New roadmap steers council’s response to climate change

Waikato Regional Council’s updated Climate Action Roadmap includes a total of 109 commitments across nine pathways for the council to consider as part of its long term planning.

The new roadmap was adopted at the council meeting on Thursday last week.  

Climate Action Committee chair Jennifer Nickel, who presented the roadmap for adoption, said it was a useful communications tool for staff and councillors to guide decision making and learning, as well as for assisting conversations with communities, iwi, territorial authorities, industry and other organisations to understand the council’s direction of intention.

“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 thriving net carbon zero economy.

It includes nine pathway areas to reduce emissions and adapt to the changes we’re already experiencing. The pathways are:

• water
• biodiversity and biosecurity
• coastal and marine
• regional resilience
• energy and industry
• afforestation and planting
• agriculture and soils
• urban form and transport
• community funding and investment

The update includes specific commitments relating to each pathway, which will be regularly reported on. It also recognises the latest assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, updated climate projections specific for the Waikato, changes to legislation and the council’s newest strategic direction.

A Climate Action Work Plan will be developed for projects committed to in the long term plan, which will go out for public consultation in early 2024. 

The council has also developed a Climate Change Response Position Statement, which is a summary of all its existing policies and positions to help the council and council staff address climate change mitigation and adaptation in non-regulatory decision making.

You can read the latest Climate Action Roadmap here.