Mayor welcomes report on sea level rise

Dunedin (Thursday, 19 November 2015) – Mayor of Dunedin Dave Cull welcomes today's release of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's (PCE) second report into sea level rise and looks forward to central government working more closely with local government on climate change adaptation.

The report outlines the issue of sea level rise faced by New Zealand communities and offers eight recommendations to respond to the issue. A key finding of the report is that preparing for sea level rise is very much a work in progress and that the Government needs to do more to help.

Mr Cull says, "The report confirms what we already know in that sea levels around the world have risen by about 20cm in the last century. Further sea level rise is inevitable and this clearly presents challenges for our city.

"There are no quick and easy answers to the issue. Responding to the impacts of sea level rise requires a collaborative effort for a range of agencies including local and regional councils, central government, social service agencies and the community at large.

"The PCE report provides the science behind climate change and sea level rise, along with some useful recommendations, to help inform this collaboration and discussion."

Mr Cull says that more central government resource is needed to deal with the impacts of sea level rise and the PCE report is a positive step in this direction.

The PCE report uses Dunedin as one of four case studies illustrating the impacts of sea level rise on New Zealand coastal communities. Of the four, Dunedin faces the biggest and most extensive challenges. The main threat is from rising groundwater in South Dunedin and surrounding area, as groundwater levels are forced up by rising sea levels.

General Manager Services and Development Simon Pickford says the DCC is already taking steps and began a programme of work in 2010 to address issues around climate change.

Key pieces of this work have already been completed. This includes exploring potential protection options for the harbourside and South Dunedin and surrounds, and work around minimum floor levels.

Other work – such as plans to investigate what non-protection measures would involve and considering the potential impacts of sea level rise in the proposed Second Generation District Plan – is underway.

Further planned work includes community engagement to work through the cost-benefit analysis of options for key areas such as the harbourside and South Dunedin and surrounds.

However, Mr Pickford says it is important to note that parts of Dunedin other than just the harbourside and South Dunedin face sea level rise challenges. Further work is therefore needed to understand and plan for the impacts for the whole city.

"There will be a need for on-going consultation and engagement with communities around the possible responses to sea level rise. This is not just about the directly affected communities but for the city as a whole because the impacts and opportunities presented by sea level rise are city-wide," Mr Cull says.

The PCE report, including maps of affected areas, is available online at www.pce.parliament.govt.nz.

ENDS

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