Canterbury councils are moving towards a collaborative approach to climate action, once they all commit to funding it.
The Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan is a region-wide climate action plan created by all 11 councils in Canterbury through the Canterbury Mayoral Forum.
By working together, the plan seeks to accelerate climate action, create efficiencies, and transition Canterbury to a resilient, low-emissions future.
The Ashburton District Council confirmed its support for the plan at the end of June.
Deputy Mayor Liz McMillan sits on the Canterbury climate action reference group.
There are several climate change impacts forecast to affect the region.
Each council may be facing different challenges, but there is “plenty of overlap”, McMillan said.
“It’s better to work together than councils just doing their own thing.
“Councils are probably doing this stuff anyway so it’s a meeting of the minds, learning from each other and working together.”
The plan remains in draft form and will be finalised following the long-term plan deliberations of all the member councils, for endorsement and approval by the chief executive forum and the Canterbury Mayoral Forum in July and August respectively.
The councils will fund, through their long-term plans, regional collective climate actions, with a total of $1.47 million confirmed for the first three years.
Ashburton’s funding is $144,060 which is spread across years 1-3 of the long-term plan, with $18,620 in the 2024/25 year.
The council has included $50,000 per annum in years one to three for local climate change work.
As Ashburton’s councillors reaffirmed their support for the plan on June 26, chief executive Hamish Riach said there are several actions being contemplated in the plan, but he believed it would be a living document.
“The plan will evolve as things are discovered and as new information becomes available.”
Senior policy advisor Richard Mabon sits on the staff working group for the plan and said the council is conscious the plan and its various projects come on top of its overall work programme.
“It going to be important for us, and all the councils, that as those projects are scoped out that they are deliverable, and that they are delivered.”
Councillor Richard Wilson supported the plan as long as the council worked proactively with all parts of its community.
Mid Canterbury is slightly different to the likes of Christchurch “so we have to make sure we push our community’s view, not just go along with the bandwagon”.
By Jonathan Leask
