Government document (on reflection): Responding to a Changing Climate – The Government's Climate Strategy

Published by the Ministry for the Environment in July 2024, this strategy outlines the current coalition Government's high-level climate strategy under Minister Simon Watts. It identifies five pillars: resilient infrastructure and prepared communities; credible emissions markets; affordable clean energy; climate innovation; and nature-based solutions. It also sets out New Zealand's current emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement and the Government's nine public targets, including Target 9 on net greenhouse gas emissions.

The document contains no specific reference to Māori, Te Tiriti, mātauranga Māori, or hapū and iwi roles in the climate response — a notable contrast to the 2022 National Adaptation Plan and its Rauora framework. For Project Kāinga communities, that absence is itself significant: it reflects a shift in the current Government's framing of climate action away from the partnership and equity language of its predecessor, and toward a predominantly economic and infrastructure lens. Communities already doing the work of hapū-led adaptation will need to navigate this policy environment carefully.

MfE Climate strategy brochure FF webV2.pdf

Download PDF • 1.34MB