The Ministry for the Environment have released the draft National Adaptation Plan, which proposes actions to help Aotearoa New Zealand to adapt to and live with the future impacts of climate change.
Consultation will help inform the actions included in New Zealand’s first National Adaptation Plan, which will be published in August 2022.
Most existing homes, buildings and places have been located and built without the future climate in mind, and an increasing number will be at risk of being less liveable, or even damaged or destroyed due to extreme weather events, sea-level rise and other climate hazards. The draft plan has a Homes, Buildings and Places chapter which sets out proposed actions to make homes, buildings, and places resilient to a changing climate while allowing people and communities to thrive.
Meeting the climate challenge may require changes to where we locate buildings, and how we design and build them. This could impact on occupants, owners, and businesses that use buildings, as well as the businesses that design, construct and maintain buildings.
The plan proposes actions to ensure homes and buildings are climate resilient by improving our understanding about future hazards in different areas and for different types of buildings; developing better guidance and assessment tools for property owners, developers and occupants; and updating building regulatory requirements to manage future climate hazards.
The proposed actions will be progressed through our work on adaptation as part of the Building for Climate Change programme.
A range of other actions within the Homes, Buildings and Places chapter will seek to ensure that new and existing places are planned and managed to reduce risk, Māori connection to whenua and places of cultural value are strengthened and threats to cultural heritage are understood and impacts minimised.
Read more about the proposed actions in the draft National Adaptation Plan – environment.govt.nz
More information on the Building for climate change programme
You are invited to provide feedback
The Ministry for the Environment is inviting feedback on the draft National Adaptation Plan between 27 April and 3 June 2022.
The consultation seeks feedback on a range of proposed actions to enable New Zealanders, communities, businesses and all levels of government to understand top priority climate risks and how to adapt.
Feedback on this consultation will help inform New Zealand’s first National Adaptation Plan, which will be published in August 2022.
Give your feedback to help inform the draft National Adaption Plan – environment.govt.nz
Webinar series hosted by the Ministry for the Environment
A series of webinars and workshops will be hosted by the Ministry for the Environment from 2 May 2022 to allow you to learn more about the proposed actions and to ask questions.
Learn more and register for the webinars – environment.govt.nz
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