The Reply from the NPDC CEO about belonging to the Global Covenant of Mayors.

We wrote to the Mayor, the Councillors and the Executive Management Team about the Global Covenant of Mayors Neil Holdom had signed New Plymouth up to.

Gareth Green, the NPDC CEO, wrote back. The first reply did not have a lot of information. We replied to that asking for more detail.

We have received a reply with more detail. (Attached are those 2 emails which are long and a bit disjointed with how we needed to break up the questions).

With all the links in the CEO's email it is a long answer - and becomes somewhat complicated – but the reply explains a lot of things which are going on.

The short version of Gareth Green’s detailed reply is:

The Paris Agreement signed by Central Government means there is legislation that the NPDC must abide by and implement for the New Plymouth District.

“The Paris Agreement (In the NPDC 2023 emissions plan)

In 2015, New Zealand, led by the National Government,

signed the Paris Agreement, a global legally binding

agreement to act on climate change.

By signing the agreement, we joined 196 other nations

which agree that to avoid the negative consequences

associated with climate change, we must limit the

increase in our global temperature to 1.5°C above

pre-industrial levels.

To ensure New Zealand meets its commitments to

the agreement, in 2019 the Government passed the

Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment

Act, which set a target of net zero emissions by 2050.

The Act also set a target of reducing biogenic methane

emissions by between 24% to 47% by 2050, compared

with 2017 levels”

More detail about the Paris Agreement at the Ministry for the Environment

https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/international-action/about-the-paris-agreement/

The NPDC is of the opinion it is the Government’s responsibility to tell us about legislation – it is just the NPDC’s job to comply with legislation. We understand that legally the NPDC must implement legislation.

But we differ to their view. If our Council is actively asking us questions and asking for us to submit to plans that are part of legislation which has enormous consequences for individual households in the region – either in where you can choose to live, how you will be able to travel, or how expensive it becomes to live here (due to the cost of implementing government legislation) then the people of New Plymouth need to fully understand what the Council is producing on our behalf, and how that is going to significantly change our day to day lives.

And if such large change is coming our way through Government legislation we would expect a large number of the New Plymouth community was involved with decisions relating to that.

 

What are the 9 badges (piecing together the CEO’s last reply):

1 – 3. Mitigation – 3 badges – Completed – (Identify and Reduce Emissions – and a plan – for the NPDC and the Community – the 2023 Emission Reduction Plan is in place).

4. Adaptation Assessment – 1 badge – Completed – (Identify Climate threats to move away from, or protect from.)

5 - 6. Goal and Plan – Adaptation – Started – (Current Have Your Say Consultation – which will identify which households/areas will have to move, or be protected, due to possible Climate Change).

7. Energy Access – Not Started - No detail - but does that mean some of us will not have access to energy ? (Fuel/Gas ?)

8 – 9. Poverty – Assessment, Target and Plan – Not started

(Just beggars belief a poverty plan is part of the aftermath expected of bringing about all this change).

 

In short – in the NPDC 2023 Emissions reduction plan it states:

“Climate change mitigation and adaptation

To mitigate climate change, we can reduce our

emissions through activities such as using LED

lightbulbs or making fewer trips by car.

To adapt to climate change, we can adjust to the

changes in climate that have already happened, or are

forecast to happen, such as rising sea levels or more

frequent storm events.”

 

The badges 1-4 have been completed – with 150 people giving their feedback.

(See attached picture of respondents feedback in the 2023 Emission Reduction Plan consultation).

Yes that’s right ! JUST 150 people submitted on badges 1-4 and the future preferred by those 150 people is now the future of New Plymouth.

Only 63% of those 150 people agreed with the NPDC’s direction. That is 94 people !

 94 people agree with our Climate Change future so we are all now heading in a direction most people don’t even know about ?

There are around 60,000 people over 18 living in New Plymouth.

0.25% of the voting age people who live in New Plymouth have had a say in implementing the Paris Agreement here and reducing our emissions here. That is ¼ of 1 percent.

And only 0.15% agree with that future. A tenth of 1 percent of the over 18 voting age public in New Plymouth have been consulted with and agree to that future.

Really – we are meant to take that seriously ?

The NPDC is taking that seriously ?

• A note here – Gareth Green did mention the 2024 Long Term Plan (LTP) in his reply to us and there were over 5,000 submissions across all the items in the LTP. Climate Change is mentioned in the 2024 LTP, in several places, but in an indefinite sort way. The 2023 Emissions Reduction Plan was a lot more specific about the areas the Council was looking at targeting for changes to our community.
• The 5,000 plus people who consulted through the LTP also only represent just under 9% of the New Plymouth voting age public, so around 91% of people have still had no say and do not know what is planned.

So now we are up to Badge 5 - Climate Change Adaptation Plan – which is the current Have Your Say consultation which is open until 15^th May.

Attached is the assessment which has been used to lead into the Adaptation Plan – the “extreme” risks for New Plymouth which we must adapt to, protect or move away from. This has been signed off by the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee at the NPDC.

You will notice in here there are 2 scenarios (modelling) that could be used for risk – will the future temperatures be

• 4.5 degrees Celsius higher than now (RCP 4.5), or will they be
• 8.5 degrees Celsius higher (RCP 8.5) ?

The International Council for Climate Change (IPCCC) has admitted original modelling of an 8.5 degree Celsius increase in temperature on the planet is highly unlikely (a very, very, small chance by the year 2100).

The advisers to our council give 2 options in their work – a 4.5 degree temperature increase scenario and an 8.5 degree temperature increase scenario – and they recommend the 8.5 degree increase scenario – which creates a long list of "extreme" events for our future.

The 4.5 degree increase doesn’t look anywhere near so bad on the attached tables.

So which model for temperature should we really use - 4.5 degrees or 8.5 degrees ?

People are currently being consulted on a model which is extreme – but is that model correct ?

Other regions in NZ are asking these questions of their Councils, and maybe the Ratepayers here in New Plymouth would like an oppurtunity to consult on these aspects of Climate Change too ?

Quoted from the Risk Management Decision Report decided on in the March 2024 Finance, Risk and Audit Committee meeting.

“No risks are classified extreme presently or by 2050 under either scenario, and there are only 5 additional risks that move to being rated as high risks by 2050”.

We are talking about a Poverty Plan for New Plymouth based on there being no extreme risks identified in the next 25 years (at either temperature prediction) ?

There is a 2023 Emissions Reduction Plan signed off by the NPDC - planning for 20 extreme events – but what will preparing for these possible events in the future actually cost to prepare for now.

• We note that in all these consultations there is never any mention of what these ideas will cost the Ratepayers.

What will all these badges do to the cost of your rates ? What will that do to the amount the NPDC plans to borrow – for you to pay later ? A lot of people are struggling to pay their rates now – how will they pay when all this starts coming in to play.

And only 150 people actually consulted on what has gone in to this final report !!

Will more than 150 people respond to THIS current Adaptation consultation to shape the future of New Plymouth ?

It is very, very important to respond to Climate Adaptation as this legislation from the Ministry for the Environment will implement the ability for “Managed Retreats” where households will legally be shifted out of harms way due to future Climate Change possibilities. Those households will have no say about living where they are now if they are identified as a “managed retreat area”.

Try an internet search on Kapiti Coast managed retreat, or just managed retreat NZ – there are communities already trying to stop this happening to them and finding dire consequences with these new laws being applied in their areas.

Come on people – lets give the NPDC 10,000 replies for Climate Adaptation and tell the NPDC how you really feel about the changes to where we can live, how we can travel, and how our rates will go through the roof.

Do you want to wait until we get to Badge Number 9 – The Poverty Plan ?

Just put something in writing about what you think and email it to the NPDC or drop it off.

(It has been suggested to us the standardised forms in the Consultation Documents do not count any comments in the boxes which differ to the topic of that box. If you don’t agree with the topic your opinion isn’t counted. It has been suggested to us if you write your own letter, and send that to the Council, those comments are counted.)

Things you might cover:

• Only 150 responses for the 2023 Emissions Reduction Plan not being a consultation or representative of the New Plymouth community. ¼ of 1 percent does not make a consultation. The response from 150 people is not relevant with the report that has been produced from that.
• Ask for a proper consultation to be done with a large number of people who live in New Plymouth.
• Only extreme possibilities being in the 2023 Emissions Reduction report.
• Ask if the 8.5 degree Celsius modelling temperatures should be used – or the 4.5 degrees ?
• Should we be in the Paris Agreement ? Other countries and other towns in NZ are saying no to this.
• How do you feel about NIWA doing the main forecasting and data supply on this ? Should other sources of data have been included.
• Do you want to be forced to move if the Adaptation Plan is adopted where you live now ? Or if you find you have no insurance ?
• Do any of the issues listed in the Have Your Say Adaptation Plan actually concern you ? If they don’t then write and say that. Tell them there is nothing to see here - if that is what you think. https://haveyoursay.npdc.govt.nz/climate-adaptation-plan

You must put this title on the document:

Submission for the Climate Change Adaptation Plan

E-Mail to – enquiries@npdc.govt.nz

Or hand deliver to the front desk of the Council.

You must put your name on the document.

 

Democracy only works if the people actually say what they want, or don’t want. You have to send a reply to the Council for your opinion to be counted. Please don’t swear or they will throw out your feedback.

People are saying nothing so our central governments and local councils are making big decisions on the basis of a few hundred people agreeing with them.