Source: Radio New Zealand
A slip blocks State Highway 2 in January. Supplied/NZTA
The deputy prime minister says it is up to local communities, not necessarily the government, to decide whether they need to relocate as climate change worsens.
Parts of the North Island have been repeatedly hit by extreme weather events in recent years, particularly the Bay of Plenty, Tai Rawhiti and Hawke’s Bay.
The latest – Cyclone Vaianu – was not as destructive as feared, but still took out roads and flooded communities at the weekend.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Morning Report on Monday that iwi in the eastern part of the North Island were having conversations about relocating from areas vulnerable to wild weather and the effects of climate change.
“They’re having those conversations with the elders who have been very connected to those areas, and that’s been a really positive thing.”
As for the 14 percent – around 675,000 – New Zealanders who currently live in areas prone to flooding, Luxon said it was time to “confront the brutal facts of the reality that actually they are going to be areas of New Zealand that we’re going to have to rethink over time how we manage that”.
Asked whether we should be “pushing fast forward on those discussions” by First Up host Nathan Rarere on Tuesday morning, Deputy Prime Minister and ACT leader David Seymour said it depended on who “we” are.
“It’s more important to break down who has each role. The government has a role in this, and that is producing the national flood maps. producing the National Adaptation Framework, which sets out what the information is in each location and potentially what the options are in any location.
“It’s then up to the communities you mentioned to figure out what’s most important to them and what choices they’d like to make.”
Important roads around the Gisborne region – such as State Highways 2 and 35 – are frequently closed due to flooding and slips when big storms strike. Mayor Rehette Stoltz on Monday said she was not aware of discussions between Luxon and iwi in regards to relocation, but some marae had already been moved and the council had bought dozens of ‘category 3’ homes people could no longer live in.
She said there had been a lack of investment in the national roading network, which is handled by the New Zealand Transport Agency, not local councils.
David Seymour. RNZ/Mark Papalii
Seymour agreed there had been a lack of investment for up to 60 years.
“It’s always easier to defer some maintenance, balance the Budget this year and put physical problems into the future. And we see that in hospitals. school buildings and so on.
“I’d like to think this government is actually doing a bit to improve the accounting and capital asset maintenance.”
He played down the importance of reducing emissions.
“We’ve invested an awful lot of resource in trying to reduce emissions, when in reality that won’t change the picture for New Zealand because the rest of the world will drive emissions whether we do or not.
“What we can change and have in our own power so far as climate change and New Zealanders is the ability to ensure we do adaptation. Now, I sympathise with the mayors… I also point out that since Gabrielle in early 2023, the investment in the highway in Hawke’s Bay has been done precisely to future-proof it against those challenges.
“That doesn’t mean it’s been done everywhere. But yes, there is a couple of historic problems in our policy approach. This government, I believe, is rectifying those. But it’s also true that some work has been done. So there are problems, but not everywhere.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
