If you want to develop your listening skills, try these tasks as you listen to the text. The answers are at the bottom of this page. Thanks to Natasha Groves for preparing the tasks.
If you want to listen and read, just scroll down to the News story.
Use the vocabulary list to check the meanings of some words before you listen.
Vocabulary
unsettled – in this context, unsettled weather is weather that changes a lot in a short period of time
rainfall – the amount of rain that falls on an area in a particular period of time
ferry (plural ferries) – a boat that carries people or goods across a river or a narrow area of water
cancel – to stop something, or to decide that something official that was planned will not happen
swell – (noun) the way the sea moves up and down
landslide – when earth or rocks fall down a hill
campground – a place where people on holiday can put up tents or stay in caravans
state of emergency – in this context, a situation where a local government gives itself special powers, because of danger to life and property
atmosphere – the mixture of gases around the Earth
moisture – small amounts of water that are present in the air or on a surface
emissions – gases that are sent into the air
huge – extremely large
Try these activities while listening
1. Listening for main ideas
First, just listen to the text, taking notes if you wish. What information can you catch during this first listening?
2. Now listen again and answer the following questions:
- This summer, rainfall was about average. True/ False?
- When were temperatures above average?
- When were they below average?
- What was the nationwide average temperature?
- Which city was the warmest?
- Note the effect of the severe rain events in the following periods:
- Between Christmas and early January
- On 21 January – at Mount Maunganui campground and in Pāpāmoa near Tauranga
- In mid-February – in Waipā and Ōtorohanga in south Waikato and in the whole Manawatū-Whanganui region, in Wellington, and in Akaroa and Little River
- Why are extreme weather events becoming more extreme?
- What can individuals do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
3. Language focus: Superlative adjectives
Fill in the gaps using the correct superlative adjective, then listen to or read the recording again to check your answers.
- Auckland was the ____________, Tauranga was the ____________ and ____________, Christchurch was the ____________, and Dunedin was the ____________ sunny and ____________.
- That was the ____________ day on record for Tauranga
- The wind that hit Wellington on 16 February was the ____________ in more than a decade
News story
It is now autumn in New Zealand, so data about summer has been released. Overall, summer was about average, although there were a few periods of unsettled weather and rainfall was above average in many areas.
According to the report from Earth Sciences New Zealand, there was a warm start to summer in December, with temperatures nearly 1 degree Celsius above average. In January temperatures were near average, but in February they were half a degree below average. The nationwide average temperature for the whole summer period was 16.9 degrees, which was 0.1 degrees above the 1991-2020 summer average. Of the six main centres in summer 2025-2026, Auckland was the warmest, Tauranga was the wettest and sunniest, Christchurch was the driest, and Dunedin was the least sunny and coolest.
However, there were several severe rain events which probably made summer seem quite bad. Between Christmas and early January there was a lot of rain and wind in most parts of the country with thunderstorms in northern and central areas. Several ferry crossings between the North and South Islands were cancelled due to the strong winds and large swells in Cook Strait. Then on 21 January there was heavy rain in Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty. It was the wettest day on record for Tauranga, with 274mm of rain. This caused a landslide at the Mount Maunganui campground which killed six people. Two others died in another landslide in Pāpāmoa near Tauranga. Finally, in mid-February there was strong wind and heavy rain over the North Island, leading to states of emergency in Waipā and Ōtorohanga in south Waikato and in the whole Manawatū-Whanganui region. The wind that hit Wellington on 16 February was the strongest in more than a decade, with gusts of 193 kilometres an hour at Mount Kaukau, and 128 kilometres an hour at Wellington Airport. That wind caused a lot of damage to trees and power lines and led to cancelled flights, ferries, and trains. The storm then moved down to Christchurch and Banks Peninsula in the South Island, causing flooding in Akaroa and Little River.
It is not unusual for storms to occur in summer in New Zealand, but they do seem to be more intense now. According to Professor James Renwick from Victoria University, climate change is making extreme weather events more extreme. He said, “higher amounts of greenhouse gases in the air trap more heat in the oceans and the atmosphere”. The warmer air can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it is heavier. He also said that climate scientists have been warning of the danger of climate change for decades, but governments have not yet taken enough action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, he said individuals can take their own action, for example, by taking the bus instead of driving their car. If everyone did this, it would reduce emissions “a huge amount”.
If you want to hear more about weather in New Zealand, listen to Warmest spring on record from 15 December 2025.
Answers – you don’t have to write a complete sentence as long as you have the key idea in your answer
a. This summer, rainfall was about average. True/ False?
False. Rainfall was above average in many areas
b. When were temperatures above average?
In December
c. When were they below average?
In February
d. What was the nationwide average temperature?
16.9
e. Which city was the warmest?
Auckland
f. Note the effect of the severe rain events in the following periods:
1. Between Christmas and early January
Several ferry crossings between the North and South Islands were cancelled
2. On 21 January
A landslide at the Mount Maunganui campground killed six people. Two others died in another landslide in Pāpāmoa near Tauranga
3. In mid-February
States of emergency in Waipā and Ōtorohanga in south Waikato and in the whole Manawatū-Whanganui region; in Wellington, a lot of damage to trees and power lines and cancelled flights, ferries, and trains; flooding in Akaroa and Little River
g. Why are extreme weather events becoming more extreme?
Because of climate change: higher amounts of greenhouse gases in the air traps more heat in the oceans and the atmosphere; the warmer air can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it is heavier
h. What can individuals do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Take the bus instead of driving their car