National Adaptation Framework released
Building New Zealand’s resilience to climate change.
The Minister of Climate Change has announced the first actions under New Zealand’s National Adaptation Framework.
The Framework sets out the Government's approach to prepare for the rising risks from natural hazards, such as floods or storms.
Read the Minister of Climate Change’s release.
The Framework brings together new and existing actions to build resilience to climate change. These actions form the foundations for the Framework, building on four pillars:
- Risk and response information-sharing
- Roles and responsibilities
- Investment in risk reduction
- Cost-sharing pre- and post-event.
The Framework includes proposed legislation to clarify the responsibilities of local government by requiring adaptation plans in the highest priority risk areas.
Legislation is expected to be introduced as part of amendments to the Climate Change Response Act.
The Framework also includes a new National Flood Map. The map will unify local and regional data with national-scale information.
It will be publicly available so New Zealanders can use it to find out more about their flood risk, and organisations can use it to make adaptation, planning or other decisions.
The first-generation map is expected to be delivered by 2027, with plans to expand in future iterations.
The Ministry for the Environment is exploring the potential scope of the first-generation flood map. We have issued a Request for Information inviting input from external organisations to inform the Ministry’s approach to delivering the map.