Stretching from the coast all the way inland to the foot of Aoraki Mt Cook, the impacts of climate change in the Waitaki district will be diverse.
Changes in climate and rainfall patterns may result in water becoming scarcer at times, even though we expect an increased frequency of extremes such as flooding.
The see-sawing impacts of these changes could be far reaching, with increased coastal erosion and flooding of major concern. Increased hot days amplify the risk of drought and fire, such as the 2020 Lake Ōhau fire, one of the biggest ever wildfires in New Zealand that destroyed 48 homes and buildings.
Waitaki’s climate is varied, as evidenced by long-term climate patterns and fluctuations in sea level within our District. We anticipate further climate shifts in the upcoming decades in Waitaki. These changes are likely to occur more frequently, posing negative impacts on our communities.
For Waitaki, climate change is projected to present:
The Waitaki District Climate Change Risk Framework Pt 1: Climate Change Projections has more detailed information about what we're expecting in Waitaki District.
Waitaki District Council has identified addressing environmental and climate change challenges as a key responsibility. The impacts of climate change are being considered in its work on strategies and plans, including its Long Term Plan, Infrastructure Strategy, Financial Strategy, Coastal Roads Strategy and District Plan.
Waitaki District Council’s Rural Resilience Project was established in response to the increased frequency and severity of storm events. That work has improved drainage, strengthened water course embankments, cleaned out culverts and reinstated roadside swales.
Waitaki District Council’s inventory of its own greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 showed the organisation has negative net emissions, removing more greenhouse gases than it emits.
The three largest sources of emissions include wastewater treatment (36 per cent), electricity consumption (30 per cent) and landfill (13 per cent).
Thanks to its extensive forestry assets, Waitaki District Council’s net emissions (PDF, 1.4mb) were -2,026 tonnes in the 2018/19 financial year.
This means that the Council is making a positive contribution overall towards mitigating climate change and by doing so acting on one of Council’s strategic priorities – to recognise and provide for the implications of climate change.
Healthy ecosystems will better withstand climate stress, while forests and wetlands are carbon sinks – natural systems that help to suck up and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The Waitaki Biodiversity Fund supports landowners taking practical steps to protect and enhance indigenous biodiversity in the Waitaki District, principally on private land.
Priorities of the fund are:
Environment Canterbury provides funding so communities can plant trees and take action to restore waterways, habitats and wetlands, and the Otago Regional Council ECO Fund supports community-led projects that protect, enhance or promote the environment.
Wilding pines are an invasive plant species that can rapidly spread across vast areas of our landscape, shading native plants out and providing fuel for wildfires. They are a problem across the country with more than 800,000 hectares infested nationwide, half of which is on land here in Waitaha/Canterbury.
Environment Canterbury is actively working with landowners to remove wilding pines from our landscapes.
The predicted increase in the intensity and frequency of severe weather events could have a significant impact on the resilience of our roads. Recent flood events have highlighted the severity of damage possible and costs of repairs and mitigation.
Resilience to flooding and coastal erosion, and keeping vulnerable routes in service, is being actively managed through optimising our road maintenance and renewal programmes and minor improvement work, including upsizing drainage infrastructure where possible and coastal rock protection.
Work-to-date, such as the Rural Road Resilience Project, has made a considerable contribution to reducing the likelihood of lost journeys due to prolonged route closures, reducing the risk of flood damage and the associated costs of emergency fixes and reducing the rate of deterioration.
Climate change projections indicate that sea level rise and increased storminess will continue to change and shape our coastal environments.
To protect Oamaru Harbour, the Waitaki District Council has invested in erosion prevention measures along Oamaru Harbour's breakwater. This has seen many tonnes of rock and concrete pods being placed along Oamaru Harbour’s breakwater in recent years to prevent its erosion.
Ongoing work has been required to repair cavities in the structure as they are impacted by heavy seas. In 2021, the Waitaki District Council approved $400,000 work for maintenance on the final unprotected section of Oamaru Harbour’s breakwater. This will place 6,500 tonnes of rock and concrete along the structure, critical to ensure ongoing protection of the harbour.
