Auckland Council responds to water-related impacts of climate change

 The Auckland Plan 2050 sets the direction the city needs to proactively adapt to a changing water future, and Te Tāruke-ā-Tāwhiri: Auckland’s Climate Plan indicates that over the next 100 years, the natural hazards caused by too much water may increase in terms of frequency and scale.To address these risks and inform how Council responds to these hazards in the future i.e., intense storms, landslips, erosion, sea-level rise and flooding, Auckland Council is currently developing a 100-year adaptive policy.The policy will identify how the council will work with communities, including iwi, to manage the risk and impacts, including:

• What interventions may be appropriate and when,
• How the costs will be shared in a way that is equitable across different communities for current and future generations,
• And how the approach will adapt to stay current.

As work to develop the policy progresses, the council has confirmed its current role and direction.This will help to provide clarity on the council’s leadership role as a unitary authority, the future uncertainties that exist, and the long-term focus on a consistent and equitable approach to managing the risks and impacts from water-related events.These statements will also help guide our elected members in their decision-making on water-related topics while the long-term policy is being developed.Read the full statement of current role and direction.