Terrestrial climate evolution in the Southwest Pacific over the past 30 million years

- New Zealand climate since Oligocene time is inferred from >2300 pollen samples.
- Oligocene warming until peak warmth of middle Miocene, cooling through late Neogene.
- Seasonality increased after middle Miocene, as winters cooled through the Neogene.
- Record reflects greater range of biomes following late Neogene mountain uplift.