Breaking News:

ALL NEWS

Water carved New Zealand’s stunning landscape. Now too much is risking lives

Feb 16, 2023, 5:00 AM

New Zealand's Hawke's Bay is known for its fine wine, but many of the region's vineyards are now un...

An NH90 helicopter and crew recover people from the rooftops of their homes in Esk Valley, Napier in this handout photo released on February 14, 2023. New Zealand Defence Force/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION OF THE PHOTO HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY.

 (CNN) — New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay is known for its fine wine, but many of the region’s vineyards are now under water, along with homes and roads in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

The weather system didn’t make landfall in New Zealand, but it caused widespread destruction, killing at least four people, displacing thousands, destroying roads and cutting access to smaller communities in the country’s northeast.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins flew over the flood-hit areas on Thursday and said the “extensive” damage had made it clear the country was unprepared for extreme weather events — and there is a lot of work to be done.

“We’re talking about roading, we’re talking about telecommunications, we’re talking about electricity and energy. There’s no question, we’ve got some big challenges ahead,” he said, while visiting the flood-ravaged city of Gisborne.

“We are going to see more of these types of weather events. So we have to be prepared.”

Hipkins didn’t mention the climate crisis by name, but his climate change minister James Shaw made the link clear in an emotional address to parliament two days earlier.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt as sad or as angry about the lost decades that we spent bickering and arguing about whether climate change was real or not,” Shaw said on Tuesday. “It is clearly here now, and if we do not act it will get worse.”

What’s made this week’s devastation so shocking is that it came just two weeks after a short, sharp deluge in Auckland, the country’s largest city of 1.7 million people.

That downpour caused flash flooding and landslides, and contributed to New Zealand’s wettest month on record — all during what’s typically one of the driest months of the year.

River cities increasingly vulnerable

New Zealand owes its stunning landscape partly to the country’s long record of intense rainfall. Rain regularly dumped on its mountains has carved rivers that rage after downpours.

Many towns and cities sit on their banks — established to take advantage of access to ports and trade routes, which for a long time has served communities well.

“New Zealand is very good at building communities on floodplains — there’s a large fraction of the population that live close to rivers that tend to flood,” said James Renwick, a weather and climate researcher at Victoria University of Wellington. “There tends to be the attitude that we can build stop banks and that will protect the community, and it does most of the time, until you get a really big event.”

Those really big events are expected to become more frequent as global temperatures warm. New Zealand lies in the South Pacific Ocean, and is vulnerable to tropical cyclones that typically form in the north but can affect any part of the country in their path. This week, the northeast suffered the biggest hit as Cyclone Gabrielle whipped up winds and days of rain.

La Niña, a weather event that results in warmer air and sea temperatures, also contributed to Gabrielle’s strength.

Sam Dean, principal scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA, said climate change is not necessarily going to increase the frequency of tropical cyclones, but it will make them more powerful.

“They’re occurring over sea surface temperatures that are warmer than they were. The atmosphere is warmer and it’s holding more moisture, so there’s just more fuel, more energy available that makes them more intense, it makes them more damaging,” he said. “It makes the winds a little bit stronger. It makes the rainfall more significant.”

And cyclones like Gabrielle can form and move around just about any part of the country, he said, so the risk isn’t just in one part of the nation. “I don’t think there’s any part of New Zealand that isn’t at risk of extreme rainfall,” he said.

But heavy rainfall isn’t the only risk posed by climate change in New Zealand, long considered a safe haven by those seeking refuge from global troubles.

Parts of the country have experienced drought in recent years, and even a few years ago, Auckland — the city hit by a short bout of intense rainfall in January — was close to running out of water.

“The whole area is usually very dry and very close to drought this time of year. Now it’s soaking wet,” said Daithi Stone, a climate scientist at NIWA. “But that risk of drought hasn’t gone away, (and) in our predictions of how climate change is going to affect New Zealand, that’s a feature that seems to be fairly robust — that Northland (north of Auckland) will get drier.”

Heat waves could also become a risk in a country that’s not accustomed to unbearably hot temperatures, Stone added.

“We’re not used to heat waves … over here, it’s a novel concept. And I think we may get a fright sometime in the not too distant future,” he said.

Reducing emissions

With just 5 million people, New Zealand is a small player when it comes to global carbon emissions.

Last year, it produced 78.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent — well below the biggest emitters, China and the United States. But the New Zealand government takes climate change seriously, and last year released its first emissions reductions plan to meet a goal of net zero emissions by 2050. It also released a national adaptation plan to mitigate climate disasters in the future.

Dean, from NIWA, said Cyclone Gabrielle was likely to prompt an acceleration of that plan. “You can see an urgency to get some of these things in place and I think that’s been motivated, definitely, by this event,” he said.

Renwick, from Victoria University, said an obvious solution would be to move people away from coastlines and rivers that are at risk of more frequent flooding. But he said communities with long ties to the area will likely be reluctant to leave, and he predicted a greater emphasis on protection than relocation.

“I suspect the main response is going to be protection works rather than moving people away. So building sea walls, building levees, stop banks, putting houses up on higher piles,” he said.

But aside from adapting, as a small country, New Zealand is reliant on the biggest emitters doing more to prevent global temperatures rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius — the threshold scientists say is needed to prevent the more catastrophic effects of the climate crisis. The world is already at least 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer than it was before industrialization.

“What we need to see is China and the US, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the big emitters starting to pull their emissions down as well, and I hope we can provide a bit of inspiration, a bit of an example in this country to help other countries do the same,” Renwick said.

“We really want to stop warming the climate more because these extreme events will become overwhelming.”

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

All News

Salt Lake County Search and Rescue responds to an avalanche fatality in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Sa...

Jacob Freeman

One dead after avalanche in Big Cottonwood

BRIGHTON — One person died after an avalanche in the Silver Fork area of Big Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday. The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that one person had died, and one person was rescued. The Utah Avalanche Center said on Instagram that the accident occurred on East Bowl in Silver Fork. Deputy Arlan […]

7 days ago

FILE - A Salt Lake City Police Department patrol car. (SLCPD)...

Kennedy Camarena

SLCPD preparing for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidential Inauguration

The Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) is preparing for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations and the Presidential Inauguration.

27 days ago

A teen was shot and killed while driving a vehicle on Friday....

Kennedy Camarena

Fourth in custody in connection to 17-year-old shot, killed in car near Cedar City, police say

Police say a 17-year-old girl died after she was followed and shot at by another driver on Friday while driving her own vehicle.

28 days ago

Police have arrested Nestor Rocha-Aguayo, and said he is a person of interest in the homicide inves...

SHELBY LOFTON, CARLYSLE PRICE AND ALTON BARNHART, KSL TV

Person of interest in West Valley homicide found and in police custody

Police are searching for a 24-year-old man who is a person of interest in an active homicide investigation.

1 month ago

Juan Diego Catholic High School student Denver Whaley works on a ceramic artwork. Whaley won "award...

Logan Stefanich, KSL.com

Lehi student wins national recognition for ceramic creations

A 17-year-old Juan Diego Catholic High School senior from Lehi won national recognition for her ceramic creations.

1 month ago

People attend the grand opening of the Salt Lake County Library’s Granite branch in South Salt La...

Logan Stefanich, KSL.com

‘Focal point’: Why library patrons think Salt Lake County Library earned spot in Top 10 in the US

The Salt Lake County Library earned a spot in the Top 10 highest circulating libraries across the US. Library patrons explain why that is.

1 month ago

Sponsored Articles

Filing taxes online using a computer...

The Law Offices of Jordan F. Wilcox

Tax time is approaching. What to do if you have debilitating IRS debt

Is the IRS threatening you with wage garnishment, asset seizure or business closure? Here are some ideas to resolve your tax dilemma.

Full speed through the snow. A man on skis is pulled by his through the snow at full gallop Skijori...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Get ready for an unforgettable skijoring adventure in Bear Lake!

“Skijoring the Bear” takes place this year on February 21-22 in Garden City, Utah.

the bedroom in a geodesic dome shows the night sky...

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon

Your front row to an extraordinary cosmos show

As America's first glass dome stargazing resort, Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon is one of the world’s most unique and spectacular places to stay.

2 people huddled up in a blanket and warm clothes sipping hot chocolate...

Bear Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

The best ways to spend your Christmas vacation in Bear Lake

If you're dreaming of a white Christmas this year, Bear Lake should definitely be on your radar. Read this guide for more!

big crowd of people under holiday lights in an outdoor market...

Western Nut

Our favorite family Christmas activities in Utah

We gathered up a list of our favorite activities, movies, and treats to try this holiday season that the whole family can enjoy.

an IT tech looks at a laptop in front of a server network...

Comcast Business

Tips to protect yourself from phishing attacks

Check out this resource from Comcast Business to learn more about phishing attacks and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of one.

Water carved New Zealand’s stunning landscape. Now too much is risking lives