Climate adaptation law and policy in Aotearoa is changing quickly.

The Ministry for the Environment is currently working on a National Adaptation Plan, due in 2022, to respond to the most urgent of our climate risks.

Major reform of the Resource Management Act is also underway, with a standalone Managed Retreat and Climate Change Adaptation Act proposed. This Act may establish an adaptation fund to enable central and local government to support climate adaptation, as well as deal with the legal and technical issues involved in managed retreat.

However, a wide range of legislation and guidance has a role to play in either helping or hindering climate adaptation. The resources in this section explore national policy and planning solutions for climate adaptation.

Climate adaptation law and policy in Aotearoa is changing quickly.

The Ministry for the Environment is currently working on a National Adaptation Plan, due in 2022, to respond to the most urgent of our climate risks.

Major reform of the Resource Management Act is also underway, with a standalone Managed Retreat and Climate Change Adaptation Act proposed. This act may establish an adaptation fund to enable central and local government to support climate adaptation. It may also deal with the legal and technical issues involved in managed retreat.

Yet a wide range of legislation and guidance has a role to play in either enabling or hindering climate adaptation. The resources in this section explore national policy and planning solutions for climate adaptation.

Our transport, water and energy networks are all highly vulnerable to climate change, as is our built environment. Climate change threatens reliable electricity, clean drinking water, and the transport networks that allow us to work and live our lives safely every day.

We are not yet properly factoring climate projections into infrastructure planning. But we have the tools to begin doing so, even taking into account the range of projections ahead of us: from the worst to the best-case scenarios.

Adaptation across these networks is not simple. Infrastructure assets are long-lived and the costs involved are significant. Nevertheless, there are opportunities for adaptation in the normal cycle of infrastructure build and renewal.

More frequent and intense climate events are becoming very expensive for our country. Events can also combine, and escalate into larger problems with long-term consequences.

For example, a high tide occurring at the same time as extreme rainfall might prevent drainage. This could impact road networks, power and water supplies, wastewater services and people’s homes and businesses. If it happens often enough, residents and businesses may leave the area. Council's rating base and access to lending and insurance would be diminished and services reduced for those remaining. The economic argument for intervening earlier is clear.

Instead of simply re-building infrastructure as quickly as possible after climate disaster, re-designing systems with climate impacts in mind gives the possibility of longer term economic and social benefits.

To make good decisions, we need to adapt quickly while maintaining flexibility in the face of uncertainty. If we can do this, decision makers can avoid or reduce damage and costs.

Central and local government as well as infrastructure providers need fit for purpose tools to support decision making under uncertainty. Planning and decision tools we are testing or developing include:

• economic modelling which integrates collective values and aspirations
• economic modelling tools which integrate multiple climate scenarios with traditional cost benefit analysis
• adaptive planning tools which define short-, medium- and long-term decisions, depending on how and when climate impacts emerge
• decision-making frameworks which make visible the cultural drivers in decision making.