Climate experts are predicting weather events like the weekend's flooding will only become more common - and more severe - as climate change picks up pace.
More than 1000 people were forced to evacuate and hundreds of homes have been damaged across the West Coast and Marlborough regions.
A climate station in the Hokitika catchment recorded more than 730 millimeters of rain over two days - equivalent to half of Auckland's normal annual rainfall.
Climate expert James Renwick spoke to Kim Hill.
