In New Zealand, under the Local Government Act 2002, councils are required to prepare a Long-Term plan (LTP), a “robust planning process” showing what they plan to do in the next ten or so years in consultation with their communities.

LTPs are key planning tools for councils. They consist of activities and expected outcomes, goods and services provided, funding, and financial management policies and information.

Audit New Zealand is the governmental body that conducts annual audits of New Zealand’s public entities, including the city and district councils’ LTPs, ensuring their accountability and transparency.

Covid-19 have significantly affected councils across NZ, and councils anticipate recovery to take a long time. Climate change also poses ongoing and future threats to New Zealand.

According to Audit NZ, a few councils acknowledge their limited understanding of the risks involved regarding climate change. Thus, most of 2018 to 28 LTPs have postponed addressing the long-term effects of climate change.

However, for the current 2021 to 31 LTPs, Audit NZ expects councils to have an improved understanding of climate change.

Councils’ LTPs should cover how they will respond to climate change effects like sea-level rise, rainfall levels, flood frequency, extreme natural events, and temperature changes, how they will address climate change impacts on the council’s critical infrastructures and assets, and the ensuing social, economic, and cultural impacts on the community.

Any assumptions the council makes regarding the effects of climate change should also be supported with appropriate information.

According to a Stuff article, Nelson City’s focus on climate change in its 10-year plan has won praise from Audit NZ. The city declared a climate change emergency in 2019 and appointed a climate change champion.

City councillor Kate Fulton expressed her excitement about climate change’s inclusion in the council’s LTP. According to her, climate change is not only an environmental issue but also a social and economic one.

She describes the council’s long-term climate change plan as “ambitious in climate action” with proposals to tackle mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilience.

According to the article, Nelson City’s LTP for climate change consists of four sections: how people will live and work, transport themselves, reduce waste and consumption, and protect nature.

The city is proposing $52 million for climate action in the next ten years for resilience projects, including reducing flooding and inundation. Part of the budget will go to a city-wide kitchen-waste composting mechanism priced at $13.3 million.

To know more about Long-term Plans in New Zealand, check out this short video: