cyclones

Although the Pacific has largely been spared by the spread of the disease relative to other regions around the world – with Fiji hardest hit of the six countries the UN Women’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls programme works in, at 18 confirmed cases – all of which have since been cleared, and several countries without a recorded a case so far – the economic and social consequences have been deep.

The research, published today in the journal Nature, measured cyclones from 1949 to 2016 and found that the speed at which they move has slowed by 10 percent.

The slower a cyclone moves over the ocean, the more moisture and intensity it gathers; the slower it moves over the land, the more time it spends drenching it.

James Kossin's research showed that over the past 68 years, cyclones have slowed by 10 percent globally as the planet warms.

In this region, it's been even more dramatic.

James Shaw said there had already been category five storms that would have been given a higher rating if one was available.

A category five cyclone, as defined by New Zealand's MetService, has winds speeds between 215 and 230 kilometres per hour.

This differs from category five cyclones in Australia, which have winds exceeding 280 kilometres per hour.

Mr Shaw's comments at the Pacific Climate Conference in Wellington come as some New Zealanders affected by Cyclone Gita have been told it could take up to a year to clean up the region.