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Te rerekētanga āhuarangi

Climate change in Tairāwhiti

Human activities resulting in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to cause warmer temperatures and change weather patterns globally.

Tairāwhiti has been impacted by adverse natural events, floods and landslides, which could now be more frequent and exacerbated by climate change.

Our climate change roadmap to 2050

This is our high-level climate change journey, milestones and timeframes and how we'll work with others to support regional climate change goals.

It's in response to the significant threat climate change poses to us and everyone in our Tairāwhiti region.

We need detailed plans to reduce emissions and adapt to the climate change impacts that are already locked in. While these plans could be very detailed, we also need a simple roadmap that gives us and the community an overview of our planned actions and timeframes for climate change response. The actions cover mitigation, adaptation and just/equitable transition pieces of work - see definitions

2022 - 2023 : Research and assessment

For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
  • Adopt a net-zero 2030 target for Council.
  • Assess options to meet the net-zero 2030 target.
  • Establish adaptation outcomes.
  • Staff consider climate change in everything we do.
  • Start Tairāwhiti’s first climate change risk assessment.
  • Start working with community groups and iwi to progress regional climate change response.
  • Support the region to reduce carbon emissions.
  • Continue existing adaptation actions such as flood mitigation and Waingake planting.
For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
  • Align climate change strategy projects with our Long Term Plan priorities and community outcomes.
  • Complete a climate change strategy that supports government policy.
  • Understand what level of climate risks our organisation will accept.
  • Complete Tairāwhiti’s first climate change risk assessment.
  • Understand what level of climate risks our community can accept.
  • Continue to support the region to reduce carbon emissions.
  • Progress existing and new adaptation work.
For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
  • Reduce Council emissions by 70-90% by 2027.
  • Complete landfill gas capture at landfills.
  • Work on fleet conversion to EVs.
  • Action adaptation projects.
  • Develop a plan to address Tairāwhiti’s climate risks.
  • Work with Treaty partners and stakeholder groups to reduce emissions and progress regional just/equitable transition projects.
For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
  • Continue to reduce our organisation’s remaining emissions and become a net-zero organisation by 2030 through carbon in-setting.
  • Progress fleet conversion.
  • Start larger organisational adaptation projects.
  • Continue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our region.
  • Work with Treaty partners and key stakeholder groups on big regional adaptation projects.
  • Work with Treaty partners and key stakeholder groups on just transition projects.
For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
  • Complete a review of our organisational climate change strategy and plans.
  • Update the climate action strategy.
  • Develop the plan for our future organisational climate action.
  • Complete a review of our regional climate change strategy and plans.
  • Consider how we better support regional climate action.
For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
  • Action mitigation projects that take us from net-zero to a zero-carbon organisation.
  • Increase our organisational adaptation work.
  • Support large projects that tackle climate change issues in Tairāwhiti.
  • Work with Treaty partners and stakeholder groups to reduce climate change risks in the region to an acceptable level.
For CouncilFor Tairāwhiti region
Become a zero-carbon organisation by 2050.

Work with Treaty partners and stakeholder groups to:

  • Achieve regional decarbonisation.
  • Ensure our region’s economy is protected from impacts of climate change.
  • Ensure that climate change risks in Tairāwhiti are reduced and we are resilient to further change.
Download the roadmap