New Zealand plans to introduce legislation before the end of the year that will create a framework to help communities and businesses adapt to the impacts of climate change.

But we're in a better place than before and we should be very "proud as a country", the Emergency Management Minister says.

Flood flows on South Island's Buller River this month were the largest in New Zealand in almost 100 years, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) announced on Thursday.