Introduction
Extreme weather survey
05.04.2023

The Extreme Weather Survey

Growing Up Research Director Associate Professor Sarah-Jane Paine explains more about the Extreme Weather Survey.

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What are Extreme weather events?

Growing Up in New Zealand have been asked to help understand how the storms and cyclone that hit some parts of Aotearoa New Zealand in early 2023 impacted the wellbeing of young people and their families.

This is an important project and an opportunity for the voices of young people and their families to be heard in relation to how we prepare for and manage future extreme weather events in our country.

In August 2023 we will be reaching out to around 1400 families in some of the most affected areas of Aotearoa to ask them to take part in the Extreme Weather Survey and share some of their experiences.

What were the recent extreme weather events in Aotearoa, New Zealand?

Aotearoa, New Zealand, had two extreme weather events at the beginning of 2023: the Auckland Anniversary Weekend Flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle. The long-term (six-month) impact of these extreme weather events on rangatahi/young people and their whānau/families is investigated in this report.

Auckland Anniversary Weekend Flooding

Beginning on the 27th of January 2023, Auckland suffered a 1-in-200 year flooding event, with 245mm of rainfall in under 24 hours [4, 5]. Widespread flooding occurred, particularly in South, West, and Central Auckland and the North Shore [6]. Over 26,000 houses lost power due to the extreme weather [5]. By the 3rd of February, 39 roads were closed and 209 houses were red-stickered (residents can no longer enter the property) [5]. If you, or someone you know, need additional information on the Auckland recovery from extreme weather and natural disasters, please see https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/recovery-extreme-weather-disasters/Pages/default.aspx.

Cyclone Gabrielle

Between the 12th and 16th of February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle arrived in Aotearoa, New Zealand [7]. Cyclone Gabrielle brought severe rainfall, winds, and flooding [7]. The government declared a National State of Emergency on the 14th of February, which was only the third time in New Zealand history [8, 9].

Cyclone Gabrielle affected many North Island regions, including Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, and Gisborne [7]. Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread damage to land and housing as well as put people’s lives at risk [7, 8]. In particular, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne experienced devastating consequences from the intensive rainfall and flooding [10, 11]. If you, or someone you know, need additional regional information on extreme weather events, please see https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/find-your-civil-defence-group.

The Growing Up in New Zealand
Extreme Weather Survey

About us
Weather Survey Report 1

Who are the cohort?

Overall, 680 young people and 817 mothers/primary caregivers participated in the Extreme Weather Survey. From these participants, there were 667 family units, meaning that both the young person and mother/primary caregiver took part in the study.

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Weather Survey Report 2

Preparing for extreme weather events

Information and resources for preparing for extreme weather events are crucial for response and recovery. This could refer to information about getting your household, work, or school ready before an emergency.

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Weather Survey Report 3

Housing: Evacuation, condition, and damage

In the aftermath of the extreme weather events, many people were forced to evacuate their homes (temporarily or permanently) and/or to repair damage that was caused by the severe weather.

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Weather Survey Report 4

Access to services

Extreme weather events can destroy infrastructure needed for services such as power, water, and telecommunications. Across the North Island, Cyclone Gabrielle caused wide spread damage to power line networks, with 332,000 households cut off during the cyclone.

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Weather Survey Report 5

Mental health

The destruction and stress caused by an extreme weather event can take a toll on the mental health of individuals, families and communities. Young people and their families may experience elevated mental ill-being symptoms during, following, and even months after the floods or cyclone.

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Weather Survey Report 6

Physical health

Physical health and safety can be directly or indirectly affected by extreme weather events.Hazards caused by the Auckland Anniversary Weekend Flooding and/or Cyclone Gabrielle put people at risk of injury and, in some cases, mortality.

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What are extreme weather events?

Extreme weather events are occurrences of severe weather, such as heat waves, droughts, cyclones, and floods [1]. Extreme weather events can have disastrous impacts on communities and infrastructure [1]. The concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is increasing, causing changes in climate [2, 3]. In Aotearoa, New Zealand, climate change might look like higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and less snow and ice [2, 3]. Climate change also means that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense [2, 3].

What were the recent extreme weather events in Aotearoa, New Zealand?

Aotearoa, New Zealand, had two extreme weather events at the beginning of 2023: the Auckland Anniversary Weekend Flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle. The long-term (six-month) impact of these extreme weather events on rangatahi/young people and their whānau/families is investigated in this report.

Auckland Anniversary Weekend Flooding

Beginning on the 27th of January 2023, Auckland suffered a 1-in-200 year flooding event, with 245mm of rainfall in under 24 hours [4, 5]. Widespread flooding occurred, particularly in South, West, and Central Auckland and the North Shore [6]. Over 26,000 houses lost power due to the extreme weather [5]. By the 3rd of February, 39 roads were closed and 209 houses were red-stickered (residents can no longer enter the property) [5]. If you, or someone you know, need additional information on the Auckland recovery from extreme weather and natural disasters, please see https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/recovery-extreme-weather-disasters/Pages/default.aspx.

Cyclone Gabrielle

Between the 12th and 16th of February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle arrived in Aotearoa, New Zealand [7]. Cyclone Gabrielle brought severe rainfall, winds, and flooding [7]. The government declared a National State of Emergency on the 14th of February, which was only the third time in New Zealand history [8, 9].

Cyclone Gabrielle affected many North Island regions, including Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, and Gisborne [7]. Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread damage to land and housing as well as put people’s lives at risk [7, 8]. In particular, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne experienced devastating consequences from the intensive rainfall and flooding [10, 11]. If you, or someone you know, need additional regional information on extreme weather events, please see https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/find-your-civil-defence-group.

Why is it important to look at extreme weather events?

Who are the cohort?
Preparing for extreme weather events
Housing: Evacuation, condition, and damage
Access to services
Mental health
Physical health

Extreme weather events can have negative impacts on important services and property. Infrastructure needed for essential services such as power and water can be badly damaged [12, 13]. Disruption of these services can impact health care and community networks [13]. Extreme weather events can also cause destruction to properties, meaning that people are forced to evacuate their homes or organise repairs [12]. Multiple relocations following an extreme weather event are common [12]. Furthermore, in Aotearoa, New Zealand, low-income households are disproportionately affected by severe weather [14]. Disadvantaged households more often live in low-cost housing and rent in high-risk areas [14]. These households may not have access to the resources they need to repair or relocate [14].

Extreme weather events can also have negative consequences for mental and physical health. Extreme weather or natural disasters are related to increases in post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, and anxiety in adults and young people [12, 15-18]. These effects can persist for months or even years [15, 19]. Furthermore, those exposed to severe weather conditions are at risk of injury, disease, and worsening of chronic illnesses [12, 18, 20].

Rangatahi/young people may be particularly vulnerable during an extreme weather event. Important developmental processes occur during adolescence, including biological, hormonal, and brain changes [21, 22]. These changes can mean that young people feel less able to cope with stress and uncertainty [12, 15, 23]. During an emergency, young people may feel they have little control over what is happening around them [15]. Therefore, family and community support are very important during extreme weather events, especially for rangatahi [15, 23].

To understand the impact of extreme weather events on the health and wellbeing of rangatahi/young people, New Zealand’s largest longitudinal study, Growing Up in New Zealand, reached out to 1463 young people and 1443 mothers/primary caregivers in August 2023. During this data collection period, young people in the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort were aged 13-14 years, with many living in the areas most severely affected by the floods and/or cyclone, including Auckland, Northland, Hawke’s Bay, and Gisborne.

Growing Up in New Zealand asked 680 rangatahi/young people and 817 mothers/primary caregivers about their experiences during and after the floods and/or cyclone. These extreme weather events occurred at the start of the 2023 school year, which may have disrupted educational experiences. Damage to infrastructure and housing may have impacted social connectedness and access to health and social services.

If you think you, or someone you know, may be experiencing hardship or poor health, there are several free tools, information guides, or services that can help.

Resources for extreme weather events

See the Civil Defence National Emergency Management Agency website (https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/find-your-civil-defence-group) for more information on extreme weather events, and information on preparing for an emergency.

Resources for mental and physical health

See the Ministry of Health website (https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/services-and-support) for a list of resources or click below for information or support:

Methods

Who participated in this study?

Families from the Growing Up in New Zealand cohort living in regions affected by the 2023 extreme weather events were invited to participate. These regions included Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland (n = 1838, 91.5%), Te Tai Tokerau/Northland (n = 105, 5.2%), Te Matau-a-Māui/Hawke’s Bay (n = 59, 2.9%), and Te Tai Rāwhiti/Gisborne (n < 10).

How did we collect data?

The Extreme Weather Survey data was collected from August 1 to September 3, 2023. The Extreme Weather Survey consisted of two online questionnaires; one answered by young people, and one answered by the young person’s mother/primary caregiver. Email invitations were issued to all eligible participants.

Each eligible young person and mother/primary caregiver received an individualised link within their email invitation. This link directed them to the web-based online survey, accessible on all devices (computer, tablet, and phone). This was complemented by telephone follow up from an experienced interviewer and/or centralised community support for families requesting assistance.
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Telephone and text messaging helplines were available between 9 AM – 9 PM 7 days a week for the duration of the data collection.The young person’s questionnaire consisted of 90 questions and took approximately 15 minutes to complete, and the mother/primary caregiver questionnaire consisted of 237 questions and took approximately 30 minutes to complete. Electronic consent and assent forms was completed online by the mother prior to completing the questionnaire. 

How did we report the data?

Here we report descriptively who took part in the Extreme Weather Survey, how prepared people felt for the extreme weather events, as well as about housing conditions, evacuation, access to services, and mental and physical wellbeing. These key themes are reported in relation to how affected people felt by the extreme weather events. Young people and mothers/primary caregivers were asked about changes that may have occurred in their life due to floods and/or cyclone.

Young people reported if they were affected by the floods and/or cyclone; “Yes” (Affected), “No, but someone I know was” (Know someone else affected), or “no” (Not affected). Mothers/primary caregivers also reported if they were affected by the weather events; “Yes” (Affected), “No, the area I live in was affected” (Live in an area affected), or “no” (Not affected). Consequently, some people reported that they were not affected by the extreme weather events despite experiencing some impacts.

This is because the extreme weather events may not have changed their everyday life. In this sense, we are able to get a subjective understanding of how people were affected by the extreme weather events. We then report if people were affected by other important factors that typically follow extreme weather events, such as damage to housing, impact on school, transport, services, other activities and mental and physical wellbeing.

Figure 1. Shows the high-level regional location of young people during the floods and/or cyclone who took part in the Growing Up in New Zealand Extreme Weather Survey.

What happens to the data from this project?

The information will help the government and other groups help plan for future events as well as support the recovery effort that is still going on in many parts of the country.

Any information you or your child share as part of this survey will become part of your Growing Up in New Zealand data and be available to other approved researchers, it will however not have your or your child’s name or any other identifying information included.

Support Services

If you are worried about anything after answering questions in the Extreme Weather Survey please talk to your family or friends. You can also find help at the support services listed below and on our website www.growingup.co.nz or by phoning/texting 0508 476 946.

References

Suggested citation: Gawn, J., Fletcher, B.D., Neumann, D., Pillai, A., Miller, S., Park, A., Napier, C., Paine, S.J. (2024). The impact of extreme weather events on young people and their families: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand. Auckland: Growing Up in New Zealand. Available from: www.growingup.co.nz

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  5. New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, The 2023 Auckland Anniversary weekend storm: An initial assessment and implications for the infrastructure system 2023.

  6. Newsroom. Auckland’s historic flooding explained in five charts. 2023; Available from: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/sustainable-future/aucklands-historic-flooding-explained-in-five-charts#:~:text=The%20longest%20running%20weather%20record,that%20lasted%20nearly%20four%20decades.

  7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact on the New Zealand economy and exports: A market intelligence report. 2023.

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