Members of the Canterbury Mayoral Forum met with Hon Simon Watts (Minister of Climate Change) in Christchurch on 11 June.
During the meeting, Mayoral Forum members discussed a range of climate initiatives with the Minister.
The importance of both food and energy security was discussed, as making progress in these spaces will also make progress with emissions reduction.
The work that Canterbury farmers are doing in the innovation and emissions reduction space was acknowledged, noting that markets will pay more for product that can demonstrate reduced carbon footprints.
Forum members updated the Minister on the preparation of the Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan and the ambitious programme of works that each council has provided for in their Long-Term Plans to progress the climate plan. The Minister has been invited to the launch of the plan, which is due to be held later in 2024.
The Minister was thanked for the Government’s funding towards “Beyond the Deluge”, but Forum members noted that there is still significant work to do in this space to protect communities and infrastructure from severe weather events. The issue of ‘mitigation’ or ‘managed retreat’ was discussed, and Hurunui Council provided examples of work that they are doing with proactive coastal plans and proactive relocation away from sea inundation, noting that this work has won both national and international awards.
The Minister thanked the Forum members for meeting with him and advised that he would appreciate the opportunity to meet on a more regular basis.
