Climate change for our district and region
Climate change is a big environmental challenge we face as we look into the future. Changes to our climate are already affecting our region’s environment and productive land uses.
Horizons Regional Council has commissioned research which identifies that the region is already being affected by increasing temperatures, changes to rainfall patterns, river flows, increased drought, and ongoing sea-level rise. With these changes combined, the expectation is that changing climate will also affect our regional economy, and way of life. Current impacts will continue and intensify into the future.
While we're uncertain about the pace and scale of change, here's some information on what we're doing and what we know.
What we're doing
We're working with Horizons Regional Council and other territorial authorities in our region and nationally to plan how we respond to climate change and what role and actions we can take to support the transition to a sustainable regional economy.
Partnering to plan for the future
Horizons and territorial authorities in our region signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in September 2019, undertaking to work together in response to climate change.
In October 2020, Council resolved to establish and become a member of a new Joint Committee, of the Horizons Regional Council. The Terms of Reference for the Climate Action Joint Committee and information is available on the Horizons Regional Council website. The inaugural meeting was held on 30 March 2021.
Partnering on a Regional Climate Change Action Strategy and Regional Risk Assessment
To guide effort, and specific investment, in adapting to the effects of climate change, we're collaborating with other territorial authorities and the Horizons Regional Council to develop a Joint Action Plan.
Alongside this, we're jointly developing a regional risk assessment. This will be an important step in identifying climate-related impacts across the region and will help to inform the priority areas and actions. Last year, Horizons Regional Council engaged with our communities in asking them to share values which they held which could be at risk due to climate change. In September/October 2020 the engagement platform Social Pinpoint was launched where someone could drop a marker on a map and share their thoughts or complete a survey. This feedback from the community was of high value, and is supporting the planning we're undertaking, on how we prepare to adapt to the affects of climate change. This information on community values together with scientific reports, expert knowledge and climate data, will help to form the basis of a Regional Climate Risk Assessment which is due to be completed in July 2021. If you'd like to stay informed on this, please email climatechange@horizons.govt.nz to be added to the database.
In time, and having determined a regional direction on what actions to proactively take, and the outcomes we aim to achieve for our regional communities, resourcing for new actions will be addressed through Council's Annual Plan and Long Term Plan processes.
Regulating and building resilience for our communities
A number of our current plans, strategies and programmes and physical infrastructure and works align with climate change adaptation - including rules for earthworks and land development, avoidance of natural hazards and its impacts, and emergency management activities. These policies, programmes and controls build resilience for our communities.
We're also taking steps to integrate climate change considerations more proactively into our business planning decisions and operational activities.
What we know
Information on key climate change issues for the regions and greenhouse gases is available on the Horizons Regional Council website, along with other useful resources.