
About this episode
Today marks the last day of summer, but North Islanders can be forgiven for not noticing.
Relentless downpours have rendered this summer one the wettest in living memory. A cyclone and two bands of thunderstorms have already caused enormous damage across the North Island – and there are fears there could yet be more to come.
Why has our infrastructure battled to withstand the downpours? And what can we learn from the way other countries prepare for tropical cyclones?
Today, NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll joins Damien to reflect on the summer that never was.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Damien Venuto
Producers: Shaun D Wilson and Paddy Fox
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Front Page publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from The Front Page

Are we buying the wrong cars in the fuel crisis EV boom?
The Front Page

How illicit tobacco quietly grew to a quarter of all cigarettes sold here
The Front Page

Why Trump’s Iran blockade could backfire at sea
The Front Page

Inside the push to fix Luxon’s media image
The Front Page