By Nathanael Melia of
Photo: CHRIS SKELTON
Last week, wildfire burnt through 650 hectares of forest and scrub in Christchurch's Port Hills. This is not the first time the area has faced a terrifying wildfire event.
The 2017 Port Hills fires burnt through almost 2,000 hectares of land, claiming one life and 11 homes. It took 66 days before the fires were fully extinguished.
It is clear New Zealand stands at a pivotal juncture. The country faces an increasingly severe wildfire climate. And our once relatively "safe" regions are now under threat.
At all levels of government, New Zealand needs to consider whether our current investment to combat fires will be enough in the coming decades.
Our research integrating detailed climate simulations with daily observations reveals a stark foreca
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