3 November 2025, Christchurch, New Zealand - The Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme, a Pacific-led initiative coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), is convening its first regional workshop focused on strengthening observation networks, asset management, and maintenance planning this week.
Held in Ōtautahi Christchurch in partnership with Earth Sciences New Zealand, the workshop brings together senior representatives from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and members of the Pacific Islands Communications and Infrastructure (PICI) Panel of the Pacific Meteorological Council.
“Reliable weather and climate observations are the backbone of early warning systems and climate resilience,” said Mr. ‘Ofa Fa’anunu, WRP Programme Manager, during the opening. “Yet, we are losing one long-term climate dataset every two years in the Pacific. This is a crisis. Despite increased investment in climate finance, we are seeing a decline in climate data—largely due to sustainability and maintenance challenges.”
The workshop marks a critical milestone in the implementation of WRP’s decadal investment programme, endorsed by Pacific Leaders in 2021. Participants will undertake a regional stocktake of observation infrastructure, develop national maintenance plans, and establish standardisation guidelines to ensure robust and sustainable systems. A refurbishment plan for priority stations will also be advanced.
“All the technical experts are in the room,” Mr. Fa’anunu added. “This week is about ground-truthing our plans and validating the way forward.”
The workshop is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), with WRP partners including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the United Kingdom Met Office, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
Weather Ready Pacific is designed by the Pacific, for the Pacific—ensuring that local knowledge, context, and leadership drive the delivery of weather, climate, water, and ocean services to safeguard lives and livelihoods across the region.