The places most at risk of breaking January heat records were in Northland, Coromandel and Hawke’s Bay, MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said. For more information: https://t.co/qHyE5zySvx pic.twitter.com/TiaxF7viX7 — MetService NZ (@MetService) January 8, 2026The hot weather alerts join a slew of wind and rain warnings and watches issued across the lower North Island and most of the South Island this weekend. MetService said New Zealand's high temperatures were caused by remnants of the Australian heatwave earlier this week. Fedaeff said that, when extreme heat events affected New Zealand, they typically started with hot weather over Australia. Hot start for 2026For the first few months of this year, above-average temperatures are expected, particularly in the north and west of the North Island.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 08, 2026 16:58 UTC