Marine heatwaves & oceanic changes
New Zealand is surrounded by ocean, and both our climate and our climate extremes (such as droughts, heatwaves, floods and tropical storms) are highly impacted by ocean temperatures. The ocean is also changing rapidly – it’s absorbing more heat, ocean currents are shifting, and we’re experiencing longer and more intense marine heatwaves. The more we... Read more »...
Eating with my Tuupuna
Climate resilience for Waikato hauanga kai Our traditional kai plays a critical role in our cultural health and well-being. Despite immense pressure, the Waikato River and Manukau Harbour systems have long provided a source of health, economic and cultural sustenance to the people of Te Puuaha. Our research moemoea is to enhance our cultural, environmental,... Read more »...
Kōhanga pēpi kōura
Creating pēpi kōura nurseries to protect against a changing climate This action research project supports the restoration of our taonga species, kōura (red rock lobster or crayfish), in a changing climate. Existing research on kōura is primarily focussed on commercial fisheries, which are governed and assessed by western science. In contrast, our research looks to... Read more »...
Higher carbon prices: Impacts on farming and forestry whānau
Higher carbon prices are likely to lead to permanent carbon forests and a reduction of mahi on farms and in production forests. This will almost certainly impact whānau working in farming and forestry. This project was designed to ensure that our hāpori understands and is prepared for the risks and opportunities posed by permanent forests.... Read more »...
Climate change risk assessment for land-based activities
This project aims to give land stewards a greater understanding of the most suitable crop options for their land, by providing a holistic understanding of the benefits and consequences of the options. The vision for this research is to identify a greater range of suitable land opportunities and more diverse benefits for New Zealand. Climate... Read more »...
Climate, water and wine
Enabling adaptation to interacting stressors Primary industries must adapt to multiple interacting and compounding pressures. Apart from climate change, the industry presents management challenges, complicated decision making and, in some cases, accelerating system-wide transformation. Wine and viticulture is New Zealand’s fastest growing primary industry, with urgent adaptation needs that have not yet been addressed. Focussing on... Read more »...
Primary sector preparedness for climate change
Rapid and slow-onset climate changes to the primary sector: evaluating the role and cost of adaptation on resilience Climate change presents unprecedented challenges to our primary sector. Yet significant gaps exist in our understanding of its impacts on agriculture, the costs of these impacts, and the most effective and equitable ways to adapt. Through a suite of... Read more »...
Risk-based flood insurance pricing
Consequences, adaptation and policy in a changing market The property insurance market faces multiple stressors from increasing hazards, including floods, sea level rise and landslips. Concerns are emerging about the long-term viability of coastal insurance. It’s increasingly understood that insurers will turn to risk-based pricing to maintain coverage. On the one hand, this does encourage adaptation and better aligns payment with those... Read more »...
Simplifying real options analysis for climate change adaptation
Supporting decision-makers to evaluate the economic benefit of climate adaptation infrastructure projects New infrastructure needed in response to climate change impacts will require cost analysis suitable to the scale of the project. Real options analysis (ROA) is used to help decision-makers accelerate, delay or rescale investment, but it is not widely used due to its... Read more »...
Culture & climate change
Centring culture in public engagement on climate change How do people’s cultural values shape and influence the way they might adapt to the new realities of climate change? Rather than taking a reactive approach to climate-induced events, this research – which focusses particularly on the tourism sector – involves the design of effective and proactive risk management strategies to... Read more »...