Agenda of Climate Action Joint Committee

Climate Action Joint Committee

26 August 2024

Subject: Committee leadership and Terms of Reference amendments

Reason for report

1. This report seeks the Joint Committee’s agreement to amending the Terms of Reference to:

1.1. appoint a new Chair

1.2. make a small number of changes to reflect legislative changes affecting the work of the Joint Committee and procedural improvements.

Staff recommendations

2. Staff recommend that the Joint Committee confirms the appointment of Cr Xan Harding as the Chair of the Climate Action Joint Committee for the remainder of this triennium and recommends the updated Terms of Reference for adoption by the member councils.

Executive summary

3. The current Chair of the Climate Action Joint Committee has indicated her desire to resign as Chair and change her role to the alternate for HBRC due to competing priorities and now that the Joint Committee has funding security and a more certain work programme through the councils’ Long Term Plans.

4. The current Terms of Reference specifies that the Chair of the Joint Committee is the Chair of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC). To enact the leadership change, it is proposed to amend the Terms of Reference to allow the Chair of HBRC to nominate another HBRC Climate Action Joint Committee member to replace them as Chair. Staff consider this is appropriate, given HBRC is the administering authority for the Joint Committee and has a regional mandate.

5. Chair Hinewai Ormsby has nominated Cr Xan Harding to replace her as Chair of the Joint Committee, and it is proposed that Cr Hayley Brown remains the Deputy Chair. Consistent with the collaborative intent of the Joint Committee, the Chair and Deputy Chair will continue to work together in relation to meeting agenda development.

6. Subject to approval by the Joint Committee, it is proposed that Cr Harding’s appointment and the other changes to the Terms of Refence are recommended to the member councils for adoption.

7. For continuity, staff recommend that Chair Ormsby chairs the remainder of this meeting and that, if agreed, Cr Harding commences his role as Chair once the meeting concludes.

Background

8. Under s30 of Schedule 7 of the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA), the Council may appoint committees, sub-committees and other subordinate decision-making bodies that it considers appropriate, and joint committees with another local authority or other public bodies by agreement.

9. A new Climate Action Joint Committee administered by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council was established following a proposal from the first meeting of the Mayors and Chair after the 2022 local body elections.

10. The Terms of Reference was discussed and adopted by the first meeting of the Joint Committee on 22 May 2023, and recommended for adoption to each of the member councils. At that meeting the Joint Committee made two changes to the Terms of Reference:

10.1. invite Post [Treaty] Settlement Governance Entities (PSGEs) within the Hawke’s Bay region to appoint one member, and one alternate. This is in addition to up to two members and one alternative appointment to represent Ngāti Kahungunu Taiwhenua and Board representatives from HBRC’S Māori Committee.

10.2. alter section 2.3 to more directly align the aspirations and work of the Committee with central Government policy on climate change.

11. Invitations from the Chair were sent to the PSGEs to appoint members to the CAJC in June 2023. The Terms of Reference were formally ratified by member councils in July 2023.

Discussion

12. The Committee can review its Terms of Reference at any stage to ensure that is appropriate and fit for purpose for the context in which it is operating. Any changes must be recommended for adoption by the member councils.

13. The Climate Action Joint Committee is deemed to be discharged following the triennial election of a new council, unless resolved otherwise by the previous council.

14. Given that there are less than 14 months between now and the election, staff consider that changes to the Terms of Reference should be limited, to avoid back and forth between member councils; more substantive changes can be considered in the new triennium.

Summary of changes to TOR

15. Attached to this report is a tracked-change version of the Terms of Reference. The reasons for the changes are summarised in the table below.

Reference	Suggested change	Reason for change
Section 3 – Objectives
3.5	Remove reference to legislation that has been repealed.	The Government repealed the Spatial Planning Act and the Natural and Built Environments Act in December 2023, making this objective no longer relevant.
Section 5 – Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson
5.1	Allow the Chair of HBRC to nominate an HBRC JC member to be Chair	To provide flexibility in the ToR for leadership changes.
Section 6 – delegated authority
Section 12 - Technical Advisory Group and Reporting
12.2	Remove references to specific job titles.	Provides for changes to role titles and descriptions over time without the ToR becoming out of date. For example, the Climate Action Ambassador role (HBRC) has changed. The reference to dedicated climate roles at NCC and HDC has also been removed as there is currently no provision for a dedicated climate role at NCC.
12.3	Alternative wording proposed.	Streamline process for providing information to member councils.
Section 14 – List of member representation
14.	Membership	Updated to reflect current membership
Appendix	Delete	Reflects information at a point in time and no longer relevant.

Significance and Engagement Policy assessment

16. The Joint Committee can review its Terms of Reference at any stage. Any changes agreed by the Joint Committee must then be recommended for adoption by the member councils, however, don’t require consultation with the wider community.

Financial and resource implications

17. There are no financial or resourcing implications of the proposed changes to the Terms of Reference.

Consultation

18. The proposed changes to the Terms of Reference were discussed with the cross-council Technical Advisory Group and no issues were raised.

Decision-making considerations

19. Councils and committees are required to make every decision in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002. Staff have assessed the requirements in relation to this item and have concluded:

19.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

19.2. The use of the special consultative procedure is not prescribed by legislation.

19.3. The decision is not significant under the criteria contained in Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy.

19.4. There are no persons directly affected by this decision and the Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting with the community.

Recommendations

That the Climate Action Joint Committee:

1. Receives and considers the Committee leadership and Terms of Reference amendments staff report.

2. Recommends the attached amended Terms of Reference to each of the member councils for adoption.

3. Appoints Councillor Xan Harding as the Chair of the Climate Action Joint Committee.

Authored by: Approved by:

Leeanne Hooper

Team Leader Governance

Desiree Cull

Strategy & Governance Manager

Attachment/s

1 ⇩

Proposed amended Climate Action Joint Committee Terms of Reference August 2024

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Climate Action Joint Committee

26 August 2024

Subject: Regional Climate Action Work Programme and funding update

Reason for Report

1. This report seeks endorsement of the regional climate action work programme and provides an update on funding secured through member council Long Term Plans (LTPs).

Background

2. In late 2023, the Climate Action Joint Committee (Joint Committee) discussed a proposed budget for its work programme for the next three years (2024-25 to 2026-27).

3. Dr Nic Peet, Chief Executive of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, then wrote to all Chief Executives to agree on a proposed funding split of: 26% Hawke’s Bay Regional Council; 26% Hastings District Council; 26% Napier City Council; 11% Central Hawke’s Bay District Council; and 11% Wairoa District Council. The Joint Committee Chair and Deputy Chair subsequently wrote to the mayors of the partner councils to request that they allocate funding in their LTPs on this basis.

4. In March 2024, the Climate Action Technical Advisory Group (TAG) provided a high-level work programme and funding update to the Joint Committee to support requests for joint regional funding. The Joint Committee agreed to recommend joint funding of $690,000 over three years towards the climate action work programme, including provision for communication and engagement.

5. HBRC, HDC, NCC and CHBDC subsequently included the recommended funding in their adopted LTPs, providing dedicated funding for the Joint Committee’s work programme over the next three years.

6. Officials have further developed a forward work programme for the Joint Committee through to the end of the triennium (Attachment 1).

Discussion

Climate action work programme connections and interdependencies with other regional work programmes

7. The Joint Committee’s focus is on promoting action to mitigate climate change and adapt to a changing climate. The Terms of Reference set out several objectives and responsibilities of the Committee to oversee and support climate action.

8. The work being progressed by this Joint Committee has strong connections to other climate-related work underway across the region (Attachment 1, slide 1), including post-cyclone recovery and flood protection works. While not within the direct remit of this Joint Committee, it is important the climate action work programme has synergies with other key regional work programmes that are driving climate action. The Climate Action Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is working with officials across partner councils to better understand potential interactions and interdependencies.

9. There are also opportunities for Climate Action Joint Committee members to, through their various governance roles, ensure alignment of work and priorities for climate action. This includes regional governance groups and committees like Matariki.

Overview of the forward work programme

10. To support the Joint Committee to achieve its objectives, the TAG has developed a work programme that:

10.1. prioritises putting in place foundations that will help build momentum over time

10.2. takes a regional view while acknowledging localised climate challenges and opportunities

10.3. will support the region to take climate action at all levels.

11. The one-year forward work programme (Attachment 1) has been designed to help both staff and the Joint Committee prioritise the work that is needed within the next year to set us up for the next triennium. Getting the foundations in place to build momentum has been carefully balanced with a desire to see tangible progress being made in the short term.

12. The work programme has been split into four overarching workstreams:

12.1. Workstream 1: Climate risk information to support evidence-based decision-making

12.2. Workstream 2: Enabling local climate action (including supporting Māori climate action)

12.3. Workstream 3: Community awareness and knowledge building

12.4. Workstream 4: Monitoring regional progress and council-led action.

13. These workstreams are designed to be complementary and mutually re-enforcing. For example, an engagement strategy for a regional climate change risk assessment will form part of the broader communication and engagement plan for the wider work programme. Māori climate action has been embedded in each overarching workstream, but also has a dedicated workstream under ‘enabling climate action’.

14. The TAG is seeking the Joint Committee’s endorsement of the one-year forward work programme. A longer term work programme will be developed in 2025 once further decisions on key projects have been made (namely, the regional climate change risk assessment).

Update on funding and resourcing to support the work programme

15. Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Hastings District Council, Napier City Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council have confirmed they have included the recommended funding in their LTPs. This gives a total confirmed budget of $614,100 over three years. We are working with Wairoa District Council as it finalises its LTP to confirm what funding is available for this work.

16. There are currently two council staff in full-time dedicated climate roles – one each at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Hastings District Council. Napier City Council and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council both have staff providing support for the work programme as members of the Technical Advisory Group.

17. Staff resourcing to deliver this work programme therefore remains a challenge. To help manage this, the work programme has sequenced work across the four overarching workstreams. The priority in the next year is progressing the regional climate risk assessment, but the work programme is designed to ensure work is still progressing on a range of mitigation and adaptation workstreams.

Financial and resource implications

18. There are no financial or resourcing implications from decisions sought through this paper.

Decision-making considerations

19.1. The decision does not significantly alter the service provision or affect a strategic asset, nor is it inconsistent with an existing policy or plan.

19.2. The use of the special consultative procedure is not prescribed by legislation.

19.3. The decision is not significant under the criteria contained in Council’s adopted Significance and Engagement Policy.

19.4. There are no persons directly affected by this decision and the Joint Committee can exercise its discretion and make a decision without consulting with the community.

Recommendation

That the Climate Action Joint Committee:

1. Receives and considers the Regional Climate Action work programme and funding update staff report.

2. Endorses the Climate Action Work Programme – September 2024 to October 2025.

Authored by:

Amberley Gibson

Climate Change Lead Strategic Advisor

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy & Governance Manager

Attachment/s

1 ⇩

Climate Action work programme September 2024 - October 2025

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Climate Action Joint Committee

26 August 2024

Subject: Regional Climate Change Risk Assessment

Reason for report

1. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the Regional Climate Risk Assessment work underway as part of the regional climate action work programme.

Strategic Fit

2. Developing Hawke’s Bay’s first Regional Climate Change Risk Assessment (risk assessment) is a foundational piece for regional climate action. Producing a risk assessment is critical for increasing our understanding of the full range of climate risks Hawke’s Bay is facing.

3. The Terms of Reference for the Climate Action Joint Committee (the Joint Committee) set out overseeing the development of a regional risk assessment as a key objective and responsibility of the Joint Committee.

Background

4. The Joint Committee has previously discussed the need for a regional risk assessment, received the results of an existing natural hazards data analysis, and discussed some of the differences between the role of a regional risk assessment and the existing Hawke’s Bay Hazards Portal.

5. An initial data stock-take of known natural hazards data and information to support these conversations was reported to the Joint Committee in March 2024. This stock-take identified geographical data gaps and provided a high-level overview of known datasets and their limitations.

6. Following this meeting, next steps were for the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to report back to the Joint Committee on identified user needs and different options (including costs) for a regional risk assessment. Resourcing constraints due to staff departures and changes has meant this work has not progressed as planned in 2024.

7. However, the forward one-year work programme presented for endorsement to the Joint Committee at this meeting (August 2024) sets out a road map with key milestones for this regional risk assessment workstream through to the end of the triennium.

Discussion

A regional climate risk assessment is a foundational piece for all climate action in Hawke’s Bay

8. Developing and publishing a regional risk assessment is the first step in an ongoing journey to build our resilience as a region in the face of a changing climate. Both the development and release of a public-facing regional risk assessment has significant value in helping us understand the full range of risks we are exposed to and what impact these risks could have on our communities. This is critical information to inform decision-making about where best to prioritise climate action across the region.

9. The range of climate impacts we will need to adapt to is broader than the impact of natural hazard events. Because of this, climate risk assessments go far beyond mapping natural hazard risk. A risk assessment is a comprehensive process of identifying, evaluating and prioritising a range of risks posed by climate change; this can include (but is not limited to) risks to our natural and built environment, people and communities (including cultural wellbeing and social cohesion), infrastructure, and regional economy.

10. A risk assessment is foundational to climate action for several reasons. It can be used to:

10.1. develop climate plans, including adaptation strategies and plans to prepare for/reduce these risks

10.2. inform strategic and long-term decision-making and planning, including Long Term Plans, future infrastructure investment, and prioritisation of climate action

10.3. better communicate the range of risks and impacts we can expect from climate change, and how these impacts will be felt differently (and by different people) across the region

10.4. support our communities to understand their risks and develop their own climate change plans (including iwi/Māori and sectors who will be disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change)

10.5. identify and seize opportunities presented by a changing climate that will support a transition to a low-emissions, more resilient future.

Assessing risk is a necessary first step to embed climate adaptation into our decision-making at all levels and enable action.

11. While a regional risk assessment can have a range of uses, it is particularly important for climate adaptation. Climate adaptation is defined as the ‘process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects’. Adaptation takes place across multiple scales, but it is widely acknowledged adaptation happens primarily at a local-level, with communities making decisions about their options to reduce their risk.

12. To enable adaptation planning and decision-making, decision-makers first need a thorough understanding of the risks they are facing. The Ministry for the Environment Guidance on local climate change risk assessments sets out a clear process for undertaking risk assessments. The process for developing the first Hawke’s Bay risk assessment will be consistent with this guidance.

13. The guidance recommends the use of both qualitative and quantitative information to assess risk, based on ratings of exposure and vulnerability of ‘elements at risk’ for different climate hazards.

13.1. Elements at risk are defined as people, values, taonga, species, sectors, assets that are potentially vulnerable to climate change impacts

13.2. Exposure refers to the presence of people, livelihoods, species or ecosystems, environmental functions, services and resources, infrastructure, or economic, social or cultural assets in places and settings that could be adversely affected by a climate hazard

13.3. Vulnerability refers to being predisposed or more likely to be adversely affected by climate hazards (including sensitivity and lack of capacity to cope and adapt).^{^[1]}

14. A risk assessment process can assess both direct risks and impacts and how these can lead to indirect/cascading/compounding risks and impacts. For example, an extreme weather event (direct risk) can cause a sequence of secondary events in natural and human systems that have a range of impacts (indirect risk - see Figure 1 below). These are referred to as cascading risks and impacts. Cascading impacts are complex and multidimensional, and often relate to how vulnerable natural and human systems are, rather than the size of the original hazard.

Figure 1: Relationship diagram showing an example of the direct risks and impacts associated with a climate hazard, and how direct impacts can lead to indirect and cascading impacts^{^[2]}

15. Without this assessment, it is challenging to understand the full range of risks we are facing as a region. While further decisions are needed on the scope of the first Hawke’s Bay risk assessment, we can expect that a risk assessment will build a picture of what these risks look like under different climate scenarios and over different time horizons.

16. Future decisions for the Joint Committee on the scale and scope of the first risk assessment will include what time horizons to use for assessing risks, such as the:

16.1. mid-term time horizon (2030 to 2050) – most useful for strategic planning aligned with infrastructure lifecycles and policy horizons

16.2. long-term time horizon (2050 to 2100) – ensuring resilience against future climate impacts and intergenerational planning

16.3. extended time horizon (beyond 2100) – particularly relevant for coastal areas and sea-level rise projections.

Balancing the need to do risk assessments while managing uncertainties and data gaps

17. Our understanding of climate risks will change over time, as will the amount of climate data and information available to inform our evidence base for decision-making. This includes:

17.1. natural hazard mapping and modelling (for example, direct impacts of a severe weather event under different climate scenarios)

17.2. more detailed community vulnerability information, including adaptive capacity

17.3. mātauranga Māori.

18. Adaptation action successfully taken to reduce our exposure and/or vulnerability to climate change impacts will also affect future assessments of climate risk.

19. Reliable quantitative and qualitative data is key to undertaking risk assessments. However, excessive dependence on data can be costly, time-consuming, and ultimately serve as a barrier to decision-making. As work progresses to develop a risk assessment, we propose to manage this challenge by adopting a precautionary approach, and where necessary, relying on qualitative assessments in the absence of quantitative data.

20. This is consistent with the approach of other councils around New Zealand and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)^{^[3]}. The IPCC advocates for a precautionary approach, where a lack of evidence should not preclude action if inaction will result in serious and irreversible damage. Taking this approach also supports the avoidance of maladaptation, i.e., actions that may lead (usually as an un-intended consequence) to increased risk of adverse climate-related outcomes, now or in the future.

21. Qualitative assessments are a critical input into a risk assessment process. A risk assessment process needs to provide opportunities for community perspectives and knowledge to be heard, expert judgement, stakeholder input, and scenario analysis. This qualitative information is particularly important for understanding vulnerable populations and considerations of social equity in this work.

22. Further work is needed before the TAG can recommend the best approach to engaging with our communities as part of the risk assessment workstream. There is a need to align any engagement with other council-led engagement processes and look for opportunities to take a joined-up approach where it makes sense to do so.

23. Communicating climate risk and advocating for action to address the risks identified through a risk assessment is a key role for the Joint Committee. The collection of data and information through this risk assessment process, including through engagement, creates important pathways and relationships for communicating climate risk with our communities, including with iwi/Māori and sector groups.

Ongoing work is needed to understand climate data and information gaps and develop long-term plans to improve data sufficiency for future risk assessments

24. We need a coordinated and planned approach to filling regional data gaps where data could inform future risk assessments. This work will be ongoing. Filling data gaps, as noted above, can be extremely costly and time consuming so prioritisation is essential. This also requires collaboration with national agencies to understand the pipeline of climate data and information that is being produced at a national level, in addition to local work to improve our climate information and datasets.

25. Work to date has identified that there are significant data gaps and limitations for some parts of the region, particularly Central Hawke’s Bay and Wairoa. The forward climate action work programme provides for an ongoing sub-workstream to investigate these gaps, including prioritisation and forward planning for investment in climate data and information over the longer term.

By the end of the triennium, our aim is to have taken significant steps towards release of our first regional risk assessment

26. While we can expect our understanding to evolve over time with subsequent risk assessments, having a risk assessment completed for the region in the near future is critical for different actors to know where to prioritise action, and where there are opportunities we should seize now.

27. To set us up to succeed, it is critical we get the initial planning stages right. The TAG will come back to the Joint Committee in November with a more detailed project plan, including a draft engagement plan and indicative timeframes for development of the risk assessment.

28. Between now and November, the TAG is focused on:

28.1. completing risk assessment user needs scoping (underway)

28.2. investigating risk assessment options to inform project planning (including high-level budgets)

28.3. developing an engagement plan for the risk assessment workstream (noting this will be part of the wider communications and engagement plan for the regional climate action work programme)

28.4. undertaking an initial prioritisation exercise to identify any high-priority data gaps for the first regional risk assessment.

Work is already underway to scope the different user needs for a regional risk assessment

29. A phased approach is being taken to the user-needs scoping exercise, starting by engaging with council officials across the region. The TAG will work together to connect with relevant officials from different parts of each council to ensure we are capturing a range of views (for example, asset management, planning, Māori partnerships).

30. Through these conversations, the TAG is looking to understand the different ways organisations may look to use the regional risk assessment, including the outcomes they would like to achieve with this first risk assessment. Initial conversations have indicated that for territorial authorities, this is likely to include a better understanding of climate risks to inform asset management planning for the next LTP cycle.

31. As a first step, staff will engage with iwi/Māori representative members on this Joint Committee to get feedback on initial priorities for user needs. We will work with our Māori Partnership teams on the best approach for wider engagement.

32. We welcome any initial feedback and direction from the Joint Committee at this meeting on risk assessment user needs, including the approach to the scoping exercise, and any associated priorities.

Next steps

33. Staff will report back to the Joint Committee in November with an update on the regional risk assessment workstream. This will include:

33.1. high-level options for a risk assessment, including recommendations on scope and scale

33.2. a draft engagement plan for this workstream

33.3. an update on identified regional risk assessment data gaps.

Decision-making considerations

34. Staff have assessed the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision-making provisions do not apply.

Recommendation

That the Climate Action Joint Committee receives and notes the Regional Climate Change Risk Assessment staff report

Authored by:

Amberley Gibson

Climate Change Lead Strategic Advisor

Tom Skerman

Contractor

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy & Governance Manager

Attachment/s

There are no attachments for this report.

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Climate Action Joint Committee

26 August 2024

Subject: Advocating for climate action - climate action initiatives

Reason for report

1. The purpose of this paper is to provide the Hawke’s Bay Climate Action Joint Committee (the Joint Committee) with a list of climate action initiatives for its visibility. This list is intended to support members in their role as advocates for climate action across the region.

Strategic fit

2. The Joint Committee’s Terms of Reference states the focus of the Joint Committee is promoting action to mitigate climate change (emissions reductions and offsetting) and adapt to the changing regional climate.

Background

3. The Joint Committee provides oversight of the regional climate action work programme led by officials. The work programme for both officials and the Joint Committee has sequenced work to prioritise the development of a regional risk assessment in the next year. This has meant that the development of a regional climate plan is not sequenced to begin until later in 2025.

4. However, the absence of a plan does not mean an absence of climate action across the region that the Joint Committee can support. The Climate Action Technical Advisory Group (TAG) recognise that Joint Committee members may wish to lean into their roles as advocates for regional climate action throughout the year, beyond their governance role at Joint Committee meetings. This list of climate initiatives, while not exhaustive, intends to recognise and support this.

Discussion

5. A list of climate action initiatives is attached as Attachment 1. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of climate action initiatives underway across the region. It has been informed by work that was progressed in 2022 (pre-Cyclone) to support a Regional Emissions Reduction Plan, and regional projects the TAG are currently aware of.

6. Members of the Joint Committee may choose to lend their support to one or more climate action initiatives identified to drive progress, unblock barriers or expedite action.

7. Officials may bring other climate action initiatives to the attention of the Joint Committee or provide updates on the existing list to support members in their advocacy role. This may be in the form of an updated list or deputations at Joint Committee meetings.

Parameters for inclusion

8. The approach to collating this list has been to identify initiatives and align these with the six domains in the Joint Committee’s Strategy and Vision (2023-24). Where possible, the TAG has identified community-led initiatives over council-led projects. To keep the list focused, only 1-2 initiatives have been included for each domain.

9. Where initiatives are council-led or have council involvement, initiatives have only been identified where they go above and beyond ‘business as usual’ statutory functions such as updating a regional or district plan.

10. The initiatives in Attachment 1 were identified based on a qualitative assessment with the following selection criteria. Each initiative:

10.1. will drive climate action that has local or regional impact by either:

10.1.1. contributing to emissions reduction or

10.1.2. building resilience to the impacts of climate change.

10.2. has either been publicly identified, is already underway or has been identified as a potential initiative through earlier climate action work led by councils

10.3. could benefit from member advocacy to help build momentum, create awareness or unblock potential barriers to progress

10.4. relates to at least one of the six domains in the Climate Action Joint Committee Strategy and Vision (2023/4) (and has been assigned to the most relevant domain based on known initiative scope).

Risks and caveats

11. Ongoing work is needed to confirm the status of all initiatives on this list. The TAG notes that in some cases, where projects have no council involvement, further conversations are needed with relevant parties involved in these initiatives to confirm progress and current status. It is possible some have been discontinued or are not progressing as planned since they were initially identified.

12. This is intended to be a living list. It is highly likely there are other climate action initiatives that meet the criteria set out above that could be included. As noted above, updates to this list will be shared with the Joint Committee. We are sharing the current list now to give members visibility should they wish to further investigate opportunities for advocacy or to bring other initiatives to officials’ attention.

Consultation

13. No consultation on the initiatives identified in the paper has occurred beyond discussion by the TAG.

Decision-making considerations

14. Staff have assessed the requirements of the Local Government Act 2002 in relation to this item and have concluded that, as this report is for information only, the decision-making provisions do not apply.

Recommendation

That the Climate Action Joint Committee

1. receives and considers the Advocating for climate action - climate action initiatives staff report.

2. Notes the list of climate initiatives has been provided to support the Joint Committee members to advocate and support climate action, and that it is a living list that will be updated and regularly shared with Joint Committee members for their information.

Authored by:

Amberley Gibson

Climate Change Lead Strategic Advisor

Approved by:

Desiree Cull

Strategy & Governance Manager

Attachment/s

1 ⇩

List of climate action initiatives for Climate Action Joint Committee member advocacy

[1] Adaptive capacity is defined in the National Adaptation Plan (2022) as “the ability to adjust to potential damage, take advantage of opportunities or respond to impacts”.

[2] Figure taken from Wellington Regional Climate Change Impact Assessment Report, published 13 February 2024.

[3] The IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.