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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Climate And Health

Climate And Health.

The climate of Otago varies a great deal according to the locality. Briefly, it may be said that, as far as rainfall goes, the east and south coasts are damp, the centre is dry, and the west and south-west coasts are remarkably wet. The Maniototo Plains, Idaburn and Manuherikia Valleys, and the country towards the great central lakes, fall within the dry belt. The prevailing winds, as generally throughout New Zealand, are north-east and south-west, the latter especially being regarded as the wind of storm and rain. On the West Coast, especially in the fiord country, which, strictly speaking, is a part of Southland, the nor'-west wind, a damp warm wind from the tropical seas, precipitates its moisture in the form of heavy rain, as much as 100 inches falling in the year. But the average fall is only from thirty to thirty five inches. For 1901 the rainfall at Dunedin was exceptionally high, 37.5 inches. The temperature during the same year varied from 25 degrees Fahrenheit in July, to 83 degrees Fahrenheit in February. The climate is thus not subject to any serious extreme of either page 40 heat or cold. Snow is not infrequent in winter in Dunedin, but does not lie many days in the streets. In the hill country it is, of course, a common occurrence, and among the small lakes and streams of Central Otago skating and curling are well established winter sports. But the coldest weather in Otago is nearly always dry and bracing. When the rain comes it seldom lasts long; indeed, it is spread so uniformly over the year that Dunedin has quite unfairly been described as an exceptionally wet city. As a matter of fact, the rainfall is comparatively small, and a good deal of it during the year amounts to little more than the national “mist,” said to have been imported by the founders of the settlement in the “John Wycliffe” and the “Philip Laing.” But wet or dry, there is no doubt that on the whole the climate of Otago is exceptionally healthy. The nature of the climate of Dunedin as affecting public health may be judged by reference to the vital statistics for 1901. The death rates per 1000 of population for the four principal cities and their suburbs were:

Auckland 13.1 11.5
Christchurch 13.1 12.8
Dunedin 12.6 11.6
Wellington 10.7 10.3

It will be observed that Dunedin recorded fewer deaths per 1000 in 1901 than any other New Zealand city but Wellington. Including suburbs, however, Dunedin's position is rather worse; as Christchurch alone surpasses her in the percentage of deaths, though Auckland is a very close third. It is noticeable that the inclusion of suburbs makes a serious difference to the figures for all these cities except Wellington. The reason, of course, is that Wellington has a very small suburban population, while the comparatively large numbers of residents in the suburbs of other cities live under more healthy conditions than those who dwell within the city limits. Of course, this explanation only makes the superiority of Wellington's figures to those of Dunedin and the other cities all the more startling; especially when it is remembered that less than twenty years ago Wellington was notoriously the most unhealthy town in New Zealand. The change has been brought solely by better drainage and improved sanitation; and this naturally suggests that in Dunedin, especially in the suburbs, much yet remains to be done to improve the hygienic conditions of life. Assuredly the Otago climate cannot be held responsible for the position that Dunedin takes among colonial cities with respect to its health statistics.

Further light is thrown upon the public health of Dunedin by the deaths per 1000 for 1901, excluding all infants under one year. Including suburbs, the figures were:

Christchurch 9.9per1000
Dunedin 9.7per1000
Auckland 8.6per1000
Wellington 7.6per1000

It is plain, therefore, that the proportion of deaths among infants is higher in Dunedin than in Auckland or Wellington. But the percentage of deaths of childeren under five years of age to the total number of deaths is as follows:

Wellington 32.3
Auckland 30.1
Christchurch 27.0
Dunedin 20.2

Here Dunedin has by far the best figures, and the difference shows that the hygienic and climatic conditions there are less unfavourable to young children than to those of more advanced age. This fact is borne out by the subjoined statisties, which give the average death rate per year for infants to every 100 births, taken over a period of five years, in the chief cities, excluding suburbs.

Auckland 14.1
Christchurch 13.1
Wellington 10.8
Dunedin 8.7
Moreover, with respect to febrile and zymotic diseases, which depend for their virulence chiefly on a combination of bad sanitary and climatic conditions, Dunedin compares favourably with the rest of the colony. These diseases were in 1901 responsible for seventy deaths in Auckland, fifty-four in Christchurch, forty-six in Wellington, and only thirty-nine in Dunedin. In 1900 Wellington had the lowest average for zymotic diseases, with Dunedin next in order. There was an increase in Dunedin, in 1901, of deaths from influeuza, but that increase was shared by every other city in the colony. It may be added that more deaths occurred in Dunedin in 1901 from phthisis than at any other centre in New Zealand. The figures were: Dunedin 68, Wellington 55, Christchurch 43, Auckland 41. The Dunedin return is considerably above the level of the previous year, fifty-three being the number of deaths from phthisis in 1900. But it is well known that the dry climate of the uplands in Central Otago is favourable to consumptive patients, and Dunedin probably pays the penalty of many other health resorts, in attracting to it hopeless cases which only come to swell its death roll. It is as well to
St Clair Beach, Dunedin.Morris, photo.

St Clair Beach, Dunedin.
Morris, photo.

page 41 remember that the death rate throughout New Zealand is unusually low, and that it compares very favourably with that of the Australian States. The figures for 1900 in respect to deaths per 1000 of population were:
Melbourne 14.3
Adelaide 12.7
Sydney 11.3
Brisbane 10.9
Dunedin 9.6

It can therefore be justly claimed that Dunedin, if not the healthiest city in the healthiest country in the world, approaches very closely to that level of hygienic perfection.