Government document: Climate Action for Māori – The National Adaptation Plan

Published in August 2022 by the Ministry for the Environment, this summary document outlines how Aotearoa's first National Adaptation Plan addresses the disproportionate impacts of climate change on Māori communities. It acknowledges that many Māori live in coastal and rural areas where homes, marae, urupā, mahinga kai and wāhi tapu face escalating risk from flooding, sea level rise and severe weather events.

The document sets out a range of government actions aimed at building climate resilience for Māori — including the establishment of a platform for Māori-led climate strategy, integration of mātauranga Māori into adaptation planning and decision-making, and stronger Crown–Māori partnership grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It also signals support for managed retreat legislation, Māori housing resilience, and protection of taonga species and freshwater.

While the plan affirms Māori as kaitiaki and leaders in the climate response, it also reflects the ongoing challenge of translating Crown commitments into meaningful, hapū and iwi-level action. For Project Kāinga communities, this document provides useful policy context for the work of building community-led, tikanga-based responses to climate change.

Climate-action-for-Maori-The-national-adaptation-plan-v2.pdf

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