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Balancing Sustainable Coastal Management with Development in New Zealand

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Sustainability Perspectives: Science, Policy and Practice

Part of the book series: Strategies for Sustainability ((STSU))

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Abstract

Historically in New Zealand, coastal environments were viewed as amenities for subdivision to be incorporated into town structure plans with little regard for hazards and scientific investigation. This subdivision of coastal land has led to the proliferation of developments that are increasingly vulnerable to the slow landward creep of sea level rise and increasing extreme storm events. Planning and management of vulnerable coastal communities and infrastructure could benefit from an emphasis on sustainable and resilient adaptation through managed retreat away from coastal hazards. However, it is not at all clear exactly how managed retreat can be accomplished. This chapter explores methods for analysing the interactions and manifestations of complex intersecting environmental and economic systems that are implicit in a managed retreat from coastal hazards. These complex systems can be quantifiably analysed using the principles of evolutionary economics, which enables identification of knowledge structures and information flows that can inform institutional decision-making and planning. The chapter aims to explore how policy planning, implemented through the lens of evolutionary economics, can inform sustainable land-use management and development through managed retreat in the coastal environment. It discusses Systems Thinking approaches to aid the decision-making process in order to reveal effective policy outcomes and financial mechanisms that enable resilient coastal management. Specific consideration is given to System Dynamics modelling, economic impact analysis and Robust Decision Making.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    NZD$1 = US$0.83 as at 31 March 2011 (Reserve Bank of New Zealand, 2018).

  2. 2.

    NZD$1 = US$0.69 as at 31 March 2017 (Reserve Bank of New Zealand, 2018).

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Acknowledgements

All authors were supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment through the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges National Science Challenge. Eaves, Kench and Dickson were funded through the Living at the Edge project; Resilience to Nature’s Challenges.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Ashton Eaves

  2. School of Environment, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Paul Kench & Mark Dickson

  3. Market Economics, Auckland, New Zealand

    Garry McDonald

  4. Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand Government, Resilience to Nature’s Challenges National Science Challenge, Auckland, New Zealand

    Ashton Eaves, Paul Kench & Mark Dickson

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  1. Ashton Eaves
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  2. Paul Kench
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  4. Mark Dickson
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Correspondence to Ashton Eaves .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. York University, School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Peter A. Khaiter

  2. York University, School of Information Technology, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Marina G. Erechtchoukova

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Eaves, A., Kench, P., McDonald, G., Dickson, M. (2020). Balancing Sustainable Coastal Management with Development in New Zealand. In: Khaiter, P., Erechtchoukova, M. (eds) Sustainability Perspectives: Science, Policy and Practice. Strategies for Sustainability. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19550-2_5

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