An unusually cold January and warmer June in 2014 did little to skew what was otherwise an unremarkable year for the country's weather.
The annual climate summary by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research - NIWA - says the average temperature nationally was 12.8 degrees, down from 13.4 in 2013.
NIWA forecaster Chris Brandolino said a cooler January and warmer April and June were smoothed out by other months.
Whakatane was the sunniest location, locking in 2711 hours, while Cape Turnagain was the windiest, with gusts reaching 209 kilometres an hour.
Mr Brandolino said rainfall was near normal for the main centres, despite Christchurch experiencing its second highest one-day rainfall since 1873.
