Government case study: Ā Te Taitokerau urutau i ngā āhuarangi – He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission (2025)

Published in November 2025 by He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission, this case study documents the lived experience of climate change across Te Taitokerau/Northland, drawing on kōrero gathered during a Commission visit to the region in March 2025. It covers the primary sector, hapori Māori, river and flood management, and infrastructure fragility, and records both the innovative responses already underway and the specific government actions communities said they need.

The report is notable for being the first Commission case study in which every person spoken to said the effects of climate change are already here — not approaching. It documents how iwi, hapū, farmers, businesses and councils are adapting under pressure, and gives direct voice to the calls for community-led approaches, long-term funding, better data, and clearer legislative responsibility.

For Project Kāinga, this case study provides useful national-level evidence of the very pressures our hapū partners in Te Tai Tokerau are navigating — from coastal erosion and river flooding to marine ecosystem decline and infrastructure failure. It reinforces the case for hapū-led kāinga planning as a practical and culturally grounded response to risks that government systems are still catching up to.

Climate Change Commission 2026 NCCRA Full Assessment.pdf

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