Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee Monday 12 April 2021 at 09:00am

 

12 April 2021

Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee Agenda

 

 

Recommendations contained in the agenda are NOT decisions of the meeting. Please refer to minutes for resolutions.

 

MEMBERSHIP OF THE Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee

 

Cr Amy Macdonald, NRC	Thomas Hohaia, NRC	Mayor Jason Smith, KDC
Fiona Kemp, KDC	Cr Anna Murphy, WDC	Delaraine Armstrong, WDC
Cr David Clendon, FNDC	Tangata Whenua Rep, FNDC TBC

 

 

Item                                                                                                                                                                                   Page

1.0       Housekeeping

2.0       apologies   

3.0       declarations of conflicts of interest

4.0       Reports

4.1       Election of Chair and Deputy Chair                                                                                                       3

4.2       Terms of Reference Review                                                                                                                     6

4.3       Meeting Schedule                                                                                                                                     11

4.4       Regional Adaptation Programme                                                                                                        13

4.5       LTP funding for Climate Change Adaptation                                                                                   21   

 

   

12 April 2021

 

TITLE:	Election of Chair and Deputy Chair
ID:	A1425915
From:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services
Authorised by Group Manager:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 31 March 2021

 

The purpose of this report is to appoint the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee. 

The Chief Executive Officer of the administrating council (being the Northland Regional Council) will call for nominations for the election to the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson.  Once elected, the Chairperson will assume the Chair from the Chief Executive and preside over the remainder of the meeting.

 

1.         That the report ‘Election of Chair and Deputy Chair’ by Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services and dated 16 March 2021, be received.

2.         That in the event more than one nomination for Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson is received, “System A” as specified in Clause 25 of Schedule 7 to the Local Government Act, be used for the election of the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson.

3.         That ……………be appointed as Chair of the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee.

4.         That ……………be appointed as Deputy Chair of the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee.

 

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	System A	More complex	Carries a lesser likelihood that the appointment could be determined by lot.
2	System B	Simple system	Carries a higher likelihood that the appointment could be determined by lot.

 

The staff’s recommended option is that, in the event more than one nomination be received for Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson, System A be applied.

 

 

1.         Significance and engagement

Joint Committees must elect a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson as part of normal practice and therefore in relation to Section 30 of the Local Government Act 2002, this issue is considered to be of low significance.

2.         Policy, risk management and legislative compliance

This report is submitted for consideration by the Joint Committee pursuant to the statutory requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 and is therefore considered to be of low risk and compliant with legislative requirements.

Being a purely administrative matter, Environment, Community Views, Māori Impact Statement, Financial Implications and Implementation Issues are not applicable.

The Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee is comprised of Councillors and Māori nominees from Far North District Council, Kaipara District Council, Whangarei District Council and Northland Regional Council. The Committee is a joint standing committee of council as provided for under Clause 30(1)(b) of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 and shall operate in accordance with the provisions of Clause 30A of that Act. The Joint Committee is required to appoint a Chair and Deputy Chair.

The appointment of these roles, at the inaugural meeting of the Joint Committee, will provide appropriate leadership of the Joint Committee and support the delivery of its functions. A key role of the Chair and Deputy Chair will be to ensure that all activities undertaken by the Joint Committee maximise as far as possible achievement of the strategic objectives.

The Terms of Reference for the Joint Committee do not specify the method of election for the chair and deputy chair. The following process is recommended:

The Chief Executive Officer of the administrating council (being the Northland Regional Council) will call for nominations for the election to the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson.  A mover and seconder will be required for each nomination.  Any nomination that is moved but not seconded, will be deemed to have lapsed.

If only one nomination is received for either role, that person will be declared to be elected.  Should more than one nomination be received for either role, the Joint Committee will be called upon to decide which of the two systems of voting (as specified in Clause 25 of Schedule 7 to the Local Government Act) is to be used to make the appointment.  The two systems are as follows:

System A

(a)       Requires that a person is elected or appointed if he or she receives the votes of a    majority of the members of the Joint Committee present and voting; and

(b)       Has the following characteristics:

(i)        There is a first round of voting for all candidates; and

(ii)       If no candidate is successful in that round there is a second round of voting from which the candidate with the fewest votes in the first round is excluded; and

(iii)      If no candidate is successful in the second round there is a third; and if necessary a subsequent round of voting from which, each time, the candidate with the fewest votes in the previous round is excluded; and

(iv)      In any round of voting, if two or more candidates tie for the lowest number of votes, the person excluded from the next round is resolved by lot.

System B

(a)  Requires that a person is elected or appointed if he or she receives more votes than any other candidate; and

(b)  Has the following characteristics:

(i)            There is only one round of voting; and

(ii)           If two or more candidates tie for the most votes, the tie is resolved by lot.

 

Staff recommend the Joint Committee use System A, as this system is less likely to result in the decision being made by “lot”.  Resolving by “lot” can be conducted by the toss of a coin or putting each person’s name on the same size piece of paper and put in a box from which the name is drawn.

Once elected, the Chairperson will assume the Chair from the Chief Executive and preside over the remainder of the meeting.

Nil

12 April 2021

 

TITLE:	Terms of Reference Review
ID:	A1425916
From:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services
Authorised by Group Manager:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 31 March 2021

 

In establishing the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee, each council was required to adopt the draft Terms of Reference (TOR).  Whangarei District Council, Kaipara District Council and Northland Regional Council have adopted the TOR as presented, however Far North District Council has sought amendments to the TOR.  This paper presents those amendments, suggests some small alterations to provide flexibility, and seeks Joint Committee endorsement of the revised TOR.  Should the Joint Committee endorse the revised TOR, respective councils will need to readopt the updated TOR through formal council decision.    

1.         That the report ‘Terms of Reference Review’ by Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services and dated 16 March 2021, be received.

2.         That the attached Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee Terms of Reference are endorsed.

3.         The Joint Committee recommend the revised Terms of Reference be adopted by each member council. 

 

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	The Joint Committee endorses the revised TOR as attached.	The revised TOR take into account the feedback from Far North District Council but also provide flexibility for member councils.	Tangata whenua representatives will likely be paid different rates depending on the respective councils remuneration policy.
2	The Joint Committee endorses the amendments as proposed by FNDC.	All tangata whenua representatives will be remunerated consistently for their participation on the Joint Committee.	Amendments may not be supported by member councils as they have their own remuneration policy.
3	The committee retains the TOR as adopted by WDC, KDC, NRC.	Each council remunerate their tangata whenua nominee in accordance with the respective councils remuneration policy.	Tangata whenua representatives will be remunerated at different rates and FNDC will need to reconsider adopting the original TOR.

The staff’s recommended option is Option 1

1.         Environmental Impact

Adopting a clear TOR will enable the Joint Committee to guide and support the region to proactively respond to the impacts of climate change now and in the future.

2.         Community views

Adaptation to climate change is of significant interest to the community however community concerns are more likely to be related to the adaptation programmes and actions of member councils than the terms of reference specifically.

3.         Māori impact statement

While the decision on the TOR will have an impact on the remuneration of tangata whenua representatives on the Joint Committee, there are no known impacts on Māori generally, over and above that of the general public, from this decision. 

4.         Financial implications

The Joint Committee recommendation for member councils to adopt the terms of reference will require remuneration for tangata whenua members nominated by each council. There are therefore some financial implications however this is considered minor and each council has confirmed this will be accommodated within current operational budgets. 

5.         Implementation issues

There are no known implementation issues associated with the decision.

 

6.         Significance and engagement

In relation to section 79 of the Local Government Act 2002, this decision is considered to be of low significance when assessed against council’s significance and engagement policy because it is part of council’s day to day activities.  This does not mean that this matter is not of significance to tangata whenua and/or individual communities, but that this decision can be made without undertaking further consultation or engagement.

 

7.         Policy, risk management and legislative compliance

The recommendation by the Joint Committee for each council to adopt the revised TOR is consistent with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 relating to joint committees and is considered to be low risk.

The TOR sets out the Joint Committee roles and responsibilities, its membership, service of meetings, meeting frequency, quorum, appointment of Chair and Deputy and remuneration. All member councils have endorsed the Terms of Reference – however the Far North District Council endorsed the TOR with minor amendments to the terminology used and a change to the remuneration clause.  The remuneration clause stated that remuneration of non-councillor members of the Joint Committee is to be in accordance with the remuneration policy of the council that appointed them. The change sought by the Far North District Council is to refer to the Northland Regional Council Appointed Members Allowances Policy.

Given the three other member councils have endorsed the TOR without reference to the Northland Regional Council Appointed Members Allowances Policy in the remuneration clause, it is recommended that the TOR be amended to allow remuneration to be on the basis of each councils policy or alternatively on the basis of the Northland Regional Council Appointed Members Allowances Policy.   Should the Joint Committee agree to endorse amendments to the remuneration section of the TOR, then the other proposed amendments by FNDC should also be endorsed. A revised version of the TOR is attached with the changes highlighted.

It is recommended that the Joint Committee recommend the attached revised TOR be adopted by each member council (the Joint Committee cannot confirm its own TOR). It should be noted that the TOR do allow for subsequent amendment subject to the approval of all member councils, so they can be adjusted in future if necessary.

 

Attachment 1: Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee - Terms of Reference ⇩   

12 April 2021Attachment 1

 

12 April 2021

 

TITLE:	Meeting Schedule
ID:	A1425918
From:	Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator
Authorised by Group Manager:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 31 March 2021

 

This item facilitates the scheduling of meetings for the Joint Committee for the period leading up to the next triennial elections in October 2022.

 

1.         That the report ‘Meeting Schedule’ by Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator and dated 16 March 2021, be received.

2.         That the Joint Committee adopt the following meeting schedule for the next 18 months:

·    Mon 30^th August 2021, 1-5pm

·    Mon 29^th November 2021, 1-5pm

·    Mon 28^th March 2022, 1-5pm

·    Mon 29^th August 2022, 1-5pm

 

 

No.	Option	Advantages	Disadvantages
1	That the proposed meeting schedule be adopted	Works around regular existing meetings	May not be appropriate for some members
2	That an alternative meeting schedule be adopted	May be able to accommodate committee members needs	Complicated schedules mean that ad hoc organising may be difficult

 

The staff’s recommended option is Option 1 – adopt the meeting schedule as proposed.

1.         Significance and engagement

In relation to Section 30 of the Local Government Act 2002, this issue is considered to be of low significance, as the Joint Committees must adopt a meeting schedule as part of its normal procedures.

2.         Policy, risk management and legislative compliance

This report is submitted for consideration by council pursuant to the statutory requirements of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Being a purely administrative matter, Environment, Community Views, Māori Impact Statement, Financial Implications and Implementation Issues are not applicable.

The Terms of Reference for the Joint Climate Change Adaptation Committee state that the committee will meet at least two times per year. Additional meetings and workshops are possible if deemed necessary by the Joint Committee.

Staff suggest that there be three meetings in total for 2021, and two meetings in 2022 prior to the triennial council elections.

Staff recommend that the Joint Committee adopt the following meeting dates and times. Suggested times are from 1pm on afternoons following Mayoral forum meetings.

·    Mon 30^th August 2021, 1-5pm

·    Mon 29^th November 2021, 1-5pm

·    Mon 28^th March 2022, 1-5pm (provisional pending 2022 Mayoral forum dates)

·    Mon 29^th August 2022, 1-5pm (provisional pending 2022 Mayoral forum dates)

 

Locations of meetings are to be advised.

A work programme for the Joint Committee for the next 18 months will be presented at the next meeting. The draft Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy is expected to be completed for Joint Committee endorsement at the August 2021 meeting.  The contents of this Strategy will form the main focus of that agenda and will provide the basis for much the Joint Committees future work programme.

Nil

12 April 2021

 

TITLE:	Regional Adaptation Programme
ID:	A1425920
From:	Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator
Authorised by Group Manager:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 31 March 2021

 

Climate change adaptation refers to how we respond to the current and future impacts of climate change.

Adaptation is increasingly becoming an important component of international agreements such as the Paris Accord. Climate change adaptation is also receiving greater attention from central government with a national adaptation plan in development, as well as a proposed Climate Change Adaptation Act as part of the suite of Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) reforms underway.

Northland faces a range of climate change risks including drought, flooding, sea level rise and increasing coastal hazards. While existing council work programs are beginning to address the risks of drought and river flooding, coastal communities exposed to increasing risks due to climate change and sea level rise have to date had little strategic assistance from councils.

Significant interventions are likely to be required in many coastal communities, and community engagement will be key to addressing climate risk successfully.

Staff from Northland councils have been working collaboratively to develop a cohesive approach to adaptation between councils, and anticipate respective councils confirming a joint Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy this year. The Strategy will be composed of a number of technical chapters and will outline climate change risks, engagement methodologies, implementation tools and a ten year program of community adaptation planning projects. 

 

That the report ‘Regional Adaptation Programme’ by Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator and dated 16 March 2021, be received.

 

What is climate change adaptation?

“Adaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts. It refers to changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change. In simple terms, countries and communities need to develop adaptation solution and implement action to respond to the impacts of climate change that are already happening, as well as prepare for future impacts.” (UNFCCC^[1]). The Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group established by central government^[2] describes effective adaptation as reducing the risks from climate change impacts today and over the medium and long term by:

•     reducing the exposure and vulnerability of our social and cultural systems, natural and built environment (including physical assets), and economy

•     maintaining and improving the capacity of our social, cultural, environmental, physical and economic systems to adapt.

Climate change adaptation does not replace the need for eliminating CO2 emissions; it acknowledges that the climate is changing and that we need to adjust how we live in order to reduce risk and take advantage of opportunities.

International context 

New Zealand is a signatory to the Paris Accord, a global agreement coordinated by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aiming to keep global warming to under 2 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures. The next meeting of the UNFCCC is at COP26 in Glasgow. At COP26 signatory countries are expected to review mitigation and adaptation policies and actions and assess the need for stronger action.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading global source of climate change science. The IPCC produces reports that outline the latest scientific understanding of the causes, current status and future impacts of climate change. Their reports are authored by thousands of scientists and experts around the world, and with each final report approved by numerous governments, are generally agreed to be a reliable source of data. The next major IPCC report, AR6, is due in 2022 and is expected to place a stronger emphasis on the need for adaptation.

New Zealand context 

To date, local government has been largely responsible for adaptation planning and implementation, particularly when it comes to decisions on land use, buildings and subdivision. The RMA 1991 and NZ Coastal Policy Statement 2004 require councils to consider the impacts of climate change in land use planning. However, there are limited provisions to proactively manage future risks due to climate change for existing development. MfE’s 2017 report ‘Coastal hazards and Climate Change’^[3] contains detailed information for councils on how to approach coastal adaptation planning, including conducting risk assessments and community engagement methodologies. However, there are many issues that councils face when it comes to considering, talking about, planning for, and implementing adaptation actions. Not least of these are existing use rights, inadequate planning regimes and funding. There are also concerns around sufficient engagement with iwi and hapū and meeting Treaty responsibilities.

The New Zealand government is now taking steps to develop a national framework for adaptation. The Climate Change Response (Zero carbon) Amendment Act (2020) includes requirements for the government to develop National Climate Change Risk Assessments (NCCRA) every six years, and a National Adaptation Plan two years following each NCCRA. The first NCCRA was produced by MfE in 2020^[4], and outlines risks to natural, human, built, economic and governance ‘value domains’. Based on this assessment, the National Adaptation Plan is currently being developed by MfE, and is due for release in August 2022^[5]. It is anticipated that this will outline the strategic priorities for the country in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change and set out an action plan to address the highest risks.

In response to issues identified regarding the implementation of adaptation plans (for example, in Hawke’s Bay^[6]), central government is developing a Climate Change Adaptation Act (CCAA). The CCAA is the third piece of legislation, alongside the new Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA) and Spatial Planning Acts (SPA), that make up  part of the RMA reforms following recommendations in the Randerson Review^[7]. Based on information released so far, including two cabinet papers summarising the Randerson Review and key changes, the three new acts are likely to give new powers to local government to enable forward-thinking adaptation planning to improve community resilience.

While there are few specific details on the CCAA, its proposed that the purpose of the Act is to “address the complex legal and technical issues associated with managed retreat (where it is required for climate change adaptation or to reduce risks from natural hazards)”. It’s also proposed that the CCAA will establish an adaptation fund.

The Cabinet papers^[8] outline a high-level timeframe and process for the development of legislation including public consultation on adaptation policy at the end of 2021.

Core drivers for establishing the CCAA (as demonstrated in the Hawke’s Bay example) include:

·                A lack of national direction and guidance from central government for managing the effects of climate change

·                Difficulties addressing contentious issues in local planning

·                A lack of clarity for roles and responsibilities of central and local government for adaptation

·                A lack of ability to plan for managed retreat

·                Particular issues in relation to risks for Māori

·                A need for an ‘all of system’ approach given the links across the three proposed pieces of law (and especially spatial planning required under the SPA and National Adaptation Plans developed under the Climate Change Response Act 2002)

Climate change mitigation and adaptation will be a strong theme in the NBA and SPA.  While the approach to be taken in the CCAA is currently unknown. it is likely to include strong government direction on natural hazard management, potentially greater powers to ‘intervene’ and importantly complemented by an adaptation fund (especially in relation to where managed retreat is the only option).

While the development of legislation is a welcome sign for local government, it underlines the role that councils will play in managing the impacts of climate change on our communities and should serve as a clear indication of national direction.

Northland context 

Climate risk

Climate change adaptation is not just a future process - it is happening now. Our communities increasingly see climate change reflected in their current lived reality, as well as in their children’s and grandchildren’s future. In some places physical conditions that align with climate projections are already impacting peoples’ property, their livelihoods and the natural environment they care about. In other places, rules relating to mapped natural hazards that include climate projections are limiting the ability of people to build and develop on their land, impacting the long-term viability and wellbeing of communities. Our role as local government is to help communities and the natural environment thrive in the long term, with the full consideration of climate projections.

Adaptation planning

Local government has a growing role to work with communities to plan long-term approaches to reduce climate-related risks. Adaptation planning extends beyond hazards management and infrastructure decisions to involve social and cultural processes.

Collaborative work is already underway addressing drought and water supply through the Four Waters Advisory Group. Northland Regional Council also has a large program of work mitigating flood risk for selected communities across the region. However, like many regions around the country, most of our coastal communities are likely to be impacted by climate change due to rising sea levels over time, resulting in permanent tidal inundation, coastal flooding in storm surge events, and ongoing coastal erosion.

In coming years, Northland councils will start working with communities, tangata whenua and key stakeholders to develop community adaptation plans that outline flexible options and transitional adaptation pathways for local areas, with a focus on coastal risks. This approach is known as adaptive pathways planning. The approach comes from the  ‘dynamic adaptive policy pathways’ (DAPP) process modelled in the 2017 MfE guidance and is likely to be used as the preferred engagement, decision-making and adaptation planning framework^[9].

Climate change adaptation is not a stand-alone program; adaptation will affect many aspects of council’s business and buy-in across our organisations is critical. Councils will need to integrate community adaptation plans into existing council processes in order to implement proposed land use changes and ensure sufficient infrastructure investment. It is likely adaptation responses will entail changes to operational council activities (such as infrastructure plans, or environmental management programs). Councils will need to embed adaptation plans into LTP funding models, work programs, statutory plans and strategies.

Climate Adaptation Te Taitokerau and the Adaptation Strategy

Climate Adaptation Te Taitokerau (CATT) is a collaborative staff group that formed in 2018 with the intent of creating an coordinated approach to climate change adaptation across all four Northland councils. CATT aims to align climate adaptation policy, information and methodologies, and pursue collaborative opportunities to enable effective regional adaptation planning. One of the key deliverables of the group is the Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy (the Strategy).

The Strategy aims to outline a path to a consistent and coordinated approach to climate change adaptation planning and response for the four Northland councils. The Strategy and accompanying implementation plan will set out a ten-year work program that identifies key localities, appropriate methods for adaptation engagement, associated timeframes and required resourcing.

Three key questions guide the Strategy’s development:

1.    What’s happening?

2.    What can we do about it?

3.    What are the next steps?

 

Figure 1 below provides a high-level overview of the component chapters, the focus of each chapter, and expected delivery dates.  Simply, the Strategy:

1.    Provides an overview of climate change risks to Northland with a focus on local government responsibilities, with the aim of identifying priority risks requiring adaptation planning. It is comprised of three chapters: climate risk overview, coastal risk profiles, and climate risk and Māori.

2.    Gives an overview of the approaches and tools available to local government and communities to enable adaptation planning, engagement and implementation. It is comprised of two chapters: local government adaptation toolbox and adaptation planning program options. The aim is to identify appropriate adaptation planning approaches for communities facing different risks around Te Taitokerau, to inform the adaptation strategy implementation plan.

3.    Will outline an optimised program for adaptation planning across the region that aligns available council resources with risk assessments, engagement methodologies and implementation tools. The implementation plan will be a 10-year working document updated yearly to reflect LTP and annual plan budgets, and will set out which communities we plan to work with, the type of engagement required and the available LTP resources.

 

CATT are work with tangata whenua to co-design a Te Ao Māori climate adaptation framework within the Strategy. A Te Ao Māori framework will take a kaupapa Māori approach and assist councils to learn from and uplift the voices of Māori in adaptation planning and implementation. This is a year-long project primarily funded by DIA and delivered by WDC, along with resource contributions from other councils. The framework will underpin how staffwork with iwi and hapū partners and marae and whanau as we develop adaptation plans with communities. It will be informed by the Climate Risk and Māori chapter and will involve kanohi ki te kanohi engagement with hapū and iwi representatives across the region.

Issues

While the collaborative staff group has helped strengthen relationships, create consistency between and build capacity within councils, much remains to be done. We need to move from recognizing the need for adaptation, through planning and carrying out adaptation engagement, into the implementation of adaptation measures. There will be hurdles along the way, and the establishment of this Joint Committee is one way in which to build a strong foundation for adaptation planning.

Some of the key challenges faced by Northland councils to progressing this mahi include:

·    Internal constraints

o  Limited staff resourcing

o  Lack of organisation-wide engagement

o  Inappropriate existing infrastructure and district plans

o  Limited council funding for implementation of infrastructure needs

o  Willingness to implement adaptation interventions in at-risk areas (e.g. constrained development/managed retreat)

·    Legislative constraints

o  Lack of national support and guidance

o  Existing use rights

o  Inadequate planning and policy instruments

·    Other external constraints

o  Diversity of risks faced by communities

o  Community buy-in and attitudes (particularly where it impacts on private property rights)

o  Specific risks and context for Māori

o  Insufficient ability to understand Māori values

o  Legacy issues between councils and hapū/Iwi

o  Ability for landowners and communities to fund adaptation measures

While councils face many challenges as we begin our climate adaptation journeys, we also have many areas of strength and opportunities that put us in a good position to succeed:

·    Strong, working relationships between the councils providing a good operational foundation

·    Growing awareness of the significance of climate change and increasing support from council leadership for councils to take a stronger stand on adaptation planning

·    Growing community buy-in and a desire to take stronger action to address climate change impacts

·    Māori have a strong interest in climate change adaptation and there’s a significant opportunity for councils and Māori to partner around this mahi to achieve collective outcomes

·    All four councils have significant increases in climate change adaptation funding written into the 2021-24 LTP, including a cumulative increase in staff resourcing across the region

 

 

 

Nil

12 April 2021

 

TITLE:	LTP funding for Climate Change Adaptation
ID:	A1425919
From:	Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator
Authorised by Group Manager:	Jonathan Gibbard, Group Manager - Environmental Services, on 31 March 2021

 

Staff from the joint council working group Climate Adaptation Te Taitokerau have collaborated to align climate change adaptation work programs and ensure new funding proposals have been included in each council’s Long Term Plan 2021/2031 program.  This report presents a summary of respective council LTP proposals – noting that these are yet to be confirmed by councils in June 2021.

 

That the report ‘LTP funding for Climate Change Adaptation’ by Matt De Boer, Climate Change Resilience Coordinator and dated 16 March 2021, be received.

 

Council proposals and funding are focused on adaptation planning only (e.g. for risk assessment, community engagement and options assessment), and do not include the costs of implementation (such as infrastructure provision or statutory planning costs). Implementation costs will be included in current or future infrastructure strategies and are not reported in this document.

Across the region, the total additional funding for climate change adaptation planning for the four councils comes to over $4.5M over three years.

Individual council LTP funding proposals are summarised in the following table:

	Yr 1	YR 2	Yr 3	TOTAL
FNDC	$            542,066	$            741,666	$            661,666	$        1,945,398
WDC	$              84,000	$            215,000	$            225,000	$            524,000
KDC	$            121,500	$            164,000	$            129,000	$            414,500
NRC	$            486,494	$            479,894	$            682,882	$        1,649,270
Total Northland	$        1,234,060	$        1,600,560	$        1,698,548	$        4,533,168

 

Although components of each council’s funding will go toward the implementation of the Te Taitokerau Climate Adaptation Strategy, individual councils have also developed their own work programs and funding priorities.

Staff from each council will present a brief overview of their anticipated adaptation work program and associated funding. Explanatory notes and further details on climate change adaptation work programs from each council are included as attachments.

 

Attachment 1: WDC CC LTP FUNDING_DRAFT ⇩

Attachment 2: Kaipara District Council LTP Summary ⇩

Attachment 3: NRC Climate change adptation LTP update ⇩

Attachment 4: FNDC Climate Adaptation funding LTP 2021-24 ⇩   

12 April 2021Attachment 1

 

12 April 2021Attachment 2

 

 

12 April 2021Attachment 3

 

12 April 2021Attachment 4