Councils need more clarity around climate adaptation

LGNZ says a lack of clarity around who pays for climate adaptation puts ratepayers at risk of footing the bill – which many could not afford.

This follows the release of a final report from the Independent Reference Group on Climate Adaptation, set up by the Ministry for the Environment to provide recommendations for a new adaptation approach for New Zealand.

LGNZ Vice President Campbell Barry says while the report has good intentions, it fails to address some concerns previously raised by local government.

“It’s good to see the report’s sense of urgency; our submission on climate adaptation in June last year stressed that action is needed now,” says Campbell Barry.

“We need to have better policies and frameworks in place to cater for increasingly severe and frequent weather events. Local government can’t afford to have another Cyclone Gabrielle; the aftermath of a significant weather event like that comes with massive financial, infrastructure and human costs for communities.

“This report continues the lack of clarity around who pays for climate adaptation. We’re concerned its huge costs will fall on local government, yet councils don’t have access to funding and finance tools to cover these costs.

“An objective of the climate change framework should be to ensure that where costs or responsibilities are passed on to councils, councils should be provided with a means to fund them.

“We need the Government to be clear around who pays and how. Councils are being set up to fail if their funding and finance framework doesn’t change.

“If we don’t fundamentally change how local government is funded, and how we pay for important things like climate adaptation, then the cost will ultimately fall on ratepayers.”