Locals along Wellington’s south coast know the impacts of climate change all too well.
Swells come up onto the road and threaten Ōwhiro Bay homes in Apirl 2020. Photo: Supplie / Chris Loveday
On Wednesday 29 June, residents questioned officials, including the climate change minister, and pleaded for adaptation plans to be accelerated.
Residents from four coastal suburbs are fighting for action after explosive new data released in May showed the sea level is rising twice as fast as previously thought in some parts of Aotearoa – including in Wellington.
Authorities have less time to plan than previously thought and residents could lose their insurance cover in just a few years.
More than 100 worried locals attended the meeting, coming together over sea-level rise for the first time.
Organiser and Ōwhiro Bay resident Eugene Doyle spelled out their aims.
“The government, city and region need to acceleration adaptation for sea-level rise,” he said to a crowd all in agreement with him.
Doyle also said coastal communities wanted access to better and more detailed data on what the coastline would look like in the future and called for affected communities to be involved in decision-making and have a seat at the table.
“Nothing for us without us,” he said.
Scientists behind the NZ SeaRise tool, which shows people how their neighbourhood could be impacted, were at the meeting to explain their data.
“Thirty centimetres of sea-level rise in this region is likely to occur as soon as 2038 if we meet the Paris Agreement and if land keeps sinking at the rate we have measure,” GNS scientist Dr Richard Levy said.
Climate Change Minister James Shaw told the crowd it was important locals addressed issues collectively and came up with solutions that suited their communities.
“Because if you leave it to central government you will get: A) a really bad solution and B) it will arrive five years after you have flooded.”
Swell hits a section of coastal road in Wellington. Photo: Supplied / Grant Maiden
Lyall Bay resident Alex was not impressed with the response.
“It worried me when James Shaw said if we leave it to central government it might take five years past when it needs to be done. That was terrifying to hear,” she said.
When fronting up to the crowd Wellington mayor Andy Foster said he was keen to increase community involvement in decision-making.
“I’m really strong on making sure we work with communities to try and decision solutions and to say hey we’ve got a solution, there it is, bang,” he said.
When it comes to an adaptation plan, locals will have to wait for the new district plan to be introduced which will likely prevent or limit new builds in hazardous coastal areas.
“What we are proposing is we will limit the ability to further develop those areas and really what that is about is not putting more people, infrastructure, not putting more investment in harms way,” Foster said.
However, the new plan was only recently approved to go out for public consultation in mid-July.
Ōwhiro Bay resident Chris Loveday knows all about the impact of climate change. A storm in April 2020 brought waves crashing over the seawall and into his house, flooding the downstairs floor.
“It was quite a traumatic experience. We have two young children, so it was quite a big, impactful time for us,” he said.
The young family were out of their home for six months. Now every time there’s a storm warning, Loveday fears the worst.
“We knew the risks but kind of had thought 30 or 40 years would be the time frame. [It] changes the game a lot for us,” he said.
Flood damage done to Chris Loveday’s home after a storm hit the South Coast in April 2020. Photo: Supplied
Ōwhiro Bay resident Sue Reid also worries about her home.
“I’m so fragile about the whole thing. I think if we do take a hit that’s our biggest asset sitting right in the firing line,” she said.
Reid believed the price tag attached to adapting to climate change was slowing down progress.
“Because everything is going to come with cost, people are reluctant to be as specific as perhaps communities would want,” she said.
Residents at the meeting said it was just the beginning of their efforts to protect their communities.
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