Adaptation & Planned Relocation

Climate change poses a major challenge for Aotearoa New Zealand. Rising temperatures are causing sea levels to rise and increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. These changes pose threats to the safety and well-being of communities around the country. It is clear that we must begin adapting to these risks.

Adaptation covers a range of activities aimed at preventing or limiting the impacts of climate change. In many cases, however, policies to protect at-risk communities will not be cost effective or technically feasible. In these circumstances, the planned withdrawal of human activities and associated infrastructure may be necessary. This adaptation is now being termed 'planned relocation'.

As part of the RMA reforms, the Government is considering options to enable communities to relocate from places of risk . A Managed Retreat Expert Working Group has been convened to support the Government in this work.

The "Report of the Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat: A Proposed System for Te Hekenga Rauora/Planned Relocation" published in August 2023, discusses the policy problem that there is a lack of national direction on how to plan for relocation.

This presentation will explore our key learnings on the working group's proposed system, the proposed direction of the Adaptation Act, and the concept of community-led retreat and adaptation funding.