Aotearoa needs a more consistent approach to flood risk management

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-06-07 03:00

New Zealand

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Flooding is one of Aotearoa's most frequent natural hazards, and around two-thirds of the population live in flood prone areas. Researchers ran an interactive workshop for participants from centrally organised entities such as government ministries and agencies, to gain insights into how to best manage changing flood risks. They found that there is a lack of national consistency in the way flood risk is assessed and understood, and current policies often have competing priorities such as accommodating population growth and addressing natural hazards. There also needs to be targeted variability, as different communities have different vulnerabilities, risks and resources.

Journal/
conference: Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Waikato, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), University of Canterbury

Funder: Funding for this project was provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour Fund through the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) programme Mā te haumaru ō nga puna wai ō Rākaihautū ka ora mo ake tonu: Increasing flood resilience across Aotearoa (contract C01X2014)

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