Source: New Zealand Government
The Government has released New Zealand’s first National Adaptation Framework to ensure people know what risks they face and what the plan is to address them, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says.
“New Zealand faces growing risks from floods, storms and other natural hazards. We need our country and economy to be resilient and well-prepared,” Mr Watts says.
“That’s why the Government is introducing the National Adaptation Framework to give us an enduring system that prepares New Zealand for the impacts of climate change, supports economic growth and keeps the overall costs to our society as low as possible.”
The Framework includes four pillars with 16 actions all designed to ensure New Zealand is prepared for the effects of climate change. These pillars include:
- Risks and response information sharing
- Roles and responsibilities
- Investment in risk reduction
- Cost-sharing pre-and post-event
“One of the more significant pillars is ensuring New Zealanders have access to better information about the risks they face, especially from flooding,” Mr Watts says.
“New Zealand’s first-ever National Flood Map will show where flooding is likely to happen, both now and in the future as a result of climate change. We’ll make the map readily available, to make it easy for anyone to look up and understand their risks.”
Work is underway, with the first iteration of the map expected to be available before the end of next year.
“We want the best minds in modelling and technology, nationally and internationally, to help us tackle this. The Ministry for the Environment will today release a Request for Information inviting input from external organisations to support the development of the map,” Mr Watts says,
“We are also introducing legislation to clarify the responsibility of local government by requiring adaptation plans in the highest priority areas. We have seen in recent years just how devastating floods can be, and we need to make sure our need to make sure our highest risks are being addressed.
“The new adaptation plans will help people understand what the risks are, how this will be managed, and what investment will happen in their area, so people know what to expect.”
Alongside the map and legislation, the Framework brings together new and existing actions across New Zealand’s economy.
“Adaptation can’t happen in a silo. We’re taking action across the whole system, to sharpen our focus and make sure we are building in resilience as part of strengthening and growing our economy,” Mr Watts says.
“We will keep building on these foundations over time, including taking further decisions on issues such as cost-sharing. It is important we take time to work through all these issues to ensure this framework can endure.”
