Dealing with the impacts of climate change – Prof Jonathan Boston and Climate Minister James Shaw

Dealing with the impacts of climate change

Professor Jonathan Boston and Climate Minister James Shaw

Climate change poses unparalleled policy challenges and demands urgent action.

Prof Jonathan Boston’s recent work has focused on adaptation, and especially the funding of managed retreat. This is a major policy challenge which has in the past months been highlighted by the impacts of the Auckland floods and the devastation in Hawkes Bay.  ‘Time and the tide are running against us’ is his opening quotation.

We will have no choice but to move tens of thousands of people out of harm’s way. But how do we create a fair system of managed retreat.  Managed retreat will often be costly, controversial, and challenging. Communities will be displaced.

Moving towns like Westport, moving whole suburbs like South Dunedin or South Shore in Christchurch, or Petone in Wellington, significant parts of Whakatāne or Whanganui or Whangārei, will almost certainly require central government involvement, because the central government will be paying for at least some of the costs.

"In my view, it's going to probably bear the burden of paying for property buyouts in the main because I just don't see local government having resources to do that.”

Planning regulations, fairness, good public housing in safe areas and avoiding costly and ineffective defensive measures, will need the buy-in of politicians across the spectrum, he says.

Jonathan Boston is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University. You can read his recently released report on managed retreat here. He has also contributed to a working paper which you can read here.

James Shaw is Minister for Climate Change and co-leader of the Greens.  He will respond on the issues surrounding managed retreat as part of the necessary adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

Come and hear these two discuss what this country needs to do in the next two to five years.

Note the changed date and timing of the session  - the session will run from 6pm to 7pm on Thursday 11 May.