Floods and cyclones - the extreme weather that came to define the year

2023 was a year dominated by extreme weather.  

In late January, some heavy rain in Auckland quickly turned into a city-wide disaster that caught everyone by surprise. 

It was pegged as a once in a century event – but barely a fortnight later, Cyclone Gabrielle swept down the upper North Island. While much of Auckland withstood the onslaught, the East Coast was devastated.  

Nearly a year has passed since the incidents though, and while pockets of Auckland and the Hawke’s Bay are still dealing with the effects of these storms, much of the country is looking to move on.  

So for today’s episode, we’re casting our eyes back over these extreme events as a reminder of what our country has endured, and what we need to learn to avoid things happening again. 

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Damien Venuto
Producers: Shaun D Wilson and Paddy Fox
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills 

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