And if this isn't connected to global warming I don't know what will.
I grew up on the West Coast of the South Island, spent my first 10 years there in Cobden, which is over the Greymouth bridge. We used to fall asleep with rain hitting the roof, and this was like at 5 p.m at night in my younger days.
Now I know the West Coast is infamous for it's rain, but last few years it hasn't had much not that I know I have only been back over the years for day trips (visiting my mothers grave).
Anyway the last 2 to 3 years the weather has gotten way worse. Look at Buller. They've had it real bad in the last 6 months. And they aren't far from Greymouth.
Spending the other half of my childhood in Alexandra, when the Clutha river started flooding, the bottom half of town got flooded. Apparently they fixed that up but it still floods but not as bad as it once did. But I can remember the local swimming pool went underwater a few times which is why they moved it to the other end of Alex, higher up.
It's global warming, it's only going to get worse if we don't sort it out soon.