The Environment Committee's Inquiry into climate adaptation was initiated in 2023 to look at issues relating to climate adaptation and managed retreat. Submissions closed in 2023.
The PSA Eco Network submitted on the inquiry, drawing in part from members' comments at an online workshop held in October 2023.
The main points in the submission were:
- For a climate adaptation framework to be fair and equitable it needs to be grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- Community-led retreat planning needs to happen proactively, not just in the aftermath of natural disasters
- There should be requirements for local government to carry out adaptation planning, along with a clear legislative mandate, funding source, and central government guidance
- The community-led retreat framework should focus on equity, ensuring everyone has access to a home, and needs to ensure renters and people on lower incomes don’t get left behind
- There needs to be greater government involvement in housing supply, not just leaving it to the private market to provide homes for people who need to move because of climate change
- The public sector is crucial in enabling climate adaptation and community-led retreat, and it needs to be resourced adequately to facilitate the process
- Long-term thinking needs to be embedded into government decision-making processes
- The community-led retreat framework should incentivise good adaptation and provide certainty
- There needs to be good quality community participation in climate adaptation planning.
Related documents
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PSA submission on the Fast Track Approvals Bill 1 Adobe Acrobat PDF file | 217 KB
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Submission on the Fast Track Approvals Bill Word document | 146 KB