The New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment has been providing local government guidance on how to adapt to coastal hazards associated with the sea-level rise since 2001.
The Coastal Hazards and Climate Change 2017 is a major revision of the 2008 edition, which includes the findings and projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th assessment report.
The guidance covers three main types of coastal hazards: coastal erosion, coastal inundation, and rising groundwater and salination in coastal lowlands caused by rising sea levels.
Thoughtfully put together by a team of experts and consultants, the Guidance provides extensive information on New Zealand’s current coastal hazards, how the central and local governments have dealt with them in the past, and what can be done in the present and the future in anticipation of the continuing sea-level rise.
It also looks into the scientific predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, data from mapping systems, case studies, and scientific data and evidence. It combines all this information to formulate an informed guide for local governments, the public, stakeholders, and infrastructure providers to use.
It examines existing New Zealand policies that protect the coasts and natural environment, determining whether they need revisions to be relevant to the changing climate and considering creating new policies that would deal directly with coastal hazards.
The guide looks at New Zealand values and Maori culture and tradition in the planning and decision-making process, valuing engagement with the community in the dissemination and gathering of information activities.
A brief overview of the document’s content
The report describes how New Zealand’s urban and peri-urban areas are mostly situated near the coast, along harbours, estuaries, creeks, and lowland rivers. As a result, they are exposed to hazards brought about by climate change, and this rising sea level will worsen these hazards.
Because of exposure to coastal hazards and the costs involved, there is a need for adaptation and risk management planning. In both activities, uncertainties cannot be avoided; in fact, uncertainties are inherent in most planning activities, especially long-term planning. In dealing with uncertainties, the report encourages transparency and the use of flexible decision-making in long-term planning.
Chapter 2
This chapter discusses the role of local government in planning, leadership, and application of the NZ Coastal Policy Statement of 2010. The purpose of the local government is to enable democratic local decision-making that involves the community. The local government, adhering to the RMA, also sets out policies and frameworks for dealing with areas or developments that will be exposed to coastal hazards and climate change.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 examines the community engagement principle. It defines the community and who is involved in it. It also discusses the importance of engaging the community, stakeholders, and the Maori community, encouraging debates while respecting each community’s values and traditions.
This chapter outlines the participants and provides an understanding of the current and social context, which will help the engagement process. The agreement’s goals or purpose should be clear and provide information or stimulate debate.
Engagement with the community can be on a national or district level. This chapter states that engagement is easier when science is accepted, the problem is simple, and the level of trust in the source is high. It also provides the guiding principle of community engagement.
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 provides direction on understanding and awareness of changing coastal risk. It covers the treatment of uncertainty in decision-making from ongoing sea-level rise, the importance of dealing with uncertainty, and why decisions can be made in the face of uncertainties.
This chapter states that uncertainty exists in all evidence and increases in longer-term projections. Uncertainty in climate change suggests chances of more negative consequences, and including uncertainty reduces the chances of under- and over-adaptation.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 deals with changing climate and future projections for coastal areas. It shows the certainty of climate change and coastal impacts from sea-level rise and the evidence of sea-level rise based on historical records both globally and in New Zealand. This chapter also discusses the representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th assessment report and the effect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The chapter includes using global projections to generate New Zealand scenarios, the basis and principles for sea-level rise guidance for New Zealand, and specific sea-level rise guidance for planning and design in New Zealand. It also advises on the projected changes in storm surges, winds, and waves.
Chapter 6
Chapter 6 gives information on coastal hazards, impacts, and assessments. It covers a summary of coastal hazards and geomorphology, the impacts of climate change on coastal hazards, the requirements and components of coastal hazard assessment, the scale of hazard assessment from regional screening and detailed local studies, consideration of inundation, wave setup, and runup, and case studies and examples of recent hazard assessment and tools.
Chapter 7
This chapter discusses establishing community values and objectives. It defines the community values of iwi/hapu and stakeholders. The chapter presents case studies to determine community values, reframing them to a set of objectives, and, lastly, using the community values to develop local government objectives.
Chapter 8
Vulnerability assessments, risk assessments and their guiding principles are discussed in this chapter. It provides details on:
- how to deal with it,
- how to sequence risk assessments and different scales and steps,
- the engagement for assessing vulnerability and risk,
- differences in the view of values and how to deal with them, as well as risks and scientific information.
Chapter 9
This chapter discusses adapting to changing coastal risks arising from climate change. It covers what we are adapting to and why, the meaning of adaptive capacity and adaptation and its context in decision-making, the identification and evaluation of options, and community engagement.
Chapter 10
Chapter 10 discusses adaptive planning strategy and implementation. It covers the development of an adaptive planning strategy, how to develop signals and triggers (decision points), guidance on implementing an adaptation framework and response, the scope of planning frameworks, the range of response options and measures, and community engagement.
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 is about monitoring and reviewing. It discusses the context for monitoring and review, the involvement of communities in monitoring, guidance on what to monitor to support ongoing climate adaptation, and reviewing plans and adaptation pathways.
Chapter 12
This chapter lists the tools and resources for creating guidance for local governance documents. Â It enumerates the links to the resources from the Ministry of the Environment and Department of Conservation, other relevant New Zealand guidance, IPCC Summary and Synthesis Reports: Fifth Assessment Report (2013/14), relevant international adaptation guidance (planning, infrastructure and assets), relevant international community engagement guidance, and tools and simulation games.
Overall, the “Coastal Hazards and Climate Change” document provides comprehensive and thorough information on all the issues surrounding coastal hazards in New Zealand.
It is worthwhile to browse through the guide if you are a stakeholder, a member or leader of a community, a professional involved in district planning or policymaking, an infrastructure provider, or a researcher looking for information. Â
This document will be very valuable to everyone interested in climate change, coastal hazards, and rising sea levels.
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PHOTO CREDIT: The suburb viewed from Mauao by Schwede66 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link