Pollution on land inevitably ends up in the sea. Policy makers must stop working in silos and instead consider the indirect consequences human impacts on land have for marine environments.
Labour’s ‘Adapt and Thrive’ plan for climate resilience is unlikely to survive the new government’s priorities. But the country cannot avoid addressing its urgent infrastructural deficit.
New Zealand’s food system – from production to delivery – has been built around efficiency rather than resilience to climate change and natural disasters. But there are solutions.
Incremental and pragmatic, New Zealand’s fifth Wellbeing Budget tries to balance cost-of-living support with huge long-term investment challenges – all without frightening the inflation horses.
Thursday’s ‘orthodox no-frills budget’ sounds like Labour is switching from Ecostore to Kmart: never mind your wellbeing, this is about Labour’s political survival.
Innovative materials and modular buildings offer New Zealand a way to build back better after Cyclone Gabrielle. But to do this, we need to develop the framework to support the new approach.
Recovery efforts in regions hit by Cyclone Gabrielle need to ensure support and care is provided to pregnant mums to prevent life-long consequences for babies in-utero.
The insurance industry should be involved in planning for future disasters and resilience, before some parts of New Zealand become uninsurable – leaving mortgage holders and banks exposed.
Timothy Welch, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
New Zealand’s urban green space has dwindled over the past six decades. The Commissioner for the Environment has issued a warning and a challenge – get greener before climate change gets meaner.
Floods are often followed by waves of diseases because pathogens shed by animals can survive in flood waters for days, raising the risk of infection for humans.
Martin Brook, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The ‘stickering’ of houses under section 124 of the Building Act, and decisions about when it’s safe to return, need to be informed by science. Affected communities should be involved at every stage.
Ulrich Speidel, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Too many New Zealanders were cut off without phone or internet access after Cyclone Gabrielle hit. Here are some of the back-up options we need before the next disaster strikes.
Jonathan Barrett, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Should the country go into debt or raise taxes to pay for disaster recovery? The best solutions might not be the most politically attractive – and that’s a problem.
Horticulture underpins the local economy in areas devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle. Climate change may mean some parts of the region will become less suitable for crop production during this century.
The devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle has left a significant scar on the land in Northland, the Coromandel and Hawkes Bay. But instead of replanting pine, we should return the land to native bush.
Martin Brook, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The beach community at Muriwai has experienced deadly landslide in the past, but houses were nevertheless allowed to be built on the debris of former slips.
Australians are in New Zealand to help out in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. After multiple big floods in Australia, our neighbours have learned a lot about resilience in the face of disaster.
Alex Lo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Faith Chan, University of Nottingham
Flood and cyclone damage shows why turning Auckland and other urban parts of New Zealand into ‘sponge cities’ is the right idea. But overseas experience from China and beyond shows it won’t be cheap.