Coastal hazards planning: round two

Ōtautahi Christchurch is one of the most exposed cities to coastal hazards in New Zealand, with around 25,000 properties in low-lying coastal and inland communities that could be affected over the next 100 years. Previously proposed District Plan changes to manage these risks were unsuccessful, resulting in a significant gap in the management framework and continued development in at risk areas. Following this, national guidance was released in 2017 recommending adaptation planning as a process for working with communities on coastal hazards issues, but there is limited national practice and examples for how to do this, particularly at the scale required in Christchurch.

The Christchurch City Council has initiated two programmes of work to undertake coastal hazards planning. Adaptation planning will occur in tranches allowing area-specific adaptation pathways to be developed with affected communities. Alongside this work, a plan change is being developed that will take a risk-based approach to coastal hazards.

This presentation will explain how these programmes are seeking to deal with the existing conditions and challenges in the Christchurch context. This includes taking time to get the foundations right to build and maintain momentum, developing robust technical inputs to the programmes of work that can stand up to scrutiny, taking the time for engagement and developing outputs for this purpose, and balancing the needs of current communities with the future risks.