Porirua gets new long-term plan with the environment at its core

Porirua is planning for a future affected by climate change, as the city council promises to seek mitigation strategies in its Long-Term Plan for the first time.

But years of inaction have put it on the back foot, with the council only now beginning to gather information on a problem it is already feeling the effects of, and that other councils around the region have been tackling for years.

The draft Long-Term Plan came out in March, setting the council’s direction, priorities, and budgets for the next 30 years. For councillor Josh Trlin, one of the youngest at the table at 26, this was what he’d been waiting for.

He said a better response to climate change was the reason he ran for office.

‘‘We’re still playing catchup a little bit,’’ Trlin said. ‘‘This plan represents a good first step.’’

In line with the climate emergency the council declared in 2019, one of four strategic priorities in the plan is ‘‘proactively responding to the climate crisis’’. For the foreseeable future, every decision the council makes will have to explicitly consider the climate crisis.

‘‘Planning for climate change is more than just the moral and environmentally right thing to do. It’s actually the most fiscally responsible thing to do,’’ Trlin said.

No emissions target had been set yet, with the scale of the problem in Porirua still an unknown.

The plan states: ‘‘Where the impacts of climate change are well understood we have factored them into specific infrastructure projects, such as sand dune restoration and flooding mitigation.’’

The effects of climate change are already being felt around New Zealand, with high temperatures, sea level rise, droughts, and extreme weather events becoming more common.

Porirua is particularly susceptible to the effects of sea level rise, putting homes

and infrastructure at risk. Bolstered by a global increase in awareness, youth movement School Strike 4 Climate, and events like the Plimmerton floods, the public and his fellow councillors had got on board, Trlin said.

Mayor Anita Baker said it was a relief to see people taking the threat seriously and supporting mitigation efforts, and young people had been actively involved in the consultation process.

Porirua has one of the youngest populations in the country, with the 2018 census showing 40 per cent of residents were aged 25 years or under.

Trlin said most positive feedback was about the riparian planting scheme, which would involve planting natives along 280 kilometres of riverbanks to stop silt, sediment and contaminants from entering the harbour.

‘‘Riparian planting is like a giant natural filter, ensuring what is deposited in the harbour is filtered water.’’

The council will be applying for $600,000 of funding from central government for this, and if those bids are unsuccessful, the council will fully fund the work itself.

‘‘Under that programme it would take 43 years,’’ Trlin said. ‘‘They’d be the age a lot of their parents are right now.’’

The option of speeding up planting was on the table, Trlin said. ‘‘It would be possible to get it within 10 years, but it would cost more than double.’’

The key was to fund projects with ‘‘cobenefits’’, like the planting scheme. ‘‘If we speed up that programme, not only would it improve our harbour health, but it would also improve biodiversity and contribute to emissions reduction.’’

The shared pathway between Wi Neera Dr and Onepoto was another example. It would provide increased accessibility from Titahi Bay, improve safety for walkers and cyclists, and improve erosion protection to increase coastal resilience.

‘‘The only chance we have of beating this thing is for everyone to do their bit.’’