Source: NIWA
Autumn 2025 was New Zealand’s fifth-warmest on record, with nationwide average temperatures above the long-term seasonal average for almost all the country, according to NIWA’s latest seasonal climate summary.
Almost all regions experienced above-average temperatures, driven by more frequent northeasterly winds and persistently high-pressure systems.
It was a warm autumn, wet for eastern and northern parts of the South Island, says NIWA Climate Scientist Gregor Macara .
The data shows it was a wetter-than-usual autumn for eastern and northern parts of the South Island, while Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, and western Bay of Plenty also saw above normal rainfall.
Meanwhile, areas such as Dunedin, Whanganui, and Hawke’s Bay remained drier than usual over the three month period, March to May.
Two major weather events marked the autumn season: heavy flooding in Canterbury at the end of April, which prompted a state of emergency in multiple districts, and ex-tropical cyclone Tam, which impacted the North Island in mid-April.
Extreme conditions included a high of 33.6°C in Timaru, a low of -5.0°C in Manapouri and Tūrangi, and the highest 1-day rainfall of 290 mm, recorded at Tākaka on 3 April.
Among the main centres, Auckland was the warmest, Tauranga the sunniest and wettest, and Dunedin the driest and least sunny. More detailed information, including records and local data, is available at https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/seasonal
