Climate Change
Please note that this information was provided for the 2022 Local Government Elections and may now be out of date.
Extreme weather events are happening more frequently, caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere resulting in increased temperatures which subsequently alters weather patterns, changes ecosystems and increasing the rate of sea level rise. For our district the key impact of climate change is the increasing frequency and severity of flooding events and droughts, and changes to the ground water levels.
What councils do to ensure the resilience of infrastructure (or not, as the case may be) will have significant consequences for communities. The decisions a council makes about how it continues to invest (or not) in existing infrastructure in light of climate change impacts will affect things such as the continued availability of infrastructure to current and future communities, their preparedness for natural disasters, and their safety. Decisions relating to existing and new infrastructure will directly or indirectly impact where people can live, how people go about their lives and how they conduct their business.
Councils need to carefully balance the needs of current communities against those of future communities, which will involve consideration of who bears the costs for decisions, and when.
What we currently do
- Building resilience into our asset management planning to reduce any potential risk of disruption to services for our communities – you can read more about this in our Infrastructure Strategy
- Masterplanning for drinking water supply and wastewater treatment and discharge
- Land use planning to protect our communities against natural hazards
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions inventory of Council’s activities.
- Climate change risk assessment for our organization and our community.
What's on the horizon?
Challenges
- RMA Reform
This reform is set to replace the current Resource Management Act 1991 with three separate pieces of legislation; Natural and Built Environment Act, Spatial Planning Act, and the Climate Adaptation Act (CAA). The purpose of the CAA is to help New Zealand better deal with climate change, particularly 'managed retreat' (the strategic relocation of communities or assets prone to natural hazards - like increased flooding or coastal inundation). The Draft Climate Adaptation Plan was released for feedback in June. You can read Council's submission to the Draft plan here
- Emissions Reduction Plan
The New Zealand Emissions Reduction Plan sets the national target of net zero emissions by 2050, with an expectation that local councils have a key role to play in working with their communities to achieve this target.
- No current policy or strategy on climate change or climate action
Being an inland district, we are protected from the direct impact of sea level rises and coastal inundation. The risk to our communities and assets is relatively low, compared to elsewhere in New Zealand. Due to the relatively low risk to our communities and assets, our focus has been on incorporating resilience planning in our asset management and district planning. With the increasing focus on climate change response and adaptation, there may be a need to develop a policy or strategic action plan for our council and communities in the future.
- No dedicated resource or funding to coordinate efforts and projects for climate action.
- Emissions Trading Scheme – how does the recent changes to the EMS impact on council?
Opportunities
- Working Together and Sharing Knowledge
Other councils have already done a lot of work in this space, and there’s opportunities to learn from others. The Aotearoa Councils Climate Network is a group of council staff representing the majority of councils across New Zealand who meets virtually once a month to discuss and share knowledge about how local government should or is responding to climate change.
We are also part of Co-Lab (formerly Waikato Local Authorities Shared Services) who coordinates a region-wide a Carbon and Energy Management Project, which we are partner to. There could be opportunities to do more in this space.
- Partnership – iwi and community groups have expressed a desire to be part of this journey, and there are opportunities for constructive and meaningful partnerships to support the overall community wellbeing outcomes.
Questions to consider
- What is Council’s responsibilities in responding to and adapting to climate change?
- How can Council support its communities to adapt to climate change?
- How can Council reduce its own emissions?
