The Return Of The Sun For Waitangi Day

Waitangi treaty grounds have had been soaked twice in the past week and are being soaked again today. MetService meteorologists are forecasting a brisk southwest wind to sweep across the area on Thursday and cool things down and dry out the paddocks. Sunny weather with lower humidity should return for this year's ceremonies on Friday.

"Today's rain over the North Island marks an end to the recent pattern of humid wet weather," commented MetService Weather Ambassador, Bob McDavitt. "By Saturday the dry northwest winds are expected to return to the South Island, and rain bands for the next week or two are expected to be rather weak."

Areas north of a line from New Plymouth to Hamilton to Tauranga have already had their average February rainfall since last Friday. The rest of the North Island had between 15 and 50mm and eastern areas of the South Island had between 10 and 40mm.

For Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago this is enough rain to put them in-between being too dry and being sufficient, but the return of the northwest winds should bring a rapid rise in the fire risk again next week.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>