Climate Change Commission to monitor progress on adaptation

3 August 2022

Building resilience to changing climate will mean we can better take care of our communities, homes, and livelihoods, He Pou a Rangi Chair Dr Rod Carr says. 

The Government today released its first National Adaptation Plan. It’s critical that the strategies, policies and proposals in the plan set the foundation for communities and organisations across Aotearoa to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission is responsible for independently monitoring how the National Adaptation Plan is implemented and its effectiveness. Every two years we will provide the Minister of Climate Change with an assessment of the Government’s progress against its plan. 

With our first assessment due in 2024, we are scoping how we will assess effectiveness and monitor the Government’s progress on adaptation, including what our monitoring framework and criteria will look like. More information about this work is available on our website. 

"The release of the Government’s first National Adaptation Plan is an important step in providing direction to communities around the motu on how to plan for the impacts of climate change,” Dr Carr says. “We will be carefully monitoring the effectiveness and progress of how the Government implements the plan and how it’s working in practice."
 
"We know the climate is already changing. We are already seeing the impacts of more extreme weather, and these damaging weather events will only become more frequent. Building our resilience will mean we can better take care of our communities, homes, and livelihoods.

"Climate change mitigation and adaptation are two sides of the same coin – the slower the world is at reducing emissions, the greater the adaptation burden becomes.  

"Planning for adaptation now will help us respond to the impacts of climate change. How we adapt to the changing climate interacts with how we reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.  

"The promise of a low emissions and climate-resilient Aotearoa New Zealand can be realised if we act now and act together.  

"We expect to see central government partnering with Iwi/Māori to define outcomes and objectives, making sure the work is underpinned by Te Ao Māori values and principles." 

When the Government held consultation on the draft National Adaptation Plan earlier this year, the Commission wrote to the Minister of Climate Change to comment on several points that are important for ensuring that adaptation is effective, proactive, and factors in the dynamic nature of climate change. You can read our open letter on our website.