Combating climate change in our neighbourhoods

13 August 2019

  • Blog

This past week has been an eventful one for the waterfront.

The Wynyard Quarter celebrated its 8th birthday on Saturday and the waterfront has played host to mother nature’s power with 24 hours of wild weather that has caused significant damage to The Cloud and Westhaven Marina.

Climate

Climate change will mean we can expect more frequent extreme weather events like these along with sea level rise, increased temperatures and changes to rainfall. At the waterfront, and across all our neighbourhoods, Panuku is working to future-proof our communities against the effects of the changing environment.

We’re taking climate change adaptation and resilience into account in the design and delivery of buildings, spaces and infrastructure. In doing this we set standards for our development partners and ourselves, regarding environmental performance.

High-performance green buildings that can cope with hotter temperatures, water-sensitive design principles, green infrastructure (like the rain gardens throughout the Wynyard Quarter) and increased tree cover are all critical for climate adaptation and resilience. We use these approaches to support a healthy and comfortable built environment, promote ecological and biodiversity values and minimise flood risk.

Our urban regeneration approach also promotes a low-carbon lifestyle where people can live, work and play near to their homes and public transport. This reduces reliance on private car travel and supports more frequent walking and cycling.

These storms give us a glimpse of a future that we need to be prepared for and underscore the importance of delivering buildings, spaces and infrastructure that are future proofed and climate ready.

By Kristen Webster
Head of Corporate Responsibility