Tropical cyclones named Cook and Debbie have left the Waitoa and Piako Rivers in eastern Waikato at record high levels. Dairy farmers are already drying off milking stock as the New Zealand milk production season comes to a premature end for some.

Parts of Hauraki Plains resemble an expansive lake as rising floodwaters cut off roads and force farmers to evacuate livestock. Heavy flows are expected to continue for days with more bands of rain from the west.

One New Zealand dairy farmer farming in the Waikato who spoke to the Irish Farmers Journal this week said: “Here on our place we have had over six months worth of rain in the last four weeks.

“Thankfully the ground took it okay although we had a few short-term issues to deal with but milk collection wasn’t disrupted.”

The Easter rains follow a significantly wet spring which will see a lot of North Island dairy farmers produce between 5-10% less milk than last year. The price rise this week in the GDT auction reflects some of New Zealand’s misery.

New Zealand farmers to get busy fencing

Rain lashes North Island of New Zealand

Dairy farmers in the Bay of Plenty and the Waikato – the largest dairy region in the North Island have taken a battering from heavy rains over the last week.