Climate change and community resilience

Target 18.1: Respond to ≥ 90% of requests and follow-up requests within 10 working days.

Result: We provide natural hazard information and advice to customers and stakeholders, including property owners or potential purchasers and staff from district and city councils. In 2022/23, a total of 459 requests for natural hazard advice were received, of which 90% were responded to within 10 working days. This included 229 Flood Hazard Assessments, 103 Land Information Requests and 127 general enquiries. This compares to a total of 593 requests for natural hazard advice received in 2021/22. This included 320 Flood Hazard Assessments, 111 Land Information Requests and 162 general enquiries.

Target 19.1: Ensure full compliance with the Service Level Agreement.

Result: We continued to provide a broad range of administrative functions to support the CDEM Group in 2022/23. This included managerial oversight of the Emergency Management Office, financial management and reporting services, and collection of targeted rates. The majority of the core functions of the Emergency Management Office, as specified under the Service Level Agreement, were also met, meaning that overall the requirements of the Agreement were met. A capability and capacity review of CDEM Group was undertaken in Q3 to inform updates to the Service Level Agreement.

Target 19.2: Approval of the Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan review.

Result: In 2021/22, we commenced review of the Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Plan, meeting our target for that year. In June/July 2022, the updated Group Plan went for public consultation and was approved and adopted by the Joint Committee in August 2022. A minor review to the group plan was completed in early 2023 prior to obtaining partner approval and publishing on the CDEM website.

Target 20.1: Undertake external reviews that confirm consistency with the Code and compliance with ISO 9001:2015.

Result: Port and Harbour Marine Safety Code (The Code) panel assessments were last undertaken in 2019 for the Canterbury Coast, including ports and harbours. The assessments confirmed consistency with The Code and the next review dates are scheduled for 2024. Annual self-assessments were undertaken during the year in conjunction with both Port Companies and Maritime New Zealand. All ports and harbours remain code-consistent.

ISO 9001 audits are undertaken annually, either as a triennial audit or an interim surveillance audit. An interim audit was undertaken in October 2022 by an independent ISO-accredited auditor and our ISO 9001:2015 certification status was confirmed.

Target 20.2: Ensure advice and information from appropriate staff is available during working hours on weekdays, and on-call 24 hours/365 days per year.

Result: An on-call duty officer was available 24 hours/365 days per year. They provided advice and information to the community and user groups across the region to assist with the understanding and implementation of the Navigation Safety Bylaw, and with navigation safety matters generally. We have five warranted Harbourmasters which ensures suitable coverage and availability of a Harbourmaster at all times.

Target 21.1: Monitor 35 region-wide coastal sites quarterly, and seven estuary sites monthly.

Result: Water quality is monitored at 79 coastal and estuarine sites on either a quarterly or monthly basis for ecosystem health. All data is available on our website, along with wave and sea level data. This compares to 67 sites monitored either quarterly or monthly in 2021/22.

Target 21.2: Monitor 45 region-wide sites over the summer months and publish the results on the Land Air Water Aotearoa website within 48 hrs of sampling.

Result: All 45 region-wide sites were monitored over the summer months and the results were published on the Land Air Water Aotearoa website within 48 hours of sampling.

Target 21.2: Ensure the method used to monitor water quality sites for recreational swimming meets national and local standards.

Result: This was a new target in 2022/23. Staff completed dive surveys in Timaru, Akaroa and Lyttelton, however, the Kaikōura marine biosecurity survey was not undertaken due to staff constraints and limited weather favourability. A contractor has been engaged to undertake and complete this work during the second half of 2023.

Target 21.4: Ensure the marine oil spill response capability and plan are available 24 hours/365 days per year.

Result: Marine oil spill response readiness has been maintained, including the completion of the triennial review, and Maritime New Zealand approval of, the Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan, as required by the Maritime Transport Act 1994. An on-call response officer is available 24 hours/365 days a year to respond to any incidents.

Target 22.1: Prepare draft Canterbury Regional Coastal Environment Plan and Section 32 report.

Result: The first phase of the planning work programme is a complete review of the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement (RPS) by 2024 to achieve integrated management of natural and physical resources in Canterbury. The review of the RPS will include provisions to halt environmental decline of the coastal area. The review of the Regional Coastal Environment Plan and the need for additional provisions will be considered at a later date, therefore this target is not achieved for 2022/23.

In 2021/22 the target was to seek feedback from Papatipu Rūnanga and the wider community on issues and options, and this work was delayed, but has progressed
during the year.

Target 23.1: Undertake at least one campaign.

Result: Phase three of the ‘It’s time, Canterbury’ campaign went live in March 2023 and ran through to the end of June 2023 with content focused on seven climate impacts as highlighted on the campaign website. In 2021/22 we ran phase two of the ‘It’s time, Canterbury’ campaign by engaging with territorial authorities and two paid media campaigns.

*The number of website visits reported for 2021–22 were recorded over a 14-month period. This target is achieved based on a 12-month comparison (1 July 2021 – 30 June 2022 website visits: 10,695).

Target 23.3:  Initiate the development of the Climate Change Action Plan.

Result: Work is underway to develop a region-wide Canterbury Climate Partnership Plan in collaboration with Canterbury councils, and an Environment Canterbury Climate Action Plan. Both projects are on track and expected to be completed in June 2024. An assessment of the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (released in May 2022) and National Adaptation Plan (released in August 2022) contributed to this work.

Target 24.1: Complete at least one district using the Hazardous Activities and Industries List Identification Project for inclusion on the Listed Land Use Register.

Result: This year we completed the Waimate Hazardous Activities List Identification Project for inclusion on the Listed Land Use Register and made substantial progress with Waitaki, Mackenzie and Banks Peninsula district projects. In 2021/22 we completed the Ashburton Hazardous Activities List Identification Project.

Target 24.2: Commence proactive site assessments and communicate with individual landowners.

Result: In 2021/22, the target was to work with Papatipu Rūnanga to validate the general model and prioritise the list of sites. We were not able to achieve this target due to COVID-19 impacts on staff availability to finalise and validate the model.

This year, we completed proactive site assessments for approximately 200 landfills in Canterbury to check the preliminary landfill risk tool for accuracy. The priority list of closed landfill sites has been updated based on the findings of the proactive site assessments. These updates have been communicated to relevant territorial authorities and property owners.

Target 25.1: Confirm and document a regional methodology for data collection and reporting that meets stakeholders’ needs.

Result: In 2021/22, we completed a gap analysis on the methodology used for data collection and reporting by each territorial authority, meeting the target.

This year, work commenced to meet the 2022/23 target as planned. In August 2022, we re-joined the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee, whose purpose is to progress waste minimisation in Canterbury. While we remain involved in this work, the committee is taking the lead on developing the regional waste data project, so this target is not achieved.

Target 26.1a: Finalise the scope of a regional river strategy.

Result: In 2021/22, we began developing a regional river strategy to identify opportunities to manage rivers for a range of values. For 2022/23, our charge was to finalise the scope of a regional river strategy and the scope is complete. Feedback has been translated into objectives focused on climate change adaptation and implementation of Te Mana o te Wai. This work is being woven into broader engagement plans to test objectives and action with Council, ngā Papatipu Rūnanga and the community.

Target 26.1b: Publish an annual report on scheme conditions for all schemes in accordance with relevant Asset Management Plans.

Result: The scheme condition annual report is published online and can be viewed on our website.

Target 26.1c: Complete a review of the River Rating District Committees’ structure and membership.

Result: In 2021/22 we initiated a review of the River Rating District Committees’ structure and membership to meet the target for that year. In line with the 2022/23 target, the review of the River Rating District Committee meetings was completed in Q4 (2022/23) and new terms of reference have been drafted, ready for adoption.

Target 26.2: Initiate scheme reviews in accordance with the 30-Year Infrastructure Strategy.

Result: The target for 2021/22 was to complete scheme reviews in accordance with the 30-year infrastructure strategy, which was not achieved. In 2022/23, the target was to initiate scheme reviews in accordance with the 30-year infrastructure strategy. Delays arising out of the May 2021 flood event are still impacting how this work is progressing. While not all reviews have been initiated as planned, significant work has been undertaken on scheme reviews this year.

Target 26.3: Complete a review of the Gravel Management Strategy.

Result: The target for 2021/22 was to initiate a review of the Gravel Management Strategy which was achieved. The target for 2022/23 was to complete the review. The comprehensive engagement process with partners and stakeholders to ensure the review produces a durable, fit-for-purpose approach is taking longer this year than anticipated. Staff are working in partnership with ngā Papatipu Rūnanga. A commitment has been made to continue this work.

Target 27.1: Communicate warnings and alerts via our website as outlined in the flood manual.

Result: Warnings and alerts were posted via our website as outlined in the flood manual. We have established a system that allows us to record the posting of alerts and warnings on our website. The system was developed and implemented mid-way through 2021/22 so the data available at year end was incomplete for the year.