John Pask

Published: November 1, 2023

Submitting To: Environment Select Committee

Issue for Business: The previous Government set up a Parliamentary Environment Committee Inquiry into Climate Adaptation (terms of reference which were released on 24th August 2023). Submissions to the Inquiry have now closed and it will be up to the new Government to decide whether to proceed further with the Inquiry.

Action: BusinessNZ has made a submission to the Inquiry stating that managed retreat is an important issue with significant implications for property rights; it has to be carefully thought through. While BusinessNZ made a number of recommendations in its submission, one of the key ones being that there should be a high threshold for central or local government requiring people to move, generally restricted to cases where there is a significant public risk to the wider community, or where the cost of continuing to provide infrastructure services (roading/water/sewage etc) is prohibitive and cannot reasonably be funded principally by those who benefit from the provision of those services.

Outcome: Still awaiting formation of new Government and decision as to whether they will proceed with the Inquiry.