Case studies
Case studies help us understand how climate change affects Aotearoa New Zealand at a local level, and how communities are responding.
About our case studies
Case studies help us better understand how climate change is affecting Aotearoa New Zealand at the local level.
Our team visit different types of communities that are facing different risks from climate change to talk with people, businesses, and communities about what they are experiencing and how they are responding.
Hearing directly from people is one of the most effective ways for us to gather evidence and understand impacts. Case studies are one of many inputs into our reports, which combine these local insights with a wide range of other evidence.
You can explore a selection of our case studies using the links below.
Why we create case studies
Hearing directly from people on the ground is one of the most effective ways for us to gather evidence and understand impacts. This is fundamental to the Commission’s work providing independence advice and monitoring to the government. It is particularly important when we are looking at how the changing climate affects people, their environment, and their communities and businesses.
The stories that people share with us through these case studies reflect their recent experiences of changes in their climate, and their understanding of risks in the near future. Case studies provide a close view: what is happening in one area, at this time. The longer view – that the country can use to assess what national action is needed now to prepare for the future – is the focus of our adaptation reports.
Through this mahi, we can better understand how climate change affects Aotearoa New Zealand at the local level, and how communities are responding. Case studies are not just research tools. These are also stories about people and places, full of history and connections to te taiao, the natural environment.