OPINION

We have reached a point where there is no longer any escaping the reality of climate change.

As a region, our environment is inherent to every part of our success – the whenua holds
our history, our pastures are the backbone of our agricultural community, the coast provides sustenance for our communities.

The impact of climate change is creeping into every crevasse of our terrain, with more frequent flooding, droughts and coastal erosion already very real threats to our ecosystems, biodiversity, water resilience and connectivity.

The flow-on effects will impact our economy and communities both today and well into the future.

Councils across Te Tai Tokerau have already recognised the impending threat, with all four local councils adopting New Zealand’s first region-wide climate adaptation strategy, prioritising and aligning climate adaptation work across the region.

While this work provides a commitment to tackle the climate change issue as a united front, to ensure Tai Tokerau Northland thrives into the future, the strategic lens must be widened to address all of the region’s longstanding challenges.

Factors impeding our regional success range from societal issues such as inequity, poor housing and intergenerational unemployment through to environmental issues, including degradation of landscapes and loss of biodiversity.

Connectivity challenges through lack of reliable broadband and poor roading are longstanding issues which all in the region will be familiar with.

Not least of these issues is the lack of investment into businesses in Tai Tokerau Northland, hindering our economic development and ability to generate positive economic outcomes across the region. Some of the issues we face are global, but impact us locally; the likes of climate change, rising sea levels and pandemics which have hit our shores.

All of these challenges we must acknowledge, plan for and unite to progress through. However, with any great challenge comes great opportunity.

As a region, we are presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a transformational strategy to secure our future. Northland Inc is leading the development of Te Ōhanga Rautaki Whānui o Te Tai Tokerau, a regional economic development strategy in partnership with local and central government, Te Tai Tokerau iwi and hapū, regional communities and industry.

The strategy will be co-designed and Te Tiriti-based, with the aim of tackling the major issues affecting Te Tai Tokerau.

Taking an intergenerational view of these key issues, the goal is of enabling community capacity and capability to create transformational change and better outcomes for whānau now and into the future.

Sustainable planning and outcomes are key, as is encapsulating our commitment to the Takarangi Māori doughnut economics model, weaving together the intent, actions and learnings of existing strategies to pave a way forward for the region for the future.

We know incrementalism doesn’t work when it comes to long-term planning. In order to drive tangible, inter-generational outcomes we must be bold in order to avoid carrying things forward that don’t serve our future through the generations.

This strategy provides an opportunity to create a road map for the Tai Tokerau Northland we would like our mokopuna to inherit.

Let’s cast ourselves forward three generations, imagine we are there – what does Tai Tokerau Northland look like if we continue on our current course? What could Tai Tokerau look like we if stand in the future and dream, and then look backwards towards today?

As a region, we have so many wonderful qualities which we can embrace and build from: a solid foundation.

Our people and communities, climate, coastlines, fertile lands, iwi and hapū, our history. Let’s paint the picture of what we want the future Tai Tokerau Northland to be for our future generations to come, and let’s start executing those plans today to make that future a reality.

Liz Oliver is a Director of Northland Inc, the region’s Economic Development Agency.