
NZ weather events prompt rethink of housing protections
The government has often stepped in after natural disasters to buy properties, spending billions of dollars in recent years as climate change-driven severe weather events increase in intensity and frequency.
The government "won't be able to keep bailing out people in this way", New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told Radio New Zealand this week.
"We need to find a way to manage these events going forward and who takes responsibility and is there a shared responsibility."
Policymakers, researchers and property experts both in New Zealand and Australia have for some time warned climate change is a risk that home buyers have not priced in.
His comments come as parts of the South Island start cleaning up after floods this month, which affected roughly 800 homes, according to local authorities.
The government on Wednesday announced $NZ600,000 ($A550,403) in compensation for flood-affected farmers, growers and forestry owners.
By 2060 at least 14,500 homes worth approximately $NZ12.5 billion ($A11.42 billion) could suffer at least one damaging flood, around 300 to 400 homes annually, according to Climate Sigma research.
Climate Minister Simon Watts said in an email that the government has been working to get bipartisan support on a national adaptation framework to give New Zealand certainty.
"This is a complex and challenging work," he said. "It is important that any change is enduring."
Any policy changes would likely be introduced slowly. A recent independent report released by the Ministry of Environment suggested a transition over 20 years to allow pricing to adjust as expectations of government bailouts are tempered.
The independent report released by the Ministry of the Environment recommended including the need for more information about the potential impact of natural hazards so owners can make their own decisions about whether to move or stay and bear the costs of that decision.
Property records in New Zealand increasingly note whether there is a flood or landslide risk or history of either and homeowners in vulnerable areas are worried their houses will become less valuable.
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Hong Kong's national security police have announced arrest warrants for 19 activists based overseas, accusing them of subversion under a stringent national security law, marking the largest such tally yet. They are accused of organising or participating in the "Hong Kong Parliament", a group authorities in the Asian financial hub say aimed to subvert state power, under the law Beijing imposed in 2020 following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. The activists are accused of having launched a referendum or run as candidates in the unofficial "Hong Kong Parliament" group, which authorities say aims at achieving self-determination and drafting a "Hong Kong constitution". Police, who said the organisation sought to overthrow the governments of China and Hong Kong by unlawful means, said they are still investigating and further arrests may follow. Among those named are businessman Elmer Yuen, commentator Victor Ho, and activists Johnny Fok and Tony Choi. Four of them are subject to previous arrest warrants, each carrying a bounty of $HKS1 million ($A192,738). Among the remaining 15, for each of whom police are offering a bounty of $HK200,000, are those said to have organised or run in the election and sworn in as its councillors. None of the accused could be reached for comment. The former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, including freedom of speech, under a "one country, two systems" formula. Critics of the national security law say authorities are using it to stifle dissent. Chinese and Hong Kong officials have repeatedly said the law was vital to restore stability after the city was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019. 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