Te Huringa ki te Rangi: 8-step decision-making model

Te Huringa ki te Rangi: He Rautaki Tāwariwari

This decision-making model is transferable and applicable to other Māori, indigenous and coastal communities who are grappling to understand and evaluate climate change impacts and risks, and how to integrate these into development plans that include many and varied objectives.

The model is relevant to any complex decision-making process involving competing objectives, uncertainty and the need to adapt to changing circumstances and knowledge.

How to use this model

Te Huringa ki te Rangi is a decision-making model to support indigenous and coastal communities who are grappling to understand and evaluate climate change impacts and risks, and how to integrate these into their development plans for the future.

Step 1: Clarify vision and objectives

At the core of the decision-making process is a vision and set of objectives to guide the journey and outcomes.

Step 2: Understand risks

To identify, develop and choose appropriate pathways we must understand the nature, extent and impact of past, present and future risks.

Step 3: Identify options

Identify options that achieve community objectives including options to reduce or avoid present and future climate change risks.

Step 4: Develop potential pathways

Sequence options to develop possible pathways. Consider to what degree the different choices will achieve (or not achieve) the vision and objectives as well as the impacts of those choices. This stage requires some difficult conversations.

Step 5: Evaluate pathways

When different pathways have been developed, consider a reduced list of possible pathways and evaluate them further to support decision-making and action.

Step 6: Choose pathway

A good pathway will be staged, flexible and robust for a range of possible futures. Once the possible pathways have been evaluated it is decision-making time.

Step 7: Implement

When your preferred pathway is chosen, move forward and take the first step to put it into action.

Step 8: Monitor and review

This step is fundamental to an adaptation pathways approach as it enables effective, timely responses to changing circumstances and knowledge.