Minutes of Climate Action Joint Committee

1. Welcome/Karakia /Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and Marei Apatu opened with a karakia.

Resolution

CAJCC1/23 That the apology for absence from Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst is accepted.

Ormsby/Redstone

CARRIED

2. Conflict of interest declarations

There were no conflicts of interest declared.

3.	Whakawhanaungatanga
	Members introduced themselves and their backgrounds.

Climate Action Joint Committee - Terms of Reference and membership confirmation

Discussions traversed:

· The reference in 2.3 to “within the boundaries of the natural environment” is not an allusion to a wider philosophy. It instead sets the general intent for the region to live sustainably within the boundaries of the region’s natural environment and resources.

· Local focus and maintaining food production in the region are important – in the HB context. Suggest the inclusion of relevant Paris Accord references into the ToR appendices or background.

· The HBRC Māori Committee, which includes representatives of the four Taiwhenua of the region and Ngati Kahungunu, appointed Dr Roger Maaka (Tamatea) and Paul Kelly (Wairoa) as its representatives on the Joint Committee.

· It was agreed that membership be amended to be Post Settlement Governance Entity (PSGE) appointees instead of PSGE appointees on the Regional Planning Committee, and each PSGE is to be invited to make an appointment. HBRC staff will engage with the PSGEs to seek appointees.

· The updated Terms of Reference will be provided to partner councils for adoption prior to the next meeting.

CAJCC2/23

Resolutions

That the Climate Action Joint Committee:

1. Receives and considers the Climate Action Joint Committee- Terms of Reference and membership confirmation staff report.

2. Accepts the Terms of Reference including amendments to replace members appointed by the Regional Planning Committee with o Post Settlement Governance Entity appointees.

3. Confirms the membership of the Climate Action Joint Committee, being:

3.1. Councillors Hinewai Ormsby (Chair of the Joint Committee) and Xan Harding, and Councillor Di Roadley as alternate – representing Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

3.2. Taiwhenua representatives Dr Roger Maaka (Tamatea Taiwhenua) and Paul Kelly (Wairoa Taiwhenua), and Marei Apatu (Heretaunga Taiwhenua) as alternate – representing Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Māori Committee.

3.3. Mayor Alex Walker and Councillor Tim Aitken, and Councillor Jerry Greer as alternate – representing Central Hawke’s Bay District Council.

3.4. Councillors Annette Brosnan and Hayley Browne, and Councillor Chad Tareha as alternate – representing Napier City Council.

3.5. Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and Councillor Ann Redstone, and Councillor Tania Kerr as alternate – representing Hastings District Council.

3.6. Mayor Craig Little and Councillor Roz Thomas, and Councillor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare as alternate – representing Wairoa District Council.

3.7 Each of the region’s Post Settlement Governance Entities’ appointees to be confirmed.

4. Recommends the Terms of Reference as amended as agreed today to each of the Partner Councils for adoption.

5. Requests that Chief Executives of the partner councils nominate one or more technical specialists to be on the Technical Advisory Group.

Browne/Harding

CARRIED

Climate Action Joint Committee election of Deputy Chairperson

CAJCC3/23

Resolutions

That the Climate Action Joint Committee:

1. Receives and considers the Climate Action Joint Committee Election of Deputy Chairperson staff report.

2. Agrees that the decisions to be made are not significant under the criteria contained in Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy, and that the Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make decisions on this issue without conferring with the community or persons likely to have an interest in the decision.

3. Councillor Annette Brosnan nominated Councillor Hayley Browne, seconded by Mayor Alex Walker.

4. There being no further nominations Councillor Hayley Browne is declared elected Deputy Chair of the Climate Action Joint Committee.

Brosnan/Walker

CARRIED

Climate resilient development - Purpose and objectives in a recovery context

Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau introduced the item, which provides context for how we might achieve climate-resilient development through the cyclone recovery, within the environmental boundaries of the region and while maintaining social foundations

· Donut economics (reference Kate Raworth) decision-making framework for sustainable development measures against social and planetary boundaries, e.g. a basic minimum quality of life without overshooting what the natural resources of the planet can sustain

· Climate resilient development defined (widely used by IPCC) as “when mitigation (efforts to reduce emissions) comes together with adaptation (efforts to adjust to a changed climate) with impactful solutions to support sustainable development for all”.

· Need to be thinking holistically and inter-generationally.

· Examples include Land for Life partnership (carbon sequestration + erosion control + shade for stock), Cycleways on Stopbanks (flood protection + active transport + recreation), Streets for People (encourage safer active transport + reduce vehicle use + add greenery reduces heat + carbon sequestration), and wetlands (blue carbon sequestration + biodiversity + water retention + flood management).

· Risk prediction models must take into account climate change scenarios (under various pathways).

· Adaptation solutions should promote better quality of life, lower costs and have a lighter impact on the planet.

· Transitioning to a lower emissions economy is part of resilience – reduced dependency on fossil fuels.

· Climate change is a symptom of a larger ecological collapse with biodiversity losses, poor water quality, increased pollution.

CAJCC4/23

Resolution

That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes the Purpose and objectives in a recovery context staff report.

Browne/Redstone

CARRIED

Spatial climate vulnerability assessment

Tom Logan, Urban Intelligence, delivered a presentation and discussions traversed:

· Climate Change Risk Explorer is a spatial-based regional risk assessment online mapping tool.

· HBRC using the tool to provide the science for the climate change chapter of the Kotahi Plan. Stage 1 included all readily (publicly) available data on hazards in the region and established an online map of vulnerabilities – infrastructure along with natural features and mapped socioeconomic data.

· Challenges getting useable data from third parties and bringing it all together.

· Recovery funding has been applied for, however if not granted it would be necessary to seek funding commitments from across the councils – to extend the scope of modelling into the cyclone recovery and commission missing data.

· The next step is to convene the Climate Action Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to consider the data gaps and prioritise the commissioning of further hazard modelling data.

· Dynamic model that can incorporate new data whenever it becomes available.

CAJCC5/23

Resolution

That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes the Spatial climate vulnerability assessment.

Browne/Redstone

CARRIED

The meeting adjourned at 3.12pm and reconvened at 3.25pm with Roger Maaka having left the meeting.

Examples of Regional Climate Change Strategies

Heather Bosslemann introduced the item and delivered a presentation that provided an overview of the Manawatū-Whanganui and Te Tai Tokerau climate change strategies. Discussions covered:

· The strategies are examples of regional collaboration that can be referenced as HB develops its own climate action plan.

· Opportunities through recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle to focus on hard targets and the actions to be taken to achieve them, e.g. regional emissions reductions.

· Essential that mana whenua fully engaged in development and delivery of any climate action strategy and/or plan.

· Role of the joint committee to empower the community, inspire change and remove barriers to change.

· Looking for big ideas for actions (projects) that will make big steps toward achieving emission reduction targets, e.g. transition power plant at Whirinaki to renewable energy.

· A view of projects or initiatives under way in the region, through councils or other groups, would be useful to assist with prioritising where the JC can focus its energy.

CAJCC6/23

Resolution

That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes the Examples of regional climate change strategies.

Brosnan/Harding

CARRIED

11.

The World Weather Attribution Study on Cyclone Gabrielle

Dr Sam Dean delivered a presentation focussed on the results of the NIWA study which analysed weather observations and modelled past, present and future climates to look at the influence of climate change on the extreme rainfall delivered by Cyclone Gabrielle:

· New Zealand’s climate has definitely changed (average temperature +1°C since 1909, record or near-record high temperatures set almost every month, extreme rainfall and flooding more common, NZ glaciers lost 30% of ice volume since 1978, and ~20 cm sea level rise since 1900).

· Used data from every rain gauge available to create an animated model of the rainfall during Cyclone Gabrielle – an exceptionally large amount of water, e.g. 1 in 30-40 year event.

· Including manual rainfall data going back to 1880s (Gwavas and Eskdale) up to and including Gabrielle, shows significant decadal variability in rainfall extremes in HB. Really big storms have been slow moving ex tropical cyclones.

· In strong La Niña climate cycle warmer (sea surface temperatures) seas fuel frequent low pressure systems with the risk of occasional heavy rain and flooding and more than double the risk of significant cyclones.

· Rainfall extremes modelled Cyclone Gabrielle as being 8% more intense and 2 times more likely (e.g. 1 in 50-years, not 1 in 100-years) due to climate change influence.

· Based on scientific evidence that we have, regardless of mitigation and adaptation actions there is enough momentum and ongoing emissions, even on carbon zero by 2050 pathway, NZ will experience a 1.9 C degree temperature increase by 2045 (another 0.7 C on top of where we are currently).

· Averaged across HB and Gisborne, Cyclone Bola was slightly bigger however in some locations the rainfall broke all previous records.

· NIWA weather forecast was close to actual (MetService forecast much less) however river flow flood models based on calibrated stations don’t account for the uncertainty in forecasts very well.

· Factoring in Climate Change increases as per MfE guidance into planning flood protection

CAJCC7/23

Resolution

That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes The World Weather Attribution Study on Cyclone Gabrielle report.

Brosnan/Harding

CARRIED

It was agreed that items 9. Update on the Emissions Reduction Plan and 10. Climate Mitigation workstream update be deferred to the next meeting.

Marei Apatu led a karakia to close the meeting.

Closure:

There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 4.37pm on Monday, 22 May 2023.

Signed as a true and correct record.

Date: ................................................ Chair: ...............................................