The risk of drought in Hawke's Bay has lessened slightly.
Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Bruce Wills says most areas in the region benefited from rain on Christmas Eve after a dry spring.
He says farmers were on average 50% down on normal rainfall leading up to Christmas, so there is a long way to catch up.
Gisborne and Waikato were also very dry, but Mr Wills says they have had some good rain in the past few weeks.
