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The 2004 Manawatu Floods, New Zealand: Integrating Flood Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation

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Adapting to Climate Change

Part of the book series: Environmental Hazards ((ENHA))

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Abstract

Climate change exacerbates the flood risk facing many New Zealand communities. The February 2004 floods severely impacted the Manawatu region and reveal valuable lessons and shed light on barriers and opportunities, and priority actions, for reducing flood risk and building resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of climate change. The 2004 floods and subsequent actions highlight five lessons: (i) Disasters are ‘focusing events’ that reframe risk perceptions and create opportunities for reducing risk and mainstreaming climate change adaptation; but realising such opportunities is fraught. (ii) There is a need to move beyond reliance on structural flood protection works to overcome the ‘safe development paradox,’ address the manifold drivers of flood risk and anticipate escalating flood risk given climate change. (iii) Managing flood risk and adapting to climate change need to be framed as an integrated and adaptive process for building resilience and sustainability. (iv) Strategies to build flood resilient communities need to take into account wider societal trends and shocks that may have no apparent association with natural hazard risk. (v) The past focus on Readiness and Response needs to be complemented by sharper focus on Reduction and Recovery; and the permissive approach to land use decisions and reliance on mitigation measures need to be superseded by the avoidance imperative. Efforts to mainstream climate change adaptation face barriers and opportunities in three vital arenas: Understanding risk; the institutional setting; and professional practice. Three priority actions are identified: (i) Institutionalise a national legislative directive to reduce natural hazard risks and build resilience in the face of climate change. (ii) Develop a capacity building programme to enable local government to translate this directive into practical reality. (iii) Proactively explore opportunities to reduce risk and adapt to climate change in day-to-day local planning and decision-making. A transformative practice of deliberative governance is ultimately needed to institutionalise the lessons learned from the 2004 flood experience.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/climate/about/climate-change-affect-regions/manawatu-whanganui.html.

  2. 2.

    See http://www.horizons.govt.nz/assets/publications/about-us-publications/annual-plan/Annual-Plan-2013-14-FINAL-V4-Final-Changes-from-25-June-2013.pdf.

  3. 3.

    See http://www.mpi.govt.nz/environment-natural-resources/funding-programmes/slm-hill-country-erosion-programme/slmhce-project-sustainable-land-use-initiative.

  4. 4.

    See http://www.horizons.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Events/Regional_Council_Meeting/2013-06-25_100000/RC25062013AGNAT.pdf.

  5. 5.

    See http://www.horizons.govt.nz/assets/publications/about-us-publications/one-plan-publications-and-reports/proposed-one-plan/Chapter10_Hazards.pdf.

  6. 6.

    In the United States, the term ‘mitigation’ connotes the elimination or reduction of natural hazard risk. In NZ, ‘mitigation’ typically refers to ameliorative measures to reduce risk, such as elevating a building above a particular flood level, whereas ‘avoidance’ means keeping people and the things they value out of harms’ way.

  7. 7.

    See http://www.mpi.govt.nz/news-resources/news/budget-strengthens-rural-communities-in-crises.

  8. 8.

    Any activities that are not permitted by the RMA, or by a rule in a city or district plan, require a ‘resource consent’ before they are carried out.

  9. 9.

    See http://www.mbie.govt.nz/what-we-do/national-science-challenges.

  10. 10.

    See http://www.horizons.govt.nz/managing-environment/resource-management/water/manawatu-river-leaders-accord.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter draws on research conducted by the author over a number of years, insights gained from supervising several Planning student projects and many discussions with local professionals. EQC support of this research through inter alia a biennial grant is gratefully acknowledged. The views expressed in this chapter are, however, solely those of the author and do not in any way represent those of the EQC or any other organisation or individual. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to explore these issues with local professionals over the years, as well as invaluable feedback on an earlier version of this chapter, including: Jeff Watson (HRC), Ian Lowe (HRC), Allan Cook (HRC), Peter Blackwood (HRC), Jonathan Ferguson-Pye and Matthew Mackay (Palmerston North City Council), Max Benseman (Wanganui District Council), Frances Sullivan (LGNZ), and Greg Carlyon (The Catalyst Group). I would also like to thank John Keay, a dairy farmer in the Rangitikei district, for generously sharing with my students and I his personal experiences during and after the 2004 floods which have provided us with deep insights into the lived reality of life in ‘the deluge.’ I also appreciate valuable feedback from Gavin Smith on a draft of this chapter. Lastly, I would like to thank Andrew Steffert (HRC) for his time and willingness to source photographs and maps from the HRC archives—you have helped to make visible the scale and impact of the 2004 floods.

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  1. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Bruce C. Glavovic

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  1. Bruce C. Glavovic
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  1. Resource & Environm Planning Program, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Bruce C. Glavovic

  2. Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel H, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Gavin P. Smith

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Glavovic, B. (2014). The 2004 Manawatu Floods, New Zealand: Integrating Flood Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. In: Glavovic, B., Smith, G. (eds) Adapting to Climate Change. Environmental Hazards. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8631-7_10

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