The Climate Change and Business Conference was an opportunity for business, government, and civil society to tackle the tough questions the country is facing, and to share innovative thinking and new ideas about how we can collectively accelerate emissions reductions while adapting to the burgeoning impacts of climate change.

The conference drew over 600 attendees and featured a diverse lineup of speakers, including Hon Simon Watts, Minister of Climate Change; Hon Stuart Smith, Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee; Hon Megan Woods from the Labour Party; Hon Chloe Swarbrick from the Green Party; Dame Anne Salmond; Malcolm Johns, CEO of Genesis Energy; the CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Australia and New Zealand; and Fonterra.

“Te Puni Kōkiri was invited to present to the conference our new Climate Resilience Web Application, built to support hapori Māori in building resilience against climate change” says Matilde Figuracion, Principal Advisor Insights.

“It was also an opportunity to inform peers of our two recent reports ‘Understanding climate hazards for hapori Māori – insights for policy makers’ and ‘Understanding the exposure of climate hazards to Māori-owned businesses’.”

The impact of climate change is undeniably significant and while all New Zealanders will feel the impact of these climate hazards, the ability of communities to adapt and their resilience will vary considerably across the motu. In particular, hapori Māori (Māori communities), face heightened risks due to their geographical locations, the industries they work in, and current socio-economic circumstances.

Matilde says the innovative tool offers a range of interactive maps and data at various levels – Regional Council, Territorial Authority, Te Puni Kōkiri regions, and Statistical Area 2 (SA2).

“What makes this tool truly powerful is the unique dataset we’ve created, linking climate hazards with over 100 socio-economic variables through advanced analysis in Statistics New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure. This provides us with valuable insights into how climate risks intersect with socio-economic factors, offering a deeper understanding that will enable us to make more informed and impactful decisions.

“The tool provides projections on climate risks like heatwaves, droughts, extreme rainfall, and rising sea levels, as well as current hazards like flooding, which are already affecting Māori communities. The data provided by these initiatives, particularly through the Climate Resilience Web App, is crucial for helping whānau thrive.

“By highlighting how climate hazards intersect with socio-economic factors like social isolation and internet connectivity, Māori households and businesses can better assess their risks and take informed steps to build resilience,” Matilde added.

This mahi aligns with the Minister of Māori Development’s data-focused priority - ensuring that state services meet Māori needs through improved data availability. This emphasis on data is key to shaping policies, business strategies, and community actions that support whānau and Māori-owned businesses in facing climate challenges. Politicians at the conference also underscored the importance of equitable access to data.

The live feedback from the audience was overwhelmingly positive, with local governments expressing interest in a similar spatial climate risk explorer tool. Subsequently, a network of 280 climate adaptation practitioners from around 80% of New Zealand's local governments have requested presentations on the new web app.

To access the Climate Resilience Web App click here: https://tepunikokiri.github.io/climate_data_tool/.

If you would like more information, please email climatedatarequests@tpk.govt.nz.