A Banks Peninsula farmer says he has had no reprieve from drought conditions in the region and locals say they have not seen the region's paddocks so parched in years.
Dairy farmer Andre Van Barneveld has been waiting for some decent rain for almost five months. Photo: Supplied / Andre Van Barneveld
NIWA's latest climate summary shows the nationwide average temperature last month was 9.9C, making it the eighth-warmest June since records began back in 1909.
The report said rainfall levels were below normal, or well below normal, for the time of year for many western and inland parts of New Zealand.
Soil moisture levels in the eastern-most parts of Otago and Canterbury were significantly abnormal for this time of year at the end of June.
Andre Van Barneveld, a dairy consultant and farmer near Tai Tapu, on Banks Peninsula, said the last decent rainfall they had was back in mid-February - and before that, it was Christmas.
"We're in pretty dire straits," he said.
"We try not to be too negative to people about it, but our average pasture cover is about 1480 DM/ha. We would like to be about 1900DM/ha I guess, because we're quite low stocked in the system that we run.
"But at 1480DM/ha means we don't actually have a blade of grass. We don't have a single paddock to cover over 1700DM/ha.
"So most lawns will have more grass than our farm has."
Photo: Supplied / Andre Van Barneveld
Van Barneveld said they were now feeding their 220-cow herd silage and had reluctantly bought 46 tonnes of palm kernel extract (PKE) to supplement the herd's diet.
"Our cows are going to be on a diet of 100 percent silage and PKE for a start, because there is absolutely nothing else," he said.
He hoped the situation would improve with some much-needed rain, but said he has stopped checking the weather forecast, least his hopes be dashed again.
Photo: Supplied / Andre Van Barneveld
Van Barneveld said his neighbour, who has farmed the area for over 40 years, had never seen the region so dry.
The conditions were taking a toll on his family's financial and mental wellbeing, Van Barneveld said.
"For us, the main impact has probably been more mentally than financially.
"It's the last thing we think about at night is the situation and the first thing you wake up with in the morning.
"All we want is the very best for our cows. We just love having well-fed happy, healthy cows, that's what we're all about.
"And it's a real worry, coming into the spring with cows due to calve and having to have them on a diet that's not ideal."
Van Barneveld said he was confident they would make it through winter okay, but hoped to see some rainfall in the next month.