Climate Risk & Resilience Panel Discussion - Tauranga & Western Bay Climate Action Festival

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, September 19th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: Envirohub BOP, 31B Glasgow Street, Tauranga, 3110

Description:

Climate change is affecting communities nationwide, with severe weather events disrupting our economy and limiting the provision of critical services such as health care and education. This panel discussion focuses on some of the key considerations for improving the resilience of our communities in the face of increasing climate change impacts, including how to put systems in place to minimise disruption, how to plan for future events where there is a high degree of uncertainty and how we can collaborate to achieve greater resilience.

Facilitator - Nic is the Climate Change Programme Manager at Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Nic has over 20 years of experience working with complex resource management issues and communities. He has worked leading and facilitating projects from freshwater problem solving in Canterbury to technology and rural development in the Peruvian Andes. He likes complex problems.

Speakers:

James Hughes - Technical Director: Climate and Resilience - Tonkin and Taylor. James has a 20-year career in the infrastructure and environmental sectors, and works for Tonkin and Taylor’s climate change and resilience advisory practice. He is an engineer by training, although now spends most of his time working with organisations to help them plan for a future where we are carbon-constrained, and extremes will be ‘way more extreme’.

Vicktoria Blake - Principal Advisor: Climate Risk and Resilience - Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora. Viewing her work through a national perspective, Vicktoria dedicates significant time to engaging both regionally and locally within environmental spheres, spanning climate risk and adaptation, biodiversity, transportation, and circular solutions. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in environmental management, Vicktoria brings a well-rounded approach to organisational sustainability, with a resolute commitment to prioritising te taiao. Driven by a profound concern for the future of her mokopuna, Vicktoria adopts a forward-looking, solutions-oriented stance towards resilience, sustainability, and emissions reduction. She advocates strongly for integrating a health and wellbeing perspective into all policy and strategy formulations, particularly within discussions pertaining to climate risk and adaptation. Additionally, Vicktoria is dedicated to ensuring that Te Whatu Ora takes proactive measures to mitigate its own contributions to climate change and environmental degradation. Vicktoria is the co-chair of Sustainable Healthcare Aotearoa and is on the executive board of OraTaiao Climate and Health Council.

Cushla Loomb - Technical Fellow and Business Director: Climate Change Risk & Adaptation - Beca. Cushla has a passion for enhancing the resilience of communities and brings over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, policy, and climate impact assessment across NZ, Australia and the Pacific. Cushla has worked both in the public and private sector and many of her projects involve working with local government entities to better understand and plan for climate risk in our communities. Cushla is currently the Project Director for the Beca-led Adaptation Workstream of the South Dunedin Futures programme, the Mount North Adaptation Plan with Tauranga City Council and was the Project Director of the Wellington Regional Climate Impact assessment that was completed for all nine councils in the region.
Manu Caddie (Ngāti Pūkenga, Waitaha-a-Hei) – Adjunct Research Fellow, Te Kotahi Research Institute, University of Waikato. Manu is an activist and biotechnology entrepreneur recently returned to Tauranga after 25 years in Tairāwhiti where he has been a community organiser, elected councillor, RMA Commissioner, environmental advocate and business leader. Most recently Manu has been leading research projects on the health and wellbeing impacts of extreme weather events in Tairāwhiti and Hawkes Bay, public policy options for sustainable land use and the renewal of local government through participatory democracy and deliberative processes for climate resilience.

Registration: Secure your ticket above. Early registration is recommended, as there are limited spots available! This is a FREE event to attend.

For enquiries please email hannah.sherratt@tewhatuora.govt.nz

Thanks to our Tauranga & Western Bay Climate Action Festival sponsors and partners - Envirohub BOP, Priority One, Aurecon, Tauranga and Western Bay Community Events Fund, Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora, Beca, University of Waikato