Insurers and councils welcome better climate data

Infrastructure damage in Esk Valley caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. (Image: Hawkes Bay Today)

Mon, 27 Jan 2025

Improved climate projection data is now being used for tasks as mundane as choosing pipe sizes for stormwater drains. New Zealand councils, banks, insurers, and the farming sector have been calling for ever-better projections based on more fine-grained data as the world warms.A two-and-a-half-year project by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) to upgrade NZ’s climate data is a finalist in the 2025 Science NZ awards.It includes new insights on higher future rainfall and predicts Northland, for example, will...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Markets Market Close

NZ stocks retreat from record high, down 0.7%

The S&P/NZX 50 Index dropped 103.60 points, or 0.76%, to 13,467.26.

Jamie Gray 10 Oct 2025

Economy

Finance minister says yes, yes, yes to RBNZ transparency reform

Willis says she doesn't think system is broken, but needs incremental improvements.

Rebecca Howard and Dileepa Fonseka 10 Oct 2025

Finance minister says yes, yes, yes to RBNZ transparency reform

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk, Friday, Oct 10

Can you get them all correct without cheating?

The Quizmaster 10 Oct 2025

Sponsored

Why New Zealand organisations need to rethink their cloud strategy

New Zealand organisations have embraced cloud computing over the past decade, but many are now confronting a sobering reality: adoption alone isn’t enough. According to Datacom’s 2025 Cloud & Infrastructure Report, only half of New Zealand businesses say they’ve realised the benefits they expected from cloud – despite significant investment.

Datacom

Sponsored