Adaptation framework

Adaptation means strengthening our ability to cope with risks from natural events like floods or storms.

Climate change is making severe weather events like these more frequent and more intense.

The Government is developing an adaptation framework to strengthen how New Zealand prepares for the effects of climate change.

The adaptation framework will aim to establish an enduring, long-term approach to adaptation in New Zealand.

Over time, it will set out the Government’s approach to sharing the costs of adapting to climate change.

It will help communities and businesses know what investment will happen in their area, for example whether the council will build flood protection infrastructure, and what support will be available to help with recovery from events like slips or floods.

It will cover proactive choices to protect from foreseeable risks, and long-term recovery after a severe weather event happens.

The framework is expected to cover ways to:

• Minimise the long-term costs to New Zealand of adapting to the impacts of natural events.
• Provide certainty for property owners and ensure any support is predictable, principled and fair. This includes clarity about the Government’s response and the roles of insurers, local government and other groups.
• Improve the sharing of information so that everyone – individuals, communities, councils and industries - can make informed decisions.
• Contribute to maintaining efficient housing and insurance markets.
• Ensure people have the ability and incentive to make decisions to reduce their risk where they can.

The framework will focus on the areas where people live and work. This includes both existing and future development, and the infrastructure which serves these places.

Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee conducted an inquiry to develop and recommend objectives and principles for the design of the adaptation framework in 2024.

The Committee published the report from its inquiry on 1 October, 2024.

Read the Inquiry into climate adaptation [PDF, 1.9 MB]

The Government released its response to the inquiry on 29 January, 2025.

Read the Government’s response to the Inquiry into Climate Adaptation [Parliament] 

The inquiry covered:

• The nature of the climate adaptation problem New Zealand faces
• Investment and cost-sharing
• Roles and responsibilities
• Climate risk and response information-sharing.

The Committee received around 1000 public submissions and heard around 80 oral submissions. Submissions can be viewed on the Parliament webpage: Finance and Expenditure - New Zealand Parliament [Parliament]

Written submissions [Parliament] made to the Environment Committee's previous inquiry into climate adaptation were considered.

The Finance and Expenditure Committee has published a summary of the submissions made to the Environment Committee’s inquiry [Parliament].

The Government is considering the report’s recommendations as it continues to develop policy for the adaptation framework and other related work programmes.

We have established an independent reference group to support development of policy advice for the adaptation framework,

The reference group will test policy ideas and help to explore the challenges under the current system experienced by Treaty partners, banks and insurers, local government and others.

The group’s role is advisory and it is made up of members who have skills, experience and knowledge of working in sectors that are, or are likely to be, particularly affected by natural hazards and climate change.

The members of the group are:  

• Matt Whineray (chair), former chief executive officer of Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation
• Marama Royal, chair of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust
• Belinda Storey, economist and expert on pricing physical climate risk
• Malcolm Alexander, partner at Yule Alexander Limited and former chief executive of Local Government New Zealand
• Jimmy Higgins, chief executive officer of Suncorp New Zealand.
• Aileen Lawrie, chief executive of Thames Coromandel District Council.
• Rebekah Cain, chief sustainability officer at BNZ.

The adaptation framework will fulfil actions in New Zealand’s wider, all of Government national adaptation plan. 

The adaptation framework is focused on existing development. New national direction under the Resource Management Act (RMA) is being developed to direct councils on how to manage risks from natural hazards when consenting new development. This work is part of the Government’s RMA reform package.