Video
Webinar: 2026 National adaptation plan progress assessment
17 August 2026
In this webinar, we explore our report 2026 Progress assessment: National adaptation plan – the Commission's two-yearly independent assessment of Aotearoa New Zealand's progress on climate adaptation.
This webinar provides an overview of the project, our assessment approach, our findings, our six key recommendations to government, and a look at our companion report, National insights relevant for adaptation planning.
Speakers:
- Robin Campbell, General Manager - Delivery
- Sally Garden, Project Director
- Christie Marsh, Senior Analyst
- Hugh Marshall-Tate, Principal Analyst
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Robin Campbell, General Manager Delivery - Overview
01:00 The Commission's adaptation role
03:15 Key findings
05:00 Sally Garden, Project Director
05:15 Our approach to this assessment
07:22 Our assessment sees some signs of progress...
08:43 ...but significant gaps remain
10:03 Advice and recommendations for the Government
11:01 Christie Marsh, Senior Analyst
11:10 Advice: Six essential areas for urgent action
11:36 1. Be clear about how the costs of adaptation will be paid for
12:44 2. Put in place legal requirements for local adaptation planning
13:53 3. Build climate adaptation into key legislation
14:43 4. Improve national climate risk data
15:33 5. Ensure iwi/Māori can plan and carry out adaptation
16:43 6. Make the next national adaptation plan a strong driver of action
17:40 Hugh Marshall-Tate, Principal Analyst - Companion report: National insights relevant for adaptation planning
19:00 Metrics included in the report
21:50 Robin Campbell - What happens next?
22:35 Key takeaways
Q&A
25:00 What does the Commission want to see from the NZ Flood Map?
27:30 Is future food security as a specific national knowledge and governance gap?
29:10 Will the government or minister response occur before the election?
30:00 Does the Commission assess cascading risks that originate overseas, such as supply chain disruptions and fluctuations in energy prices?
32:00 How does this progress assessment relate to the national climate change risk assessment?
34:15 How can we reduce climate change risk via the regional spatial planning process?
35:48 Given the government has made clear that adaptation will be a key part of regional spatial plans, do you think adaptation planning should be funded by unitary or amalgamated authorities rather than supported by central government?
38:20 Will a NZ Flood Map guide decision making at a property and subdivision level?
39:22 How has this report taken into account the Waitangi Tribunal priority inquiry into climate change?
41:08 How far does the Commission consult councils and help out the assessment of use of the national adaptation plan at the local government level?
43:16 Are there any particular approaches the Commission is developing which might give a range of possible options for how adaptation action could be funded in different scenarios?
45:44 The recommendations in this report are the responsibility of various ministers. What are the Commission's findings on fragmentation of portfolios being a potential handbrake for adaptation?
48:09 Recommendations for or opportunities through local government reform
50:50 How are land ownership and governance models being seen as a gap?
52:20 Are there specific examples of where iwi and hapū are leading in climate adaptation?
54:02 How do you distinguish between adaptation planning and adaptation being mainstreamed into Crown and council decisions? How do we measure the impact of these decisions?