Extreme weather events both in New Zealand and around the world continue to destroy towns, cities, homes and lives, and one expert predicts there's more to come.
Official figures released by NIWA today show 2019 was the fourth hottest year on record for New Zealand. Tauranga had its hottest year since records began in 1913.
NIWA also announced a new 48-hour rainfall record had been set in the Hokitika catchment in March last year which saw more rain during those hours than Auckland had for the whole year.
Across the Tasman, Australia is battling bushfires in multiple states which have claimed the lives of both people and wildlife, and decimated towns. The country as a whole has just had its hottest and driest year on record, according to its 2019 Annual Climate Statement.
While there are scientists working on studies to decipher the exact cause, NIWA forecaster Nava Fedaeff suggests climate change has played more than its part.
"In essence, climate change affects everything. What it shows us is that these kinds of things are more likely," said Ms Fedaeff.
Meanwhile criticism of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s handling of the disaster continues.
And there's more to come.
"Climate change projections show that there will be more extreme rainfall events and there will be more droughts and dry spells and there will more wildfires which is what we are seeing," said Ms Fedaeff.
"So yes, climate change would have had a finger print in all of those events, the actual magnitude of that requires some calculations and some science and there are plenty of people that are working on exactly that."
She said New Zealand experiencing its fourth warmest year out of 111 years is “very significant”.
“It is quite worrying to see every year these continuous records,” she said.
“Climate change affects us all, it is a global issue so what is happening there (Australia), we had the Pigeon Valley fires here in February (2019) which also affected us significantly, so it is alarming to see those kinds of things happening."
As far as fire risk in New Zealand for 2020 goes, Ms Fedaeff says the upper North Island is already experiencing drier than normal soils.
Wild weather has been battering the West Coast.
"Currently there are no meteorological drought conditions anywhere across the country. Having said that though, in the short term there is not alot of rain and we are approaching some of those thresholds so that may change as we head later into summer," she said.
For future action to happen to combat climate change, Ms Fedaeff said NIWA is trying to educate people.
"I guess there is a lot of things that can be done and for us where we are its awareness, and understanding the science and that this is a reality and that's the main thing," she said.
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