Community engagement infosheet launched

There’s increasing amounts of research about climate adaptation, including about methods of community engagement. But practical guidance around how to engage communities for climate adaptation is less well-covered. Engaging with a community on climate adaptation is as much an art as it is a science. 

We are pleased to share our new infosheet on community engagement for climate adaptation. Based on several of our previous research projects the infosheet presents a concise starting point for council staff undertaking community engagement. 

We don’t need to tell people what they think or need to do. Councils can lead this by empowering communities to make their own choices and supporting them through access to good information.

Jacqui Hastie

To some degree, climate adaptation is the ability to use what we do know to make the best decisions about what we don’t know. It is widely accepted that communities should have a role in adaptation decisions that will affect them, and many governing regulations include requirements on councils to provide opportunities for public participation.

Furthermore, iwi, hapū and whānau, through Te Tiriti o Waitangi, have a right to partner on these decisions. While there’s no adaptation rule book, some valuable insights from Deep South Challenge researchers, councils and communities with adaptation experiences are worth sharing. This infosheet is a free and frank distillation of the key questions and answers we, as well as experienced council staff, are often asked.

Thank you to all those who gave feedback to help us craft this infosheet, in particular to adaptation champion Jacqui Hastie. 

We can adapt, we’ve done it before and we can do it again.