Coastal Restoration Trust of New Zealand

Coastal Dune Ecosystem Reference Database

From guidance to practice: The adaptation transition at the coast Technical Report

Author
Lawrence, J., Bell, R., Blackett, P., Ryan, E. and Robichaux, L.
Year
2019
Journal / Source
Report for the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges National Science Challenge.
Series
National Science Challenges
Pages
17
Summary
In 2014 local government in Hawke’s Bay committed to preparing the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 21204 (Strategy). Several factors aligned in 2016 that, together with the development of this Strategy, offered a significant coastal management learning opportunity: the 2017 revision of the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) (MfE 2017) national guidance on coastal hazards and climate change for local government (Guidance), the Department of Conservation guidance on the implementation of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) (Department of Conservation, 2017) and the 2016-2019 funding of the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges National Science Challenge ‘Living at the Edge’ research programme (the Edge), aimed at improving the resilience of coastal communities to coastal hazards. The Edge researchers were invited to collaborate in the Strategy development process as ‘critical friends’5 providing independent technical advice and support on adaptation options, assessment methodologies and engagement processes. This discussion paper accompanies a shorter practice brief published in the September 2019 edition of the New Zealand Planning Quarterly. Here, we discuss the lessons learned from applying the approaches set out in the Guidance in the Strategy development, in order to inform the ongoing use by practitioners of the Guidance in addressing coastal hazards and risks in New Zealand.