Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change: A New Zealand story

The requirement for using a participatory approach to consider options for adapting to climate change is well documented, but there are some key challenges of engaging with communities. In this article, the authors have describe the development of a two-stage method aimed to overcome these challenges, and the testing of this method in a coastal community in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, North Island of New Zealand. First, at an Open Day, they used projections of sea-level rise driven changes to coastal inundation, erosion and habitat change and mapped them on large aerial-photo maps to use as the basis for a participatory mapping exercise. The purpose of the Open Day was to elicit input on valued aspects of the Whitianga community that might be at threat from climate change. Finally, they summarise the lessons learned in this case study and describe four key inputs to successful community engagement: the right team, the right data, the right support, and the right resources.