Completed – Climate change and resilience strategy

This project was archived on 8 October 2025.

The Emissions Reduction Strategy for Kāpiti supports our work around the climate emergency (declared by Council on 23 May 2019). 

The strategy was formally adopted by Council on Thursday 18 September. This new strategy will guide the district's emissions reduction focus over the next 15 years. It outlines the principles, pathways and partnerships needed to achieve our aspirational goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2040.

Our work with the Climate and Resilience Think Tank helped inform this work.

Vision

Our vision, set out in our Climate Emergency Action Framework, is a thriving, vibrant and strong Kāpiti that has reduced its carbon footprint significantly, transitioned to a low-carbon future, and prepared for challenges and opportunities that come from responding to the climate crisis – in short, a thriving environment, vibrant economy, and strong communities. 

This strategy covers:

• mitigation (to significantly reduce Kāpiti Coast District’s carbon footprint)
• adaptation (to actively prepare for the challenges and opportunities arising from a changing climate by building resilient communities and infrastructure)
• transition (to support our communities and businesses make a just and long-lasting transition to a low-carbon and resource-efficient future; no one gets left behind)
• recovery (to ensure effective service and business continuity following major climate events; getting our communities and businesses back on their feet). 

Developing the strategy

We worked with mana whenua and the community to develop a high-level direction of travel (DOT) document to deliver to Council in December 2023. We then took this to the public for feedback in February/March 2024.

The DOT set out:

• where we are on our greenhouse emissions performance and climate change journey
• our proposed focus areas
• proposed pathways to rapidly reduce our district's carbon footprint
• how we can prepare with our community for a changing climate. 

We worked closely with mana whenua to apply te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) principles and to ensure a mana-enhancing partnership is nurtured in our journey towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient Kāpiti.

After public feedback in February 2024, we drafted our climate change and resilience strategy.

This integrated our Long-term Plan (LTP) consultation outcomes, and recommendations falling out of the Takutai Kāpiti project in July 2024.

The strategy will be supported by:

• a separate action plan, updated every two to three years
• Council’s annual Carbon and Energy Management Plan
• Takutai Kāpiti: Our Coastal Adaptation Project.

Timeline