Big dry hits Far North farms hard

The Far North is struggling after no substantial rain for nearly three months in some areas.

Rivers and streams are low and water tables have dropped.

On a farmer's seasonal chart it's like February conditions.

Some areas received as little as 5mm of rain last month, and precious little before that.

"It's probably as dry as it's ever got around here for April," said dairy farmer Garry Foster at Oruaiti, 6km south of Mangonui.

"Normally by now we're past the worst but we're filling in as best we can."

He is milking about a third of his herd now, feeding out supplements such as maize and palm kernel when under usual April conditions his farm would have enough grass feed.

The farm has another 190-odd cows scheduled to calf in July and August and, although not being milked, they still have to be fed.

"We managed to make a lot of hay and that's what they're living on," Mr Foster said.

"We've just about chewed everything out in the paddocks now and 10mm [of rain] we got last week didn't do anything."

A few kilometres towards Taupo Bay, beef farmer Lindsay Whyte described conditions as very dry, but not desperate.

"We were fortunate to have rain in December and we've still got kikuyu."

Mr White's 800 head of cattle were holding their condition, he said, but "if this carries on for another month, things might look a bit grim".

Northland Federated Farmers president Ian Walker said milk production on some farms was slipping as cows were dried off early, and some stock were heading for the works.

A report to a Northland Regional Council meeting in Whangarei last week said all areas of the region recorded well below normal rainfall for March, when the average varies between 80mm and 150mm.

Lowest falls were recorded in Kaitaia and at Coopers Beach in Doubtless Bay, with only 5mm each last month.

Ohaeawai (mid-Northland) recorded 6mm, Mangonui 10mm and the Brynderwyn Hills just 14mm.

Ground water level monitoring from Kaikohe to Mangawhai indicated the lowest winter water recharge since the early 1990s.

Winter recharge determines summer groundwater levels.

Restrictions on the use of garden hoses, sprinklers and irrigation systems are already in force in Opononi/Omapere, Rawene and Kaikohe.

Rivers down

* Northland received just 5 to 30 per cent of its average rainfall last month.
* March river flows were between 7 and 35 per cent of normal.
* The Far North District Council says water sources are drying up quickly.
* Residents have been urged to cut their water use by 20 per cent.