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Councils in action
Under the Resource Management Act, councils are required to consider the effects of a changing climate on their communities and to incorporate climate change into existing frameworks, plans, projects and standard decision-making procedures. A climate change perspective is now integrated into activities such as flood management, water resources, planning, building regulations and transport.
A number of local authorities are already improving stormwater management, flood controls and coastal erosion in their areas. For example, Kapiti Coast District and North Shore City Councils have stormwater projects under way, and coastal inundation work by Rodney District and Hawke’s Bay Regional Councils is assessing the potential effect of storm-driven surge and rising sea levels on low-lying property.
Stormwater planning
As a low-lying coastal area, the Kapiti Coast is susceptible to the impacts of climate change such as storms and flooding.
Faced with this challenge, the Kapiti Coast District Council is incorporating climate change adaptation measures into many of its plans. For instance, in stormwater infrastructure planning, the Council is considering the predicted effects of climate change such as increased flooding, ponding and how groundwater is affected.
Other adaptation initiatives include integrating a climate change perspective into the Council’s draft Coastal Strategy, incorporating a sea level rise component in flood modelling for the region, and organising the annual Kapiti Garden Show which focuses on sustainable water use.
Sand dune restoration
Community volunteers in the Bay of Plenty have planted nearly 300,000 native dune plants at the region’s beaches, improving the resilience of coastal systems to storms and erosion.
Sand dune restoration is an increasingly important and even critical task in the face of predicted climate change such as floods and sea-level rise, as dunes provide natural protection from coastal hazards and erosion. Effective action to reduce our vulnerability has become a priority in many areas.
The dune restoration programme, called Coast Care Bay of Plenty, is a community partnership project co-ordinated by Environment Bay of Plenty and its District Council partners.
Before
Volunteers plant native dune plants on a beach in the Bay of Plenty.
After
Sand dune restoration helps protect our coastlines from storm and erosion.
