Latest news with #KateNewton
Newsroom
6 days ago
- Business
- Newsroom
Paying for the reality of climate change
The 100-year floods are rolling in on a regular basis; the rain doesn't let up; no one wants a cliff-top property anymore. Climate change is no longer just about things you can't see or touch. It's about running from rising water and bailing out the basement. 'I think there has been a lot of emphasis both in reporting and in people's understanding of climate change … and the science behind that and how it's getting worse,' says RNZ In Depth reporter Kate Newton. 'We're now starting to shift our focus because of these severe weather events that we're seeing more frequently, and at a greater level of severity, to what that actually means for us now, and the fact that climate change is no longer this far-off, distant prospect, but something that is affecting real people and real lives, at this very moment.' Today on The Detail we look at how we adapt to this new normal, and who will pay for it, after a report by an Independent Reference Group recommended essentially that the days of property buy-outs have a limited life. The reference group included economists, iwi, bankers, insurance and local government representatives and was set up by the Ministry for the Environment. Newton goes through the findings on climate mitigation and adaption, which she says are politically unpalatable, and extremely expensive. 'There's a whole lot that goes into it and every step of it is complex and every step of it is expensive. But we also need to remember that even if we do nothing, it's still expensive. 'I think the top estimates of costs involved with Cyclone Gabrielle was $14.5 billion – it's a huge amount of money. 'But you're looking at things like, even just understanding where the risk is, and how severe that risk is, and how it might change in the future – it's a huge amount of work.' The Government wants bipartisan support on decisions because future certainty is required but also, Newton points out, because of the bleak message it's likely to send – in the words of one critic: 'You are on your own'. But firm decisions are unlikely to come any time soon. 'It's something that's been a long time coming and I think [Climate Change Minister] Simon Watts is running into similar problems to his predecessor James Shaw, who tried for six years to pass a climate change adaptation act,' says Newton. The main issue with that failure was around the complexity of how we do it and who pays for it. 'This is one of those big thorny issues that if you're changing the rules and changing how people adapt every three or six or nine years, it gives nobody any certainty in the future.' Earth Sciences NZ (which is the merger of Niwa with GNS) has done a huge amount of modelling work around the country, mapping coastal inundation risks, and its next body of work due out soon is on inland inundation. Other bodies of work have pointed out that we need spatial planning to avoid destruction by weather in the future. That includes identifying areas of particular risk, and having a plan for them, whether that is creating a wetland or building a sea wall or stop banks, or if a retreat from an area should be mandated. But councils aren't required by legislation to do such work; and if the Government puts a cap on rates as it's discussing, it's likely they won't be able to. They just won't have the money. Small councils also have the issue that their planning departments might consist of one or two people, and the job is far bigger than that. As well, specialists who were doing such work have had job cuts – and those experts have gone overseas where their skills are in demand. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Paying for the reality of climate change
Floodwaters washed through Te Paranui Animal and Farm Sanctuary, near SH1 at Tuamarina, in Tasman, overnight between 27 and 28 June, 2025. Photo: Supplied/ Facebook The 100-year floods are rolling in on a regular basis; the rain doesn't let up; no one wants a cliff-top property anymore. Climate change is no longer just about things you can't see or touch. It's about running from rising water and bailing out the basement. "I think there has been a lot of emphasis both in reporting and in people's understanding of climate change ... and the science behind that and how it's getting worse," says RNZ In Depth reporter Kate Newton. "We're now starting to shift our focus because of these severe weather events that we're seeing more frequently, and at a greater level of severity, to what that actually means for us now, and the fact that climate change is no longer this far-off, distant prospect, but something that is affecting real people and real lives, at this very moment." Today on The Detail we look at how we adapt to this new normal, and who will pay for it, after a report by an Independent Reference Group recommended essentially that the days of property buy-outs have a limited life . The reference group included economists, iwi, bankers, insurance and local government representatives and was set up by the Ministry for the Environment. Newton goes through the findings on climate mitigation and adaption, which she says are politically unpalatable, and extremely expensive. "There's a whole lot that goes into it and every step of it is complex and every step of it is expensive. But we also need to remember that even if we do nothing, it's still expensive. "I think the top estimates of costs involved with Cyclone Gabrielle was $14.5 billion - it's a huge amount of money. "But you're looking at things like, even just understanding where the risk is, and how severe that risk is, and how it might change in the future - it's a huge amount of work." The government wants bipartisan support on decisions because future certainty is required but also, Newton points out, because of the bleak message it's likely to send - in the words of one critic: "You are on your own" . But firm decisions are unlikely to come any time soon. "It's something that's been a long time coming and I think [climate change minister] Simon Watts is running into similar problems to his predecessor James Shaw, who tried for six years to pass a climate change adaptation act," says Newton. The main issue with that failure was around the complexity of how we do it and who pays for it. "This is one of those big thorny issues that if you're changing the rules and changing how people adapt every three or six or nine years, it gives nobody any certainty in the future." Earth Sciences NZ (which is the merger of NIWA with GNS) has done a huge amount of modelling work around the country, mapping coastal inundation risks, and its next body of work due out soon is on inland inundation. Other bodies of work have pointed out that we need spatial planning to avoid destruction by weather in the future. That includes identifying areas of particular risk, and having a plan for them, whether that is creating a wetland or building a sea wall or stop banks, or if a retreat from an area should be mandated. But councils aren't required by legislation to do such work; and if the government puts a cap on rates as it's discussing, it's likely they won't be able to. They just won't have the money. Small councils also have the issue that their planning departments might consist of one or two people, and the job is far bigger than that. As well, specialists who were doing such work have had job cuts - and those experts have gone overseas where their skills are in demand. Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Outcry over 'morally bankrupt' call to end government flood buyouts
By Kate Newton of RNZ Phasing out government assistance for climate adaptation and property buy-outs would be "morally bankrupt", a climate policy expert says. An independent reference group set up by the Ministry for the Environment on Wednesday released a suite of recommendations to help the government shape climate adaptation legislation. Following a 20-year transition period, homeowners whose houses are flooded or damaged by weather events should not expect buy-outs, the group recommended. The group also recommended that funding for adaptation measures such as flood schemes, sea walls and blue-green infrastructure, should follow a 'beneficiary pays' approach in most cases. "This would mean those who benefit most from these investments contribute more." Central government should only invest in adaptation if it would protect Crown assets, "or where broader national benefits can be realised". "Central government investment or other financing strategies may be appropriate to help overcome challenges in particularly vulnerable areas, where there is less ability to pay." Victoria University emeritus professor Jonathan Boston, who was part of a previous expert working group on climate adaptation, said the message from the latest report to New Zealanders was clear: "You are on your own." The report rightly recognised the need for urgent action on climate adaptation, and to make consistent, reliable information about climate hazards available, Boston said. However, the recommendations to withdraw financial assistance for both property buy-outs and adaptation measures, and to leave decision-making up to individuals, were "fundamentally flawed". "One of the core responsibilities of any government is to protect its citizens and to deal with natural disasters and so on. That is above almost anything else." To put an end-date on that was "morally bankrupt and highly undesirable", he said. The report wrongly assumed that people would act rationally if they were properly informed of the risks, he said. "We know from vast amounts of literature that people suffer from all kinds of cognitive biases... and that these have a profound influence on whether people make sensible decisions or not. "And quite apart from cognitive bias, lots of people lack choices. They lack the [financial] resources to make good decisions." Boston also criticised the recommendation of a transitional period, saying the risks from climate change would continue to evolve well past 2045 or another hard end-date. He and others had previously warned against the 'moral hazard' of creating expectations of generous property buy-outs every time there was a severe weather event. "We certainly need to be ensuring that we don't create incentives for people to stay in risky areas or indeed to build in areas that are going to become risky because of climate change," he said. "But the idea that you can just sort of leave it to individuals to decide what's going to happen and have no oversight or involvement in helping people to make good decisions and helping people to move where they have to move, I just think it's bizarre." Managed or unmanaged retreat? Environmental Defense Society policy director Raewyn Peart said the report seemed to be moving away from the concept of "managed retreat", where communities moved out of harm's way in a coordinated fashion. "The approach seems to be unmanaged retreat, where we'll give people information and a transition period - they're on notice - and at that point, people can make their own decisions about whether to move or not." That would be unworkable, Peart said. "Some people will move, some won't, councils [will have] to provide services to a community that's gradually emptying out, people there who can't afford to move will be trapped into a risky situation - they may be facing regular floods of their properties. "I just don't think it's in the best interests of the country to essentially leave it to the market and people's individual decisions." The report recommended handing over responsibility for adaptation planning to local councils, but it was unclear whether central government would provide any financial or administrative support, she said. "Some councils are really on to it and are already doing it - they have the resources. It's the small councils who may only have one planner, who have no expertise in adaptation planning." The latest report echoes previous warnings that insurers could increase premiums to unaffordable levels, and even withdraw from some areas, as the risk from climate change hazards continued to increase. Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi - whose organisation has long called for greater national direction from central government on climate adaptation - said it was good to see the report authors recommending urgent action. "There's still some very difficult issues to work through - but these extreme weather events are going to happen, and being able to protect communities and to keep insurance affordable and available is really important in the long-term." There was little appetite anywhere on the political spectrum for expensive buy-outs of properties to continue, he said. The question of who would actually pay for adaptation measures still needed to be answered, Faafoi said. "In the report itself, there was an expectation that councils will do a lot of the heavy lifting and where some communities might find it a challenge to be able to pay for some of the protections … then investment from the Crown might be necessary." But following a 'beneficiary pays' approach could see the costs of adaptation fall heavily on some communities. "I think reading between the lines, there could be the likes of targeted rates in some areas. "Again, that has to be floated with communities and as to whether or not people who benefit from that might be able to pay for that." The report noted the financial difficulties many councils faced. "Funding will be a challenging proposition if councils' ability to increase rates is constrained," the authors wrote. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts told RNZ the government welcomes the independent recommendations for how New Zealand can adapt to the impacts of climate change. "We will now take the time to review recommendations and announce decisions in due course," Watts said. "The report is not government policy, however the Government is considering the group's recommendations, alongside the findings of last year's cross-party climate adaptation inquiry and other advice, as it works to put in place the building blocks for a national adaptation framework."
Scoop
19-06-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Winners Of 2025 Science Journalism Awards Announced
Press Release – Science Media Centre New Zealand Science Media Director Dacia Herbulock said theScience Journalism Awardsare a unique new opportunity to celebrate the quality science journalism being done by reporters of all stripes in Aotearoa. The winners of this year's Science Journalism Awards cover the dark side of solar storms and explore the impacts of putting rivers in a straitjacket. Kate Newton of RNZ won this year's Established Professional category for her In Depth article, ' Room for the river, ' with designer Hingyi Khong. It looks at the artificial narrowing of the Ngaruroro River channel and its impact on groundwater levels, the braided river plain habitat, and flooding during Cyclone Gabrielle. Judges found it 'beautifully told, deeply relevant well beyond the immediate impact of extreme weather.' Fox Meyer of Newsroom won the Emerging Journalist award for ' Inevitable solar storms will be catastrophic for energy supply.' The third-party nominator said, 'Fox's compelling article was a great invitation to look beyond the stunning auroras and to support mitigations in the face of potential widespread disruption.' Judges were impressed by this under-reported angle on auroras, and commended the 'excellent combination of complex information that clearly outlined why this matters.' New Zealand Science Media Director Dacia Herbulock said the Science Journalism Awards are a unique new opportunity to celebrate the quality science journalism being done by reporters of all stripes in Aotearoa. 'It's been an absolute pleasure to come back for a second year to read, watch, and listen to the 70 submissions for this year's awards. The SMC and the judges had a real challenge whittling these entries down to the final winners.' The awards were designed to cover effectively any topic involving science and its impacts on the communities it reaches. 'Even if a reporter doesn't see themselves as a science journalist, there's a good chance they have covered one or more of the subjects in the wide-ranging criteria for these awards,' Dacia said. 'We look forward to seeing your nominations when submissions open again next year!' Thank you to the judges: virologist Professor Jemma Geoghegan, the latest winner of the Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize; science writer and editor Veronika Meduna; and journalist and editor Alison Harley. And thank you to all those who took the time to nominate their favourite science journalism piece for the 2025 round. Full profiles of this year's finalists are available here. Rebeka Whale, who said she enjoyed thinking about how moss would be like trees for the fascinating little creatures. We were also delighted to host NIWA researchers last night, demonstrating their clever climate change game Future Coasts Aotearoa. Scott Stephens, chief scientist for coasts and estuaries at Niwa, invited awards night attendees to 'experience the squeeze' of rising sea levels for themselves. You can try it out in your own web browser here.
RNZ News
11-05-2025
- Science
- RNZ News
The missing black petrels of Great Barrier Island
For nearly 30 years, researchers have been banding black petrel fledglings before they make their maiden migration to Ecuador. Only a handful of birds have ever come back. RNZ’s In Depth reporter Kate Newton travels to Aotea-Great Barrier Island to meet the birds, and the dedicated team trying to figure out the mystery of where they go. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
