Encourage / subsidise households to install rainwater collection tanks. Collaborate with plant nurseries to provide subsidised seeds/seedlings for private gardens (for food resilience and also to boost native species.) Consider mitigation of future climate-related risks, eg bushfires or landslides in Te Aroha. Consider collaborating with Civil Defence to help households get emergency-ready - eg, bring along your "get ready" kit in assessment by communities.
Suggestions: Educate on reducing emissions, reduce in-house emissions (waste plant upgrades). Replace Morrinsville pool heating with electric. Solar panels "" feasible for pools? Replace each diesel or petrol vehicle with electric vehicle over time. Give incentives (lower consent fees) for solar panels and low carbon homes. Strong water saving and waste-reduction campaigns. Educate farmers on sustainable practices. Support more native tree planting. Continue cycling/walking improvements.
I ticked a few, but they're all important, of course. First one: The climate crisis has been here for a long time. Shouldn't Council already have the knowledge needed to show real leadership? Fourth point - Climate adaptation planning: A progressive council would have had all ticks in place years ago so Count 4 is a Low Carbon, climate change resilient building style. Would have been awesome if Council was on to this years ago so the recent building boom could have been shaped by it.
I would personally suggest a two-prong approach. Firstly, the Council must seek to understand its own emissions profile, set targets for reduction, and identify an action plan to meet the targets it sets for itself. Secondly, by 'practising what we preach' the Council is then in a position to be a leader among businesses, community groups and residents to be self-directing-the provision of information and resources to be self-directing, the provision of information and resources to self-direct climate change related improvements.
I think new houses must have water tanks and use grey water for gardens so they are more self-sufficient. I commend the council for using Antenno for warning us of upcoming severe weather etc. I think it's a great service but I'm worried that not everyone is using this app especially if they don't have smart phones. Maybe we need to start encouraging neighbourhood support groups (as used to be the case with neighbourhood watch, which almost seems to have vanished.)
It's not your role to be a school. Stop building in flood prone areas. Clear up rivers you take water from, lead by example. Leadership means taking accountability - don't go oh, that's not our job, that is XYZ agency. Get in there and make things happen.
Composting workshops and grow your own. Keep green waste out of landfill.
Tackle things like wasting water through leaks, ensuring the rivers are not polluted by run offs from fields, maybe encourage smaller water collection points in gardens & advise on how to keep rainwater. Encourage use of buses ensuring they get people where they need to go at times, timetabling if not actually in place. Support for greater & smarter travel options when it comes to things like ( for now know your community and businesses.) walking.
1: Provide support for residents and businesses to install water (rain) collection and storage equipment. 2: Provide a usable, reliable, affordable and frequent bus service among the three towns and Hamilton. This would reduce the vehicle traffic, reduce pollution as well as the global warming effect. This would provide transport for those without private transport. 3: Encourage and reduce incidents/events. A good community and health benefits for the whole community and people.
For council buildings to have solar panels, supply small water tanks which can be inserted into down pipes at cost price ( as Porirua council ) to the public. It was great to see council employees discussing this at Domain Day in Te Aroha and at Matamata. No doubt there would have been more events as well. Does this include sports events, farming events, businesses and market events?
Land use planning is a major one - Climate Change is blamed for floods in the East Coast but same areas flooded in 1930s but land use has massively intensified there.- EVs are not the answer unless power source is clean (not Huntly coal!); a safe, environmentally-responsible way of disposing of batteries; and alternative transport options, like public transport, walkways, cycleways exist. - Council could get some E-bikes for staff to use on local site visits. Solar panels & sensor lights.
Collaboration- Work together only if that makes sense financially.
Regional collaboration is critical. No single district can tackle these challenges alone. Working together allows us to share knowledge, pool resources, and implement solutions at a scale that truly makes an impact. Councils are key in leading this work, supporting aligned strategies across boundaries, and empowering local voices.
Reducing emissions is number one priority
Reduce emissions - sustainable farming, EV-trackers,Ute's and farm vehicle's as per the farmer on Country Calendar show who went totally electric on his whole farm,whereby he generates electricity and sends it back to the grid. Collaboration and partnership i.e. work together with Iwi, other councils in the Waikato and farmers.
Public transport (even mini vans or mini buses) that operates well and frequently is an easy win and will encourage people to leave cars at home.
As roads get built and houses, factories etc with parking areas there automatically are more hard surfaces where water is collected and drained into the stormwater systems, this used to soak into the ground. That's why we have more flooding etc
Have not seen MPDC "walk the walk" re climate change. Despite some mentions, I dont see MPDC leading broader systemic change across our district. They need to take a much stronger, united leadership role to really support greater community resilience.
We all need to play a role, not just Council
There's already so many planning rules, adding more would make it less viable for investors to invest in our town. The development behind ruakaka shops would help our town so much and I think council should work with the developer to mitigate the stormwater issues instead of shutting it down. Same with the development on Grattan Road. Sort the stormwater before the development.
Education, people need to understand Insurance retreat & DAPP simplified
Education and communication in schools is a national issue - development of resources and age specific learning tools and programmes is outside of the scope of Local Government. Similarly general education and communication across the Community generally is not a Local Govt function. Supporting through improving council internal knowledge and systems is where change needs to occur firstly
Yes. Water conservation. How about encouraging town dwellers to place a rain water system on their property. If everybody would have a rain water system, there would be less pressure on the current water system. Rain water is a resource and should be conserved as much as possible.
Would love to see new build regulations include requirements to include non potable water systems for flushing toilets, showering etc and renewable energy sources.
All new builds should have storage tanks to catch their own rainwater
Re: Natural hazards. Council should install a wind anemometer through Met Service or Weather Watch, so a better understanding of the wind problem we experience often. Closest is Paeroa, we have very different conditions. None in Morrinsville or Matamata-Piako NZ. MPDC need.
The subject of climate change has been talked to death as to what is causing it, whether it is naturally occurring or human induced, has become almost irrelevant, as this counties impact is less than 0.2% of the World's emissions and the world is too busy fighting to make any meaningful changes. All of the above-mentioned actions are important but will simply bog any forward actions down. The critical component is physical adaptation and is where over 90% of the effort should be placed.
NZs emissions are puny, they don't contribute anything to the global emissions total, we don't need to waste precious resources addressing this this is being addressed by qualified people already. If you want to be helpful then go outside, attend a planting day etc. Get everyone at mpdc to plant one tree, that will do a great deal more than any of the other suggestions on here.
Must be done on a central government level. Council should concentrate on it core responsibilities ie, sewage water rubbish flood plan for it area
Do the commonsense stuff, Yes, make sure water infrastructure is in good shape for dry (normal) summers for example.
Just build decent infrastructure. It is not the councils job to educate or partner with iwi. Stop wasting our money.
Council will lose community goodwill and neighbours if it tries to "educate" the community on ideological climate change issues. Territorial Authority rates have in general been for MPDC have done relatively well) continued to run well above inflation. Territorial Authorities have had " mission creep " and responsibilities in part forced upon them that have affected costs significantly. Council should stay with core service delivery.
Ensure water and power infrastructure is well maintained
If we adopted a clean air bill and restricted the use of indoor fires this may help reduce emissions and reduce pollution, especially in a often misty environment like Matamata
The council is elected by the community to lead and protect them. Important to see officers relating to community
Save your (my/our) money. Don't waste money when it's ultimately not going to change a thing
There has got to be better things to spend our money on. How about you come up with ways to balance the budget without rates going up so much every year.
Council should gather real scientific evidence that shows the normal fluctuating weather over time. They had to change the narrative from a coming ice age, to global warming, to climate change in my lifetime, because the climate wasn't behaving as they expected. Weather manipulation is the problem that is used to keep the people in fear and the narrative going. Sea levels are not rising at rapid rates. Plenty of photos to show that around.
Council should get real science involved in "Climate Change"
It is not your job to educate people
Focus required, focus on core responsibilities.
I feel the council has to many overhead costs not needed, and this needs to be addressed to cut cost of rate payers etc. This is a priority from Matamata Piako not so called climate change.
Climate change is Natural, Except when MAN MADE CLIMATE MANIPULATION IS ENGAGED. USE COMMON SENSE PLEASE
Climate change is a hoax created by the UN, and we are supposed climate crisis to hike with carbon tax ??? its a scam. Electric cars are part of this scam because electric cars can be turned off / controlled. "fossil fuels" a term created by the Rothchilds to give an image of no longevity but there is oil for generations in the ground but there is no endless supply of parts for batteries. All this speed bumps and bus lanes, cycle lanes is all part of the hoax.
Focus on Roads, Rates, Rubbish and Reserves. Forget the other nonsense.
In our community that depends on the farming of livestock The Council should take the lead in opposing directives that inhibit farming on the grounds of what is increasingly described as "The Climate Hoax."
The Council are there because of Rate paying people. Just look after and maintain the basics and the land and leave politics out of it and any type of regulation.
