Community development for adaptation

More and more of New Zealand’s urban settlements are likely to be impacted by climate hazards such as coastal erosion, flooding and rising groundwater levels.

Affected communities will face physical, social, financial and emotional challenges.

To minimise suffering in our communities as we adapt to climate change – and to adapt successfully – local authorities will need to adopt new approaches to engagement with communities.

This Deep South Seminar, with Janet Stephenson and Sophie Bond (University of Otago), reflects on some of the research findings of the Climate-Adaptive Communities project, which draw on stories and insights shared with the research team by community members, iwi members and council staff.

The team’s findings suggest that the way councils engage with their communities about climate change impacts must necessarily be different from ‘ordinary’ engagement processes.