A Wairarapa farmer says rain at the weekend after a drought came at the perfect time, as the industry looks to grow feed for the autumn and winter.
Up to 160mm of rain fell on Wairarapa over the weekend, and up to 40mm more could fall on Monday.
President of Federated Farmers Wairarapa, William Beetham, says the situation has been desperate after a prolonged dry period.
Wairarapa had 160mm of rain at the weekend. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
"We had 145mm and it's just started to rain here again, but that varied across our region from 130 to about 160mm in certain areas, but up around the Tararua region, which is also suffering severe drought, they only had 20 or so mils," he told Morning Report.
The rain will recharge severely depleted water systems, he said.
"All of our water systems are so depleted, all the dams were dry, all the drains and the creeks were pretty much running dry. It's taken a lot of water to recharge all of those areas, so the water has run off and recharged a lot of dams, a lot of creeks, which has been absolutely fantastic.
"Now it's just been soaking into the soil and recharging our soil profile, so there's been a lot of rain, but it's also raining over a longer period, so it's really soaking into the soil which is fantastic."
The situation had become desperate, he said.
"We've experienced drought in the Wairarapa before, it's not uncommon actually, and we're usually very, very prepared for it, however this year was quite unusual, it went on for a long time, there wasn't even small skerricks of rain happening during the drought."
Also, the slow down in processing animals because of Covid-19, meant farmers had been holding more stock on the farm, he said.
Federated Farmers Wairarapa president William Beetham. Photo: WAIRARAPA TIMES-AGE / LDR
"Things were becoming quite difficult. It was a real challenge and so hopefully over the next month we can move out of this area."
He has been feeding out on his farm for 8 weeks, he said.
"That was bailage and grain to our ewes, just to try and maintain their condition and make sure our animals can stay healthy, so that was a challenge. And we've just started feeding out further nuts and straw to younger calves and other animals."
The whole lower North island had run out of bailage, he said.
"There's only really straw and hay available and grain as well.
"It still is a challenge, it's going to take us a while to grow pasture and get our animals back on the lovely green grass that we feed them."
The rain will eventually allow paddocks and hill country to recover, but it will take time, Beetham said.
"We're very lucky that this rain has come almost at a perfect time in terms of enabling us to start to grow some feed for autumn which will set us up for the winter."
Beetham said he hoped his colleagues further north in Tararua and Hawke's Bay would get some much-needed rain too.
NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino told Morning Report there was some rain expected today for Wairarapa, as well as Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and southern Canterbury.
"There will be some rain, that's the good news, so central and southern Hawke's Bay will today get anywhere from 10 to 25mm of rainfall."
Further south, those same areas that received significant rainfall over the weekend are probably in line for another 20 to 40mm of rainfall today," he said.
The amount of weekend rain was unlikely to be repeated over the next two weeks, Brandolino said, with the west of the South Island likely to have the most meaningful rainfall.
The top of the North Island could expect showers, he said, and temperatures across New Zealand would be average, or slightly above average, in the next 2 weeks.