Government report: National Climate Change Risk Assessment for Aotearoa New Zealand – Main Report (NCCRA)
- Aug 31, 2022
- 2 min read
Published in August 2020 by the Ministry for the Environment, this is New Zealand's first statutory National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA), produced under the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019. It provides a national-scale overview of how New Zealand may be affected by climate-related hazards, identifying the most significant risks and opportunities across five value domains: the natural environment, human environment, built environment, economy, and governance. The report was prepared by a multi-disciplinary consortium led by AECOM, drawing on scientific analysis alongside Māori, iwi and stakeholder engagement. Its findings directly underpinned the development of the 2022 National Adaptation Plan.
A dedicated chapter (Chapter 3) addresses te ao Māori and climate change risk, grounding the assessment in a Māori worldview that acknowledges the interconnectedness of all living and non-living things. The assessment adopts ngā mātāpono (guiding principles) including kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, ōhanga and rangatiratanga as a framework alongside the Treasury's He Ara Waiora wellbeing model.
Several risks are identified as being of particular significance to Māori, including loss and degradation of lands, waters, marae and cultural assets from sea-level rise and changing rainfall (H5); loss of species and biodiversity affecting Māori social, cultural and economic wellbeing (H6); risks to cultural heritage sites from extreme weather and fire (H8); and — critically — the risk of a breach of Treaty obligations from failure to adequately protect current and future generations of Māori from climate impacts (G4). The report also identifies risks that will disproportionately affect Māori, including displacement, exacerbation of existing inequities, and harm to mental health, identity and sense of belonging.
For Project Kāinga, this is foundational policy infrastructure — the evidence base that sits behind both the National Adaptation Plan and the current Government's climate strategy. The risk categories identified here, particularly H5, H6 and G4, map directly onto the realities facing hapū communities in Te Tai Tokerau.
