Climate Change – Winds Damage North Canterbury

“Con job.” Trump calls climate change, a con job in a speech at the United Nations, September 2025.

The Power of Wind

From Global Warming to Local Storms

I’ve been around long enough to notice change over the decades. Weather patterns for me were consistent year after year, until they weren’t.  Extreme weather events happen so often, they are no longer considered to be a once in a lifetime happening.

Heatwaves scorch people and cities, wildfires consume forests, and floods devastate communities. In 2023 alone, record-breaking heat affected millions across Europe, Asia, and North America, while severe droughts in East Africa and the American Southwest disrupted agriculture and water supplies.

New Zealand

This year in 2025 a windy, warm, and damp September brought strong gales and heavy rain to parts of the country, causing damage and power outages. A Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event over the South Pole also contributed to significant circulation changes in the region. Prompting some commentators to warn of another ‘river of rain’.

Climate Change Hits Home in North Canterbury

Climate change is a global phenomenon, but its consequences are increasingly felt at the local level. Rising global temperatures about 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels have intensified extreme weather events worldwide. Globally, September was also the third warmest on record. It brought marine heatwaves, high sea temperatures, and erratic atmospheric patterns.

In the Southern Hemisphere, these shifts caused real damage. In October, the damage was evident, from the violent winds and heavy rain that recently tore through Dunedin, North Canterbury, and beyond to the lower half of the North Island.

The storm devastated farms across Culverden, Rotherham, and Waiau, toppling century-old trees, destroying irrigation systems, and damaging housing and sheds. Farmers like Holly Jackson and John Faulkner described widespread destruction, with nearly every farm affected. The timing couldn’t be worse: spring is vital for pasture growth and dairy production, and the loss of 500 - 600 irrigation pivot spans, estimated at $20 million, threatens milk yields and farm viability.

This local crisis mirrors global trends. Climate change is disrupting food systems, straining infrastructure, and increasing economic vulnerability. In North Canterbury, the storm’s intensity and timing reflect broader patterns of atmospheric instability linked to warming oceans and shifting jet streams. As Federated Farmers’ Bex Green noted, the emotional toll was severe, residents were shaken, and recovery will take months.

Summary

North Canterbury’s experience is a microcosm of a larger truth: climate change is not just a planetary issue; it’s a neighborhood one. Whether in New Zealand or Nigeria, global warming reshapes local lives, demanding both resilience and urgent action.

Climate change is no “con job”.

Sources.

North Canterbury farmers begin major clean‑up after destructive storm. Mike Thorpe Senior journalist·NZ Herald·

 RNZ, Nga Pitopito Korero. 18 Sep 2025. We are heading into the season of itchy eyes and runny.. noses...