Rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, and more frequent extreme weather events are just some of the challenges that we face.
We may not have a choice about climate change happening to us, but we do have a choice in how we respond. Both law and common sense tell us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, prepare for the impacts of climate change, build resilience, and respond to the effects we are already experiencing.
Work is continuing on adapting our district to the impacts of climate change and growing our resilience. In particular, we are taking an adaptive planning approach, as recommended by the Ministry for the Environment. A comprehensive regional climate change risk assessment is being completed in collaboration with Nelson City Council. This will enable a better understanding of climate change risks, and the consequential impacts on people, economy, governance, and the built and natural environments. The risk assessment will inform our identification and evaluation of a range of adaptation options. Community engagement will be a critical part of the identification and assessment of options.
We also have a significant programme of work aimed at reducing our own operational emissions and supporting the Tasman community to reduce its emissions. Work on further reductions in Council and community emissions is included across the ten years of the Plan.
We have developed a comprehensive draft Tasman Climate Response Strategy and Action Plan (The Plan). It provides detailed actions we plan to take across a wide range of Council’s activities. Priority actions include: emission reduction measures in the transport, energy and waste sectors; empowering communities to act; initiatives to strengthen the resilience of our communities and ecosystems.
Budgets addressing climate change and resilience are embedded across many parts of what we do. Often these actions are not planned solely to address climate change and have other substantial benefits. The Plan shows what we plan to spend and where we intend to spend it over the next 10 years.
For more information on our climate response, including the draft Plan, click here.
Preferred Option A
Affordable level of investment spread over the next 10 years
We plan to continue investing in a range of initiatives from our Climate Action Plan. These measures would cost approximately $69.1 million over 10 years. In many cases, there are reasons the spending is needed in addition to responding to climate change.
The rates and debt impacts of this option are included in our proposed Plan.
This option includes:
- Adaptation actions such as:
» Catchment enhancement.
» Green infrastructure development in rural areas.
» Maintaining and improving our Climate Risk and Resilience Explorer tool.
» Developing a regional climate adaptation strategy and adaptation plans for individual communities.
» Addressing climate change risks at closed landfills.
- Mitigation actions such as:
» Expanding regional eBus services to weekends.
» Modest investment in safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.
» Capturing and reusing landfill gas.
» Minimising waste and reducing waste to landfill.
» Auditing greenhouse gas emissions inventories.
» Transitioning Council’s vehicle fleet to electric vehicles.
» Installing electric vehicle chargers.
» Continuing investments in commercial forestry and planting initiatives to sequester carbon.
| Benefits | Costs |
|---|---|
| Reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and those from the community. |
Opportunities to generate solar power and improving the insulation of homes would not be taken up. |
| Engages communities in planning for adaptation to climate change impacts. |
Opportunities to provide leadership and influence the community on climate change will depend solely on staff time. |
| Supports the preservation of biodiversity and restoration of native habitats. | |
| Enables landfill gas to be used to generate energy. | |
| More materials can be recovered and re-used rather than being wasted. |
Operational costs (10 years): $52.3 million
Capital costs (10 years): $16.8 million
Rates revenue (all types of rates):
Year 1: $2.3 million
Year 2: $2.6 million
Year 3: $2.9 million
Years 4 – 10: $27.9 million
This is equivalent to an average rates cost of $102 (incl GST) per household/business per annum from 2024/2025.
Impact on debt: $14.7 million
Effect on levels of service: ↑
Alternative Option B
Higher level of investment
This option would mean a higher investment, but a more proactive response to climate change to meet the needs of our community. It may result in us spending less on purchasing electricity in the future and being more proactive in anticipating and minimising climate change risks to infrastructure.
In addition to the investment in our Preferred Option, an extra $5.7 million over 10 years would be invested in:
- Planning for resilient infrastructure.
- Progressing ecological adaptation initiatives.
- Implementing energy efficiency/solar initiatives for our assets.
- Reducing emissions from Richmond Aquatic Centre.
- Providing a small funding contribution to the Warmer Healthier Homes initiative.
- Progressing actions relating to the Climate Action Plan’s leadership goal, including partnering on projects with others.
- Progressing actions relating to the Plan’s information provision and communication goal.
| Benefits | Costs |
|---|---|
| Further reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and those from the community. |
Higher costs increasing rates and debt levels. |
| Avoids the need to repair/rebuild new infrastructure, by incorporating resilience to climate-related risks into planning. |
|
| Initial investment in solar generation will reduce future power costs. | |
| Enhanced ecological adaptation to climate change. | |
| Improved health of occupants of insulated homes. | |
| Enables partnerships with the community to lead and influence climate change, mitigation and adaption. |
Option B has the following effect on rates revenue (all types of rates) in addition to the rates impact of Option A:
Year 1: $0.4 million
Year 2: $0.4 million
Year 3: $0.4 million
Years 4 – 10: $3.5 million
This is equivalent to an average rates increase of $17 (incl GST) per household/business per annum from 2024/2025 in addition to Option A.
Impact on debt: $1.5 million increase in addition to Option A at year 10.
