2026-27 El Niño

El Niño 2026: What you need to know
This El Niño's likely effects on New Zealand: a drier east, a windier spring and higher fire risk (2 September 2026).

Seasonal Climate Outlook
The latest three-month outlook for temperature, rainfall, soil moisture and river flows, updated monthly.

New Zealand Drought Monitor
A daily drought index map with district charts, from "dry" through to "severe drought".

Drought forecasting dashboard
forecasts of dryness and drought up to five weeks ahead, updated daily.

Heat alert trial
How heat alerts work, when they are issued (December to February) and where to find them.

About severe weather warnings and watches
What Outlooks, Watches, and Orange and Red Warnings mean, and the action each calls for.

Heat
What to do before and during extreme heat, signs of heat illness, and checking on others.

Wildfires
Reducing wildfire risk around a property, planning escape routes, and moving livestock.

Storing water
How much water to store, suitable containers, and treating and rotating stored water.

Make a plan
Plan templates for households, workplaces, schools and marae, in te reo Māori and 21 other languages.

Pets and animals
Including animals in emergency plans, keeping three days of supplies, and evacuating with pets.

Consistent messages for CDEM
Nationally agreed public messages for agencies, including heat, wildfire, power outages and water storage (updated 7 August 2026).

Are you ready?
Local preparedness for home, work and community, with household plan and kit checklists.

Hazards
Local guidance on drought, extreme heat, wildfire, and failure of power and water services.

An emergency: how we'll inform you
The local radio frequencies, Antenno, Facebook and Emergency Mobile Alerts used in an emergency.

Community emergency plans
Plans for nine communities, including Havelock, Picton, Seddon, Rārangi and Rai Valley.

Antenno
A free app for council alerts by address, including water outages and emergency updates.

Drought
Drought in Marlborough, its effects, and its link to fire risk, including the Boxing Day 2000 fires.

Water saving tips
Practical ways to cut water use in the garden and around the property.

Environmental data
Current river levels, rainfall and aquifer status.

Prepare for wildfire
Fire and Emergency's tool for making a wildfire plan for a household or property.

Can I light a fire?
The current fire season and fire danger for any location, and whether a permit is needed.

Prepare for elevated wildfire risk this summer
Fire and Emergency's El Niño wildfire message: clear vegetation, keep water and access ready, and plan to leave (31 August 2026).

Protect your home from outdoor fires
Making a property wildfire-ready by clearing fuel, pruning trees and keeping access clear.

When wildfire threatens
What to do before, during and after a wildfire, including evacuation planning

Farms and growers
Dealing with drought conditions
Actions to take in drought, and the support available.

On Farm Support
Free regional help for farmers and growers, including preparing for adverse events (0800 70 71 33).

Lifestyle blocks and animals

Animals in emergencies: checklists and resources

Checklists by type of animal and by hazard, including fire and drought.

Adverse events
Help for rural people through drought, fire and flood, including stock movement, financial and family support.

Top of the South
The trust covering Marlborough, offering free, confidential support on 0800 787 254.

Preparation, management and recovery from dry conditions
Six short videos on planning for, managing and recovering from drought (December 2025).

DairyNZ
Plan ahead for El Niño
Regional El Niño effects, and planning for feed, water, irrigation, animals, people and finances.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Drought resources
Forecasts, feed planning tools, animal welfare guides and wellbeing support.

Wine Marlborough
Winepress, September 2026
Newsletter items on vineyard fire risk, and on El Niño and drought.

Farmstrong
Dealing with stress and uncertainty
Practical ways for farmers to cope with the stress of drought and extreme weather.

SPCA
Are you disaster prepared?
A pet emergency plan and kit, and evacuating early with pets.

Keeping pets safe in summer
Preventing heat stress in pets.

World Animal Protection
Protect your pet in disasters
Free disaster preparedness kits for dogs, cats, horses and small pets.

Animal Evac New Zealand
Resources
Guides for pets, horses and lifestyle farms, and a report on the 2019 Nelson fires.

El Niño
Health New Zealand's health information for the El Niño season.

Heat
Keeping cool in extreme heat, and who is most at risk.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Warning signs, first aid, and when to call 111.

Fires, smoke and health
Health risks from wildfire smoke and ash, and protecting drinking water.

Use water safely during an emergency
Collecting, checking and treating water, including tank water.

Water collection tanks and safe household water
A free pamphlet on keeping roof-tank water safe.

Accessing health services in natural disasters
Urgent care, prescriptions and power-dependent medical equipment in an emergency (July 2026).

Dry weather and drinking water
How drought affects supply, storing emergency water, registered water carriers, and safe tank water.

Managing dry weather
Guidance for water suppliers on preparing for dry weather and communicating restrictions.

Water carriers
The rules for operators delivering drinking water by tanker.

Marlborough Lines:Preparing for a power outage
A home and farm checklist covering water, medical equipment, devices, gates and livestock.

Marlborough Lines:Network status
The live outage map, planned outages and network load. Report faults 24/7 on 03 577 7007.

Marlborough Lines:Trees and vegetation
Tree owners' duties near power lines, with new rules from 17 October 2026.

Electricity Authority:If you rely on electricity for medical reasons
How medically dependent people register with their power retailer.

Emergencies
Help after an emergency or an adverse event such as drought, including for people not on a benefit.

Civil Defence Payment
Help with food, bedding, clothing, accommodation and lost income; switched on for specific events.

Rural Assistance Payments
Living-cost support for farmers in hardship after adverse events, including drought; switched on for specific events.

Emergency preparation and support
Disability Support Services guidance for disabled people and whānau, including planning for power outages.

1737 Need to talk?
Free call or text 1737, any time, to talk with a trained counsellor.

Mental Health Foundation
Coping after a natural disaster
Tips and guides for coping with stress and recovery.

NEMA
Mental wellbeing
Coping with the emotional toll of an emergency, and where to find support.

Working safely in extreme temperatures
Good practice for managing the risk of heat illness at work, relevant to vineyard, road and response crews.

Working in extreme heat: a guide for workers
A two-page fact sheet on spotting heat illness and staying safe.

Fatigue
Managing fatigue at work, relevant to long responses and the harvest.

NEMA
Resources
Preparedness material that can be filtered by language, including Samoan, Tongan, Tagalog and Hindi.

Ministry for Ethnic Communities
Emergency preparedness videos
Preparedness videos in about 24 languages.

New Zealand Red Cross
Prepare for a disaster: get Good and Ready
Three steps to household readiness, with plan templates in more than 20 languages.