Horizons region a step closer to action plan for climate change
Climate change, a new bus service and funding for the Capital Connection rail service were raised at Horizons Regional Councils final meeting of year on Wednesday. Climate change was front and centre, with the Joint Climate Action Plan top of the agenda. The draft report, stemming from the Climate Action Joint Committee, acknowledges the changing climate in the region and presents action for councils and individuals. Without action, existing social and environmental issues are likely to get worse. This plan is about understanding how we will respond to climate change, the Manawatu-Whanganui Climate Change Action Plan states. READ MORE: * Regional leaders team up to pressure Government for public transport funding * Horizons Regional Council moves forward with climate risk planning * Iwi partner with Horizons Regional Council to tackle climate change head on Formed in 2021, the committee is a collaboration between eight councils: Horowhenua, Whanganui, Rangitikei, Manawatu, Tararua and Ruapehu district councils, the Palmerston North City Council and Horizons Regional Council. Seven tangata whenua members were also appointed to the committee in a co-governance arrangement hailed as a milestone. Horizons principal advisor strategy Tom Bowen spoke to the draft report and said all going to plan the final version would be adopted by the committee around March. Consultation with councils and iwi leaders is under way, with council chairperson Rachel Keedwell noting there are two new mayors (in Whanganui and Ruapehu) who havent been part of the process. The Palmerston North and Whanganui Youth councils were consulted for the development of the plan, marking the start of wider community consultation. In September 2020, prior to the development of the plan, Horizons ran a campaign asking people what they thought was at risk from climate change. The impacts of climate change, detailed in the report, include damage to transport networks, housing and crops, as well as landslides, soil erosion and flooding. Recommendations for councils include reviewing planning permission to increase water storage on properties, developing compact urban centres, measuring and reducing emissions from council activities and investigating ways to ensure the supply of food. The recommendations were not binding, with individual councils determining what resourcing and policy decisions will be added to annual and long-term planning processes, said Keedwell. Reducing water usage, planting trees and improved insulation were listed as individual actions. In his verbal update at the start of the meeting, Horizons chief executive Michael McCartney said transport had been a particularly busy area around finalising the bus contract for Palmerston North and a new bus service set to start in Whanganui in February. In relation to the Capital Connection, McCartney said he was increasingly optimistic about conversations with the Greater Wellington Regional Council and Transport Minister Michael Woods. We all know that the goal here is to get that budget secure before Government Budget 2023, he said. Horizons covers the Manawatu-Whanganui region, with a focus on the environment, transport and civil defence. Thirteen elected representatives were present (one online) at the meeting, with Allan Benbow making an apology. The next meeting will be in February.