Huringa āhuarangi
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Climate change
Local government sees and deals with the impact of a changing climate first hand, including its impact on infrastructure, businesses and people’s lives.
Councils play a critical role in assessing and managing climate risks through land-use planning, infrastructure decisions, and emergency response. They also shape urban form, transport, housing, water services, and waste management—making them essential to New Zealand’s climate change approach.
Through our policy submissions and engagement, we’ve advocated strongly for councils to be provided with tools, frameworks and resources to support them in taking adaptation and mitigation action – including through the development of the Government’s climate adaptation framework and the second emissions reduction plan.
We support the Government’s commitment to progress an enduring climate change approach with cross-party support and we’re pushing for councils to have a stronger voice at the table too. A local perspective will ensure that the government’s policies work on the ground and don’t create unnecessary costs for ratepayers.
A strong relationship between councils, communities and central government will be critical for New Zealand to reduce emissions at least cost to New Zealanders, while adapting to a changing climate.
Our work to date
The timeline below summarises activity to date.
August 2024
We support a strong and predictable Emissions Trading Scheme as the primary tool for emissions reductions. We submitted on New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan (2026–30) Discussion document.
Read our submission: New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan (2026–30) Discussion document
June 2024
We submitted on the Inquiry into climate adaptation. This submission supplements our submission on the earlier Inquiry into community-led retreat, which set out the need for local and central government to work together to create an enduring framework for climate adaptation and planned retreat, including national direction for risk assessments and funding.
Read our submission: Inquiry into climate adaptation
October 2023
We submitted on the Environment Committee’s inquiry into community-led retreat and adaptation funding.
Read our submission: Inquiry into community-led retreat
October 2023
We commissioned guidance to support councils to factor climate change into their long-term plans.
Read the guidance: Climate Change Reform and the Impact on Local Government A guide for 2024 – 34 Long-Term Plans
August 2023
We submitted on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s discussion document: Strengthening the resilience of Aotearoa New Zealand’s critical infrastructure system.
Read our submission: Strengthening the resilience of Aotearoa New Zealand Critical Infrastructure
August 2023
We wrote to Ministers asking for changes to support voluntary buyouts.
Read our letter: Important need for legal certainty for councils undertaking voluntary buyouts
June 2023
We made a submission on the Climate Change Commission’s Draft Advice on the Second Emissions Reduction Plan.
Read our submission: Reduction Plan Guidance Submission
February 2023
We advocated for changes in council requirements to publish information about natural hazards on LIMs.
Read our submission: Disclosure of Natural Hazards Information on LIMS
Our work advocating for changes to LIMs is summarised in the report Review of Land Information Memorandums, Achieving Best Practice.
June 2022
We submitted on the draft National Adaptation Plan.
June 2022
We submitted on the Government’s first emissions reduction plan.
November 2021
We submitted on the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan consultation document.
Read our submission: Emissions Reduction Plan.
August 2020
We produced a series of case studies that share best practice and explored some of the challenges that councils face when having tough conversations with climate change affected communities.
Read case studies on community engagement on climate change adaptation here.
August 2019
We produced guidance for councils on assessing the exposure of their infrastructure to sea level rise and inland flood risk.
Read the guidance Exposed: Climate change and Infrastructure.
January 2019
We released our research paper Vulnerable: The quantum of local government infrastructure exposed to sea level rise, provides a picture of the type, amount and replacement value of local government owned infrastructure exposed to sea level rise.
March 2019
A paper for presentation to the “Climate Change Adaptation” session at the Rural and Provincial Sector Meeting.
Read the paper Climate change litigation: who’s afraid of creative judges?