From bone-dry summers to devastating floods, New Zealand has been battered and bruised by bouts of severe and unusual weather in recent years.
But it's not just the once-in-100-year weather events drawing blood, it is entire seasons.
On Tuesday, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Limited (RAL) went into voluntaryadministration. The company, which employs 196 staff, owns and operates the Whakapapa and Tūroa ski fields.
The ski areas' 50 snowmaking machines were no match for the warm and frequently humid conditions, as the country comes off its warmest winter - for the third successive year - and also its wettest.
You might not have noticed but the climate is causing chaos in New Zealand, writes Luke Kirkness. Photo / Andrew Warner
The nationwide average temperature was 9.8C, 1.4C above the 1981-2020 average.
Numerous extreme rainfall events resulted in severe flooding and slips but have also been blamed for causing roads to deteriorate faster than usual.
More than $4000 has been paid out to drivers who suffered damage to their vehicles because of potholes and uneven surfaces on state highways in the Bay of Plenty alone this year.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency contractors are finding recently filled potholes reopening due to ongoing rain and the pumping action generated by vehicles passing over them.
In the Bay, a harsh, late October frost has potentially caused massive damage to some kiwifruit orchards.
Agriculture is New Zealand's largest emitter by far, accounting for roughly half of New Zealand's total greenhouse gas emissions.
Farm lobby groups fired up, saying the scheme will push emissions offshore and kill small-town New Zealand, while environmental groups argue it doesn't go far enough.
I hope any issues are ironed out quickly because it's important everyone plays their part in reducing climate harm.
Just last month Stats NZ revealed the country's sea levels rose faster over the past 60 years compared to the previous 60 with you-know-what the biggest factor.
Even those who still do not want to believe humans are causing and accelerating climate change must be able to see that change is happening, that it presents threats to human life, and that it requires a response.
A poll published last year by IAG New Zealand found only 23 per cent of Kiwis thought the current response was fast enough.
We can do something about it. Not only at the countrywide and industry levels, but as families and individuals.
That could be ditching the car and walking to work, planting trees, recycling or any number of other planet-friendly activities.
To the naysayers, wouldn't you rather have acted knowing the planet could become unlivable rather than waiting to see how it all turns out?
As William Blake penned: Hindsight is a wonderful thing but foresight is better, especially if it saves people or some pain
