The Whakatāne District Council is to provide feedback to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment on a report which indicated that up to 1415 homes and businesses and 38 kilometres of roads in the District could be vulnerable to sea level-related flooding resulting from climate change.

Reporting to the Council last week, Principal Planner Shane McGhie said the overall conclusions of Commissioner’s ‘Preparing New Zealand for rising seas: Certainty and Uncertainty’ report, released late last year, provided useful advice for central Government and coastal territorial authorities. However, he noted that the methodology used to estimate vulnerability had overstated the number of properties in the Whakatāne District which could be at risk.

• Preparing New Zealand for rising seas - Certainty and Uncertainty - Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment - November 2015 - (PDF, 2.6 MB)

“The report uses LIDAR (light detection and ranging) data to identify the number of properties which are less than 150 cm above the current spring high tide mark. However, it also notes that much of the urban area is protected by river stopbanks and that water levels on the Rangitāiki Plains are controlled by pumping, both of which significantly reduce flooding vulnerability,” he said.

Council elected members asked that information be provided to the Commissioner on the measures in place to prevent inundation, so that future updates could be amended.

Mr McGhie said the Council has a number of robust technical reports which guide its actions to manage the natural hazards associated with climate change, including sea level rise. “Updated predictions on sea level rise mean that those existing reports should be updated, and we also recognise the need for coordinated strategies with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to ensure that climate change science is effectively implemented.

“The Parliamentary Commissioner notes that urgency is required at a Government level to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change, but advises caution in terms of community-funded local government actions to address sea level rise,” he added. “We concur with that view. Reliable science is critical to good decisions, and once we have the best possible information, we can consult with the community on an agreed way forward.”

The Council’s Planning group will report back to Council with an update on existing climate change mitigation measures, and any recommended changes, early in the next triennium.