We know that our communities are aware of climate change and want to better understand the risks in order to be prepared, respond, and recover.

Council is taking a proactive approach to understand the implications and financial responsibilities and ensuring our communities are not burdened with the impact.

Council plans to develop a climate strategy which will outline Council’s intentions, focus areas, and detail plans to address wider resilience issues and implement projects to achieve these goals.

Timeline:

• Ōpōtiki District Council (ODC) joined the Local Government Leader’s Climate Change Declaration in 2017 and in 2019 declared a climate change emergency.
• BECA’s 2023 report ‘Climate Adaptation and Resilience Overview of Ōpōtiki District Council', undertook a high-level overview of Council’s current progress, key strategic alignments and future considerations
• LTP items – As Council moves forward, Climate Change will be a factor for considering future activities & issues (Council infrastructure activities, insurance renewals, Asset management).

At the 2019 Council meeting, Council adopted the following resolution:

“Ōpōtiki District Council declares a climate change emergency and will consider further policies and initiatives as part of future planning processes”.

The BECA Report undertook a high-level overview of ODC's current progress on climate matters, key strategic alignments and future considerations. It sets out several general recommendations and thereafter additional recommendations with proposed timeframes.

Although useful, the recommendations are not in a form or arrangement that enables council to make sufficient progress with respect to their implementation.

Council staff have prepared a draft climate strategy and action plan to set out a clear and achievable direction for Ōpōtiki District Council to respond to climate change in partnership with its communities, mana whenua, and regional partners, within available resources and statutory responsibilities.

We need your feedback on our draft Climate Strategy and Action Plan.

Ōpōtiki District Council has drafted a Climate Strategy and Action Plan to guide how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of a changing climate. This strategy will help ensure our communities are resilient and supported, and that Council’s decisions are clear, achievable, and aligned with our statutory responsibilities.

Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and signed the Local Government Leaders’ Climate Change Declaration in 2017. Since then, Council staff have prepared a draft strategy and action plan to provide a practical framework for climate adaptation and resilience.

At the Council workshop on 26 June 2025, elected members reviewed the draft strategy and agreed to seek community feedback before finalising the document.

Summary of the Strategy and Action Plan key features

• Outlines Council’s intentions and focus areas for climate adaptation and resilience
• Provides a framework for future infrastructure, insurance, and asset management decisions
• Responds to recommendations in BECA’s 2023 Climate Adaptation and Resilience Overview
• Supports partnership with mana whenua, communities, and regional stakeholders
• Includes practical actions to help our district prepare, respond, and recover from climate impacts.