$24.7 million to bring together climate data
A new initiative will start to bring climate data together from organisations across the country, including cental and local government, and others.
The all-of-government Climate Data Infrastructure initiative, led by the Ministry for the Environment, was allocated $24.7 million in Budget 2023 under the Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
It aims to collate and integrate New Zealand’s climate change data, with the intention of making it easier to find, access and use.
Many organisations are already collecting information about our changing climate and what changes might mean for our communities, lives and livelihoods. However, this data is spread across many government agencies, councils and private industry, so it can be difficult and expensive to access, understand and interpret.
The funding will be delivered over four years and will help to standardise modelling and reporting systems, build an evidence base for policy development, and centralise and improve core climate change data sets.
The project will also be identifying opportunities to make data more accessible to non-experts and a range of different users, from local government planners to marae and community groups, asset owners and the broader public. Tailored tools will be developed to make the data and insights easier to understand and use.
It is envisaged the data will provide evidence and insights to support central and local government, community leaders, businesses, landowners, homeowners, iwi, hapū and whānau with their decision making.
The Ministry intends to take a partnership approach in developing this mahi. We would like to hear from organisations that hold climate information and may be interested in partnering with us on this initiative. Please contact us using the form below.