Our Forecasters & Weather Watchers
About WeatherWatch.co.nz
WeatherWatch.co.nz is the first of its kind in New Zealand. Privately owned by The Radio Network, the WeatherWatch.co.nz's goal is to provide you with real time weather information that answers this very important question "How will the weather affect me?".
Not only do we cover all the breaking weather news across the country but we provide long range 10 day forecasts for Auckland (We hope to add other centres too!) and the latest big weather stories from around the world.
Philip Duncan – Head Weather Analyst
As a little kid growing up near Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty I used to ring my friend who lived a couple kilometres up the road to see if it was raining where he was. Then I’d write a little forecast and I'd give it to my parents – telling them rain was on the way. Pretty basic, but it worked - I had about a 90% accuracy rate back then as a 7 year old! Not a lot has changed today - in fact, it was this premise - to have people placed "just up the road" – the premise upon which we based WeatherWatch.co.nz; not just relying on weather computers in the Capital, but actually having people in every main town in New Zealand who can give us up to date weather information when we need it.
I’ve been studying the weather for twenty years and over that time I'll admit I've got it wrong a few times! When I was older I moved to Te Aroha, in the Eastern Waikato. This is a big farming community and believe me farmers are the hardest people to please when it comes to weather forecasting - in fact it's this tough learning environment that has ensured that every forecast I create passes a tough test: what will they do to me if I get it wrong! I think of them when I write my forecasts...so I'm very particular about what I say. At the same time, I like to ensure these forecasts are easy to read and relate well to those people living in our largest cities.
While in Te Aroha I set up my own weather forecasting business, before progressing to writing weather forecasts for radio stations in Auckland and then across New Zealand.
Since 2002 I’ve been working with The Radio Network (TRN) and have developed and grown WeatherWatch. This Forecast and News centre now caters for 2 million radio listeners and millions of readers across New Zealand and the world through our affiliate news websites.
Radio and Weather are my two biggest career passions – so this job is about as cool as it gets in my books. I use the word ‘cool’ very loosely… I’m aware of the geek factor here.
My team and I look forward to providing New Zealand with weather information that relates directly to you, in an easy to read, easy to understand way.
If you want to email Phil, you can contact him here.
Richard Green – Weather Analyst
Richard's passion for weather started at the tender age of 4, when he used to go outside and play in the gutters in his gumboots during rain squalls in Invercargill!
He doesn't do it quite so often now but got into live weather reporting 10 years ago on CTV in Christchurch where he presented the evening bulletins for 3 years in conjunction with his weather reporting on a local radio station ' Canterbury On Air'.
The next step, with Richard's eye still glancing skyward, saw him take the 'Weatherguy' role with Newstalk ZB.
Each Monday and Friday morning, he delivered his thoughts on the nations weather.
In Christchurch, he adds an extra touch by looking locally at Canterbury's conditions and what's instore for the red and black province.
As a Weather Watch team member, he enjoys the challenge of providing forecasts which hopefully most folk can relate to!
Email Richard here.
Our "Eyes & Ears"
Another thing that makes WeatherWatch.co.nz unique, is the fact that we have “eyes and ears” in every main town and city across New Zealand. With up to 30 official “Weather Watchers” providing storm alerts and eyewitness accounts on local weather conditions in your town when needed.
“It’s been a long time since a weather organisation had people based in all the main centres” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan. “Computerised weather stations are extremely important but I like to use this analogy: A plane can land entirely on computers – but if you were a passenger wouldn’t you prefer a pilot in the cockpit looking out the window? Weather forecasting is the same…there are so many things computers can miss so having locals feeding information to WeatherWatch.co.nz is vital if we want to be up to date and accurate”.
Click here to contact us anytime with your questions, comments or weather news!
