Hi Jason, climate change is measured over decades so a year of intense air pressure systems isn’t necessarily any signs of change. Storms over the Southern Ocean are normal all year round, but certainly in recent months we’ve seen a lot of extra powerful highs and lows in both northern and southern hemispheres. The increase in them may be connected to the warming planet.

Sadly, a lack of historical data in NZ due to government agency NIWA commercialising data that was given to them by volunteers and public weather stations over the decades makes it much harder for the NZ public and private forecasters to track and display what is normal and whether or not NZ is seeing any shifts in what “normal” air pressure is here.
Cheers
Phil D