The report, compiled by the ministry for cities, environment, regions and transport (Mcert), shows that New Zealand's annual average temperature has risen by 1.36 degrees Celsius since records began in 1909. Seven of the ten warmest years on record have occurred in the last decade, the report found.
Dr Alison Collins, Mcert's chief science adviser, said the signal of climate change is becoming clearer. "Whilst it sounds like a small amount ... it is a significant baseline shift that's having ramifications through nature, through our communities, and through businesses and industry," she told the Guardian.
Glaciers are shrinking rapidly. New Zealand has roughly 3,000 glaciers, and their total volume has dropped from 56 cubic kilometres in 1997 to 30 cubic kilometres in 2023. Modelling shows a high risk of further decline. Under a low-emissions scenario, glaciers will very likely lose between 14 and 86 percent of their volume by 2100. Under a high-emissions scenario, that figure rises to between 69 and 100 percent.
"We're talking about substantial loss," Collins said.