Kaipara's adaptation planning pilot: Ruawai Adaptive Pathways

Ruawai Adaptive Pathways is the adaptation planning pilot project for Kaipara District Council and all of Northland.
Council is supporting the Ruawai community to set up a plan to prepare for, and respond to increasing coastal hazards, flood hazards and sea level rise.

Kaipara District Council has committed to supporting its residents to plan for increasing coastal hazards due to climate change, such as sea level rise and flooding. While we don’t know exactly when the effects of climate change will be experienced, some changes are already being observed and will increase in frequency and severity. We can stay resilient by making decisions now on the best ways to prepare for, and respond to, these changes over time.

Ruawai has been selected as the first community to carry out this type of planning in the Kaipara District. The planning will be undertaken using the adaptive pathways method which develops a series of actions and ‘pathways’ over time. It is based on the idea of making decisions not at set points in time but rather when conditions change and before severe damage occurs.  Community is at the centre of the adaptive pathways process.

A Community Panel will lead the conversation on coastal hazards, flooding and sea level rise. The Panel will draw on a diverse range of values and knowledge about the Ruawai area to help shape this planning with support from technical advisors. The end goal is to produce a long-term plan to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change in the Ruawai Flats area.