Abstract:
Meteorological and other records show that New Zealand in the past has experienced floods and droughts, hail storms, frost and snow storms.
Not only have such climatic disturbances been recorded, but they have also occurred at frequent intervals. In a study published in 1957 the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council recorded details of all the floods that occurred in New Zealand between 1920 and 1953 'Floods in New Zealand 1920-1953' - Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council, 1957. The Chairman, in the introduction to the study, commented 'A brief inspection will soon reveal deficiences of precise knowledge of some past flood events, but it will also disclose the quite staggering frequency of serious flooding and its attendant flood damage throughout the Dominion. No areas of the country appear immune from flooding and, although there are seasonal frequencies, floods can occur at any time.'
