Climate Change: a Hawke’s Bay responseJames Palmer

Chief Executive Officer

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Local Government Context• Already the primary manager of the relationship between weather / climate and communities

• Climate change is largely about too much or too little water

• 3 waters, flood protection, drainage and soil conservation

• Increasing focus on biodiversity and biosecurity

• CDEM focus on community resilience and hazard risk reduction

• We are at ground zero of the impacts of climate change

1:100 Year Flood Scenarios

Increases in Flood Protection

More intense and frequent storms predicted, driven by sea temperature

HBRC planning to raise stop banks from 1:100 year protection

But how urgent is this and what level of protection is good enough?

Who should pay? Central government contribution?

Sea Level Rise Accelerating

Hawke’s Bay’s Coastal Hazards Strategy

Joint approach with local councils, community and tangata whenua

100 year pathway roadmap for coastal defences and retreat

Hard decisions lie ahead, pace of change a key driver of economics

Who should pay? Public/private split? Need to start fund now!

Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy

Joint HBRC, NCC and HDC plan to manage urban growth on the Plains

Identifies hazards and seeks to reduce risks

Protection of high value soils aligns with smart growth for lower GHGs

What makes sense for planning makes sense for CC adaptation & mitigation

How restrictive of private property development should we be?

Driving More Resilient Rural Futures

Freshwater reforms the biggest since RMA enacted

Working with farmers using incentives and regulation = more trees, planning

Resilient farms lose less soil and nutrients, retain water in land, better biodiversity, shelter for stock and more diversified income

Balance of regulation and assistance challenging, farmers feeling embattled

Water Security for HB is Critical

Reducing Regional Emissions

Integrated urban and transport planning, public transport and cycleways, rail freight

Sustainable homes: building regulations, efficient low emission heating, solar power and domestic water storage

Leadership through reducing our own carbon footprints - e.g. less air travel, EV vehicles, efficient buildings, waste, afforestation

Should we be doing more with businesses and households?

A Climate Change Emergency?

Reducing emissions is absolutely urgent and badly off-track

NZ’s per capita emission stubbornly high, transport especially

Adaptation is all about a stitch in time, planning and funding urgent

Synergies with managing urban growth, water quality and quantity, biodiversity restoration, soil conservation, urban & rural resilience

We need to work with business and community. HB can lead the way!