March was dry for most parts of New Zealand, and warm for the South Island, according to the Monthly Climate Summary issued by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

Below normal rainfall or well below normal rainfall was observed across much of the North Island, and northern, western and inland parts of the South Island. Above normal rainfall or well above normal rainfall was observed in Gisborne, northern Hawke’s Bay, and the eastern South Island. The highest 1-day rainfall was 186 mm, recorded at Milford Sound on 17 March.

Over March 2025, temperatures were above average or well above average for most of the South Island, as well as parts of Wellington, Taranaki, northern Hawke’s Bay, Bay of Plenty, and Northland. Temperatures were typically near average for the remainder of the country. The highest temperature was 33.6°C, observed at Timaru on 17 March.

At the end of March, soil moisture levels were well below normal for most of the North Island, and northwestern parts of the South Island. Soil moisture levels were above normal about Banks Peninsula, Selwyn District, and southern and northern parts of Hawke’s Bay. Elsewhere, soil moisture levels were mostly near normal.

Of the six main centres in March 2025, Auckland and Tauranga were the equal-warmest, Tauranga was the driest and sunniest, Christchurch was the wettest, and Dunedin was the coolest and least sunny. The sunniest three locations so far in 2025 are Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Auckland.

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