Council addresses climate concerns
WRC adopts new climate action roadmap
Waikato Regional Council has updated its Climate Action Roadmap. The new roadmap, adopted at last Thursday’s council meeting, included 109 commitments across nine pathways; water, biodiversity and biosecurity, coastal and marine, regional resilience, energy and industry, afforestation and planting, agriculture and soils, urban form and transport and community funding and investment) for the council to consider as part of its longterm planning.
The update included specific commitments relating to each pathway. It recognised the latest assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, updated climate projections, changes to legislation and the council’s newest strategic direction.
Climate Action Committee chairwoman Jennifer Nickel, who presented the roadmap for adoption, said the roadmap was a communications tool for staff and councillors to guide decision-making and learning.
“The Climate Action Roadmap includes great contextual information about why and how we are responding to climate change, where it ties in with our statutory functions, and what work we see ahead of us and our communities.”
The council first developed the Climate Action Roadmap in 2020 to guide its work with others to make the region more resilient to climate change and support transitioning to a net carbon zero economy.
A Climate Action Work Plan would be developed for projects committed to in the long-term plan, which would go out for public consultation in early 2024.
The council has also developed a Climate Change Response Position Statement, summarising existing policies and positions so the council could address climate change mitigation and adaptation in nonregulatory decision-making.
Water management
Increase regional water security through a multi-stakeholder plan. Putting the health of the region’s waterbodies and freshwater ecosystems first.
Investment in catchment and river restoration work through funding partnerships and community actions.
Coastal and Marine
Work with communities, iwi and hapu¯ to carry out integrated coastal and catchment management planning and restoration activities. Partner with communities and iwi and hapu¯ to deliver a future-focused coastal plan.
Biodiversity and biosecurity
Work with partner agencies to have an agreed region-wide biodiversity accord in place.
Work with others to protect ecosystems, human health and economic activities through effective
pest management.
Support and empower people to protect and restore the natural environment and taonga species.
Regional resilience
Engage communities, iwi and hapu¯ in developing sustainable flood management and land drainage infrastructure strategy that considers land uses, working with nature and funding.
Energy and Industry
Work with iwi partners and stakeholders to guide industries and communities to reduce the use of fossil fuels and increase energy efficiency.
Achieve year-on-year progress toward reducing the council’s corporate emissions, including through the supply chain.
Forests, habitat restoration
Promote awareness of the climate risks and landscape and farm-scale transformational changes. Incentivise afforestation and planting programmes in priority catchments. Agriculture and soils
Enable the Waikato region’s farmers to adopt climate-smart practices and technologies by aligning farmer education and support services.
Engage with land users, iwi and hapu¯ to develop a sustainable flood management and land drainage infrastructure strategy.
Urban and transport
Work with relevant territorial authorities to implement the national direction for urban development, including supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Community funding, investment
Explore opportunities for multiorganisation funding of community and iwi Ma¯ ori projects to increase the collective impact of funding and the sharing of in-kind resources.