Georgia May Gilbertson/Stuff
The colour of the grass matches that of the autumn leaves on Middle Road as Hawke’s Bay farmers cry out for rain. Walker said many farming properties hadn’t recovered since last year. “I think the ongoing challenge for us is our climate is changing and the occurrence of these dry times is increasing as well.” Hawke’s Bay Regional Council principal scientist Dr Kathleen Kozyniak said about 5mm of rain fell in lowland areas and 20mm in the ranges in the last week. But she said that had not made much of a difference. “Most areas sit on 20 to 25 per cent of normal April rainfall.”