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Amphibians are considered susceptible to a range of potential effects generated by climate change. We applied species distribution model (SDM) techniques to predict future areas of climatic suitability for Archey's and Hochstetter's frogs under two different climate change scenarios using climate variables derived from their existing geographic extent. For Hamilton's frog their current range was too restricted to model future range, so we used past climate data from current strongholds to establish that these sites may not be suitable for this species in the long-term. Model projections for Archey's frog showed the climatically suitable area expanded and extended south as greenhouse gas concentrations increased. Under the mid-range gas concentration scenario, suitable areas were similar in 2040 and 2090, and both had an 88% overlap with the current distribution. Under the high-end gas concentration scenario suitable areas for occupancy were similar to the mid-range concentrations by 2040 (84.6% overlap), but by 2090, while their currently occupied areas remain suitable for occupancy (85.5% overlap), the suitable area stretched south resulting in a large range expansion. For Hochstetter's frog, the predicted climatically suitable area also moved south, but the proportion of their current range able to be occupied lessened as greenhouse gas concentrations increased. With the mid-range concentrations, less than half of their current areas were still suitable to occupy by 2040 and 2090 (46.1% and 35.7% respectively). The high-end greenhouse gas pathway produced a similar outcome by 2040 with only 47.3% of the current occupied area remaining suitable. Under this pathway, by 2090, suitable areas were much further south, and the northern North Island was no longer suitable for Hochstetter's frog. We conclude that a shift from traditional conservation methods will be required to allow Leiopelma species to persist under a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NIWA has recently digitised daily wet- and dry-bulb temperature records for both Kelburn, Wellington and Masterton, Wairarapa sites back to 1929 and undertaken an analysis of these records and comparison with reanalysis products. This article presents key results of the analysis in the context of climate change and also the steps taken to account for site moves, complications around a plethora of daylight savings changes, and observing methods. Overall, there was a 0.7°C increase in dewpoint temperature (Td) averaged over all seasons with the strongest trend being an increase in winter, amounting to +1.7°C over 90 years at Kelburn, and +1.8°C at Masterton for the same period. Autumn also saw increasing trends at both locations whereas summer and spring saw smaller increases. Other points of interest were that January 2018 had the highest average Td values of any month in both the Kelburn and Wairarapa records while February 1998 was ranked third in the Kelburn record. Both 1998 and 2018 are tied for third-warmest years on record for Aotearoa New Zealand (dry-bulb air temperature). Despite the long-term upward trend, average Td values for February 1938 and February 1935 were ranked second- and tenth-highest respectively in the Kelburn record. February 1935 is also ranked eighth-highest in the Wairarapa record. Extreme high summer and autumn values of Td occurred in the 1930s where there was considerable yearto-year variability. Of the ten months with lowest average Td values, seven occurred in the 1930s and 1940s for Wellington. At Masterton, six were in the 1930s and all ten had occurred by 1972. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]