall is expected, with average or above-average temperatures. However, she warns there is always the tropical cyclone wild card to watch out for.
