The Head of Lake Whakatipu community is invited to participate in one of two natural hazards adaptation workshops on Thursday 31 August, hosted by Otago Regional Council (ORC) and Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).

ORC’s Manager Natural Hazards Jean-Luc Payan says the main focus of the workshops will be to discuss a range of possible hazard management and adaptation responses for the Head of Lake Whakatipu area.

“Everything is on the table at this stage. This is an opportunity to collectively learn more about the pros and cons of different responses and their potential impacts on the community,” says Dr Payan.

“These discussions are crucial in informing the development of adaptation pathways, or the combinations of different responses, later this year,” he says.

ORC’s Natural Hazards team will be facilitating the workshop with support from NIWA Principal Scientist - Environmental Social Science Dr Paula Blackett.

Representatives from across ORC, QLDC and Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) will be on hand to talk about the various hazard management and adaptation responses.

Dr Payan says these workshops build on previous engagement sessions and community feedback collected so far around what matters most for the Head of Lake Whakatipu area.

“During the workshop we will be asking for community input on a wide variety of methods that could potentially be used to manage the natural hazards risks. This will guide the direction of the Adaptation Strategy, and they will also be important for helping us measure the success of different adaptation pathways,” he says.

Workshop attendees can expect to get an update about the programme and find out about what ORC’s key projects are between now and June 2024.

The workshops will begin with a short presentation giving a programme update, a short activity around key community outcomes and a discussion about possible responses.

When: Thursday 31 August

Where: Glenorchy Community Hall, Mull St, Glenorchy

Workshop options: 1-3pm (refreshments provided) or 6-8pm (with a sausage sizzle fundraiser run by the

Glenorchy School Parents, Teachers, and Friends Association from 5.30pm).

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