“What I’ve seen is a real enthusiasm by non-Māori for concepts like kaitiakitanga but often no real deeper commitment to be allies or create partnership approaches that centre Māori rather than taking the concept and using it in their own environments.”
- Tina Porou, Environmental Planner (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rakaipaaka, Ngai Tāmanuhiri)
Climate Action Network (CAN) are a network of over 30 New Zealand civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, trade unions and social movements who support each other and our allies to take real action to protect New Zealanders and others from climate change, to protect New Zealand's unique environment, and build a more fair, just and safe New Zealand for us all.
Our mission is to tautoko (support) and whakamana (uplift) everyday New Zealanders to act together in powerful and coordinated ways to create what we cannot achieve on our own: a society, economy and democracy that serves all of us - everyday people and Papatūānuku, the planet we love.
A powerful kōrero from Tina Ngata, climate crisis, the application of the Doctrine of Discovery, and a call to shift our mindsets.
Crown Climate Change Strategies
Adapting to Climate Change in New Zealand (2017) presented a stocktake of existing work on adaptation across all sectors, and an analysis of the gaps in knowledge and work programmes. The report concluded that while some specific actions were being taken; the current decision-making framework did not support or incentivise effective adaptation at the scale considered necessary for maintaining and improving the wellbeing of New Zealand’s current and future generations; in the face of a changing climate.
A call to work collectively; across all sectors, communities and with our Treaty Partners, was recognised as critical.
From 2020 we have seen a number of Crown-led climate plan ‘firsts’ to strengthen the collective vision of a resilient and thriving future.
In March 2022, Hon. James Shaw, Minister of Climate Change, launched the consultation for New Zealand’s first National Adaptation plan – Adapt and Thrive: Building a climate-resilient Aotearoa New Zealand.
The plan is to be proactive instead of reactive, recognising existing systems need to better reflect our communities, and therefore system-wide reforms to ensure an inclusive and right foundation is nurtured.
We also have the Aotearoa New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan. It contains strategies, policies and actions for achieving our first emissions budget, as required by the Climate Change Response Act 2022.
The Emissions Reduction Plan also responds to the recommendations of He Pou a Rangi – The Commission in its report, Ināia tonu nei.
Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) local government is required to consider the effects of a changing climate on communities. It is also required to incorporate climate change into existing frameworks, plans, projects and standard decision-making procedures. One example of a community collective wide strategy is Te Rautaki Huringa Āhuarangi.
