Adaptation Pathways in Action: Creating Resilience to Sea Level Rise from Uncertainty at the Local Government Level in New Zealand
Webinar
This webinar was the first of a series of three featuring experiences in implementing “adaptation pathways” around the world. It is intended for practitioners, planners, and decision makers. This first webinar presented three case studies in the use of Dynamic Adaptive Pathways Planning (DAPP) at the district council and regional levels in New Zealand to address sea level rise and coastal flooding threats. New Zealand introduced and encouraged the use of DAPP 10 years ago and national guidance and leadership has provided training in DAPP at the local council level since. The webinar featured three local governments at different stages of DAPP implementation.
National Overview: Dr. Judy Lawrence, Adjunct Professor, Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington Judy introduced the webinar with an overview of how New Zealand introduced and built upon the concepts and practice of Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP) over the last 10 years as a tool to shift practitioners and decision makers from reactive to more anticipatory decision making to reduce climate risk.
Northland Region: Matt de Boer, former Climate Resilience Coordinator, Northland Regional Council and Katy Simon, Climate Change Advisor, Kaipara District Council. Four local government authorities in Northland were at the very beginning of using DAPP approaches in adaptation planning. Matt talked about the way the councils worked together to develop a region-wide approach to adaptation planning, while Katy described how they are building relationships with local indigenous and farming communities in implementing DAPP.
Thames-Coromandel District Council: Amon Martin, Asset Planning Manager In September 2022, Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) adopted 138 coastal adaptation pathways across 400km of vulnerable coastline. Amon provided an overview of this work and talked about how TCDC is using these outputs to guide infrastructure planning.
Hawkes Bay: Simon Bendall, Director, Traverse Environmental The Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy was the first project of its kind in New Zealand to develop coastal adaptation pathways under the DAPP framework, which included a positive and constructive community collaboration. Progress stalled at the implementation phase, however, and Simon discussed both the sources of those difficulties and progress in addressing them.
