22 APRIL
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
565

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for March 1965—continued

Supplementary data, sunshine: Foxton, 142 hrs.

LATE RETURNS

Temuka, Feb 1965 .. | 80 | 69·9 | 48·4 | 59·2 | +0·2 | 91·0 | 11 | 38·5 | 22 | 1·77 | 7 | .. | 0·70 | 1 | ..
Foxton, Jan 1965 .. | Supplementary Data, sunshine 274 hrs.
Foxton, Feb 1965 .. | Supplementary Data, sunshine 172 hrs.
Erratum, Paeroa, Feb 1965 | Maximum Daily Rainfall should read 3·30 ins. on 11th.

The “normal” refers to the present site of the instruments. The standard periods for normals are: for temperature 1931–60, for rainfall 1921–50, and for sunshine 1935–60. No normals are available for stations with only short records.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR MARCH 1965

General: March was exceptionally cloudy and wet in much of the country. Pasture growth was vigorous in most areas, and good dairy production was maintained, with stock generally in good condition. However in some areas, especially in Hawke’s Bay, Wellington Province, and Canterbury, lambs were adversely affected by soft feed and lack of sunshine; harvesting and hay-making were delayed by excessive rain and water-logged ground. Dry conditions persisting in the Wairau Valley caused feed shortages there.

Fog and low cloud caused a great many disruptions to air line operations in the latter half of the month. Smoke haze from the Australian bush fires caused some spectacular sunsets and sunrises in the early part of the month.

Rainfall: Rainfall was above average over most of the country, especially in Hawke’s Bay, Wellington Province, and near Christchurch. In some North Island areas the rainfall was over four times the average for the month, and in a few places the falls were the highest on record. Exceptionally heavy falls near the Ruahine Mountains on the 17th–20th caused major floods in the Manawatu and Rangitikei Rivers, and there was some minor flooding and slip damage in Hawke’s Bay, and Wellington Provinces. Rainfalls were below half the average value near Blenheim, and were below average in Southland, North Westland, and Nelson.

Temperatures: Cold southerly and south-westerly winds near the beginning of the month brought a sharp drop in temperature in many places, with snow lying to below 3,000 ft in the ranges of both Islands from Egmont and the Tongariro National Park south. Later in the month there were long periods when a mild north to north-east airstream prevailed over the country.

Average temperatures for the month were close to the long period average in most places. In the north and west of the North Island they were mainly below average, in Southland mainly above, and in Wellington about 1½ degrees below.

Sunshine: Sunshine was below average in most places, by 40–60 hours in the Wellington area and in Nelson and Canterbury, and by 20–30 hours elsewhere. Wanganui’s sunshine of 104 hours was 89 hours below average and was the lowest recorded in 28 years of observations.

Weather Sequence: During the first five days of March low pressure systems covered New Zealand and the area to the east, giving rain in most districts, heavy in central and eastern areas of the country on the 1st and 2nd. Temperatures were cold with snow on the ranges.

A weak ridge of high pressure brought an improvement in the south and west of the South Island on the 3rd, and a general improvement accompanied another ridge on the 6th. With an anticyclone centred at first over the North Island and later east of New Zealand, the weather remained settled until the 15th except for periods of rain in the west and south of the South Island. These accompanied low pressure troughs which moved on to the South Island from the south Tasman Sea on the 7th, 10th, and 13th.

On the 15th an intense anticyclone was centred near Chatham Is. and a depression in the Tasman Sea. Between them a moist northerly airstream prevailed over New Zealand. As the depression from the Tasman moved slowly eastward towards New Zealand rain commenced in the north of the North Island and in the south-west of the South Island, and on the 16th it became widespread, especially in the North Island, where heavy falls were recorded in the next three days, particularly in eastern areas from Bay of Plenty to Wellington and about the Ruahines.

By the 18th the depression centre was north of the North Island, a ridge of high pressure had brought a clearance to much of the South Island, and the rain-bearing airstream, now flowing from the north-east and east, was still bringing rain to North Canterbury and eastern areas of the North Island. Until the 21st there was little change except for a gradual weakening of the depression and easing of the rain. Further rain bearing depressions followed quickly. One was approaching from the Tasman Sea on the 22nd, and in the next three days further rain fell in most of the country. Another moved on to New Zealand from the Tasman on the 26th, giving rain mainly in the North Island, Canterbury, and Westland. Scattered showers fell on the 27th and 28th and some heavier rain fell in the South Island and Wellington Province on the 29th as another low pressure trough moved across the country from the west.

On the 30th and 31st an anticyclone covered the country, with mainly fine weather prevailing, but on the 31st a cold front approaching from the west brought further rain to the West Coast.

R. G. SIMMERS, Director.

(N.Z. Met. S. Misc. Pub. 107)

Reserve Bank of New Zealand

PURSUANT to section 33 of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1964, the Reserve Bank, acting with the approval of the Minister of Finance, hereby gives notice that as at the close of business on 15 April 1965, and until further notice, balances to be maintained in the Reserve Bank by each trading bank shall be equal to an amount which, when added to that bank’s holdings of Reserve Bank notes as disclosed in that bank’s latest available weekly return of Banking Statistics under the Statistics Act 1955, will be not less than the aggregate of: 10 per cent of that bank’s demand deposits in New Zealand plus 3 per cent of that bank’s time deposits in New Zealand (excluding wool retention deposits) as shown in the last preceding monthly return furnished by that bank in accordance with section 31 of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1964.

The balances to be maintained as aforesaid shall be exclusive of any balance held by a trading bank in its wool retention or special fund account at the Reserve Bank.

13 April 1965.

G. WILSON, Governor.