Farmers and key rural groups meeting in Hawkes Bay have decided there is no need to declare a drought in the region - yet.
The MetService says some coastal parts of the region are now the driest in the country. Representatives of Federated Farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Support Trust met in Hastings on Tuesday to discuss the conditions.
Kevin Mitchell from Federated Farmers says farmers who shut up their hay paddocks in the late spring will struggle to have a decent crop if there is not a reasonable amount of rain in the next weeks.
The mayor of Hastings, Lawrence Yule, says the situation on farms across the region will be reassessed over the next month or so.
