Pipiri | June 2024
Kia ora koutou, and welcome to our June panui | eNews for 2024
This month’s eNews features:
- Future Development Strategy Implementation Plan Approved
- Significant milestone for region’s climate resilience: WRCCIA Endorsed
- Regional Economic Development Plan – Update
- WRLC Committee Papers for June
WRLC and Industry Webinars
- Seminar – Urban Design Toolkit for Enhanced Liveability: 31 July
- Webinar – Urban Aotearoa – The Future of our Cities: 6 August
- Seminar – Building well for a Changing Environment: 28 August
- Doughnut Economics Webinar – Recording and presentation
Industry News
- Wellington Regional Transport Emissions Reduction Plan
- Helen Clark Foundation + WSP release Infrastructure Report
- Innovations for Climate Response Book Published
- Mānawatia a Matariki 2024!
Future Development Strategy Implementation Plan Approved
At it’s June meeting, the WRLC approved the Future Development Strategy Implementation Plan (the Plan). The Plan identifies key actions that will support achieving the vision for our region’s future set out in Te Rautaki Whanaketanga ki tua a | The Wairarapa-Wellington-Horowhenua Future Development Strategy.
The Plan contains three parts: Overview, Actions, and the Review and Monitoring Framework. WRLC is responsible for Part 2’s Eight Priority Implementation Actions identified for the region. The eight priority actions span housing, energy supply, improving both public transport delivery and infrastructure planning, climate adaptation and industrial land supply (see pages 7-8).
The Plan will be reviewed annually as required under the National Policy Statement for Urban Development (NPS-UD), and updated versions of the Priority Implementation Actions will be published after each review. The WRLC dashboard WRLC Data Dashboard will provide updated data for the indicators set out in Part 3 relating to review and monitoring.
Regional Climate Impacts Assessment
A significant step toward becoming a climate resilient region.
This month the WRLC adopted the Wellington Regional Climate Change Impacts Assessment Report (WRCCIA). WRCCIA is phase one of our climate adaptation work, which creates a foundational base to support and inform phase 2 – the Regional Adaptation Project.
WRCCIA is a significant step toward becoming a climate resilient region, and was a truly pan-regional effort, involving staff from nine of the WRLC’s partner councils and supporting subject-matter experts.
A special congratulations to WRCCIA Project Lead Jamuna Rotstein who demonstrated excellent leadership and stamina in ensuring the delivery of this piece of work.
The report acts as a foundational assessment of the risks, impacts and opportunities of a changing climate in our region over the next 100 years, and is the first phase in a project to help the region adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. View the full media release and link to the report here.
WRLC’s Deputy Chair Daran Ponter discussed the report on RNZ’s Checkpoint with Nick James, you can listen to the interview here.
Regional Economic Development Plan – Implementation Activity
Above: Climate Tech Summit Aotearoa
WellingtonNZ and initiative leads are continuing to progress implementation of the initiatives in the Regional Economic Development Plan (REDP) on behalf of the WRLC. Recent initiative highlights and upcoming opportunities are listed below. For the full update click here.
- Climate Tech Summit Aotearoa was held at St James Theatre on 20 June. The afternoon showcased a range of climate tech companies from across the region and New Zealand. It also provided an opportunity for all nine teams from Creative HQ’s latest Climate Response Accelerator to pitch the innovative solutions they have developed. Three of the participants – Mara Bio, Aotea Energy, and Good Grub Agritech, were offered a collective $150,000 investment deal from Motion Capital to support their groundbreaking work.
- Expressions of interest are now open for Creative HQ’s upcoming FinTech accelerator, due to run from August to November 2024. The FinTech Accelerator is part of the Scale Up Wellington initiative in the REDP and aims to empower 8-12 startups lead by determined founders addressing significant hurdles in the FinTech sphere, spanning banking to investments. Find out more and apply here.
Also featured in this month’s update:
- Tech Start-up Hub at Victoria University’s Rutherford House
- Summer of Engineering – find out more or sign up here.
- Girls who Grow – a new initiative in the REDP, GWG is an educational programme supporting our next generation of educated female change makers, leaders and environmental guardians.
- The Screen Attraction Programme
Snap Shot Shorts, a Wellington-based short film series that bridges the gap between young filmmakers and the industry will screen at The Embassy on 21 July. Tickets are available here.
- WellingtonNZ have launched a report on Opportunities for impact through procurement, aiming to amplify work in the social procurement ecosystem within our region. The report provides a current state analysis with insights on Māori businesses as well as experiences of buyers from local, central government and private sector. It also outlines opportunities for future impact across four key themes of collaboration, capability, support and action.
WRLC Committee Papers June
Papers are now available to view from the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee’s last meeting on 4 June, at the link below.
WRLC Webinars + Talks
Thought-leader Seminar
An Urban Design Toolkit for enhanced liveability
11:30-12:30pm, Wednesday July 31st, In person at GWRC and online.
This in-person seminar will be an opportunity to learn about the newly released Urban Design Toolkit for the Wellington Region – presented by Alan Whiteley, Head of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design at WSP.
The Urban Design Toolkit was commissioned by Greater Wellington as a way of supporting our communities to envision sustainable urban communities of the future – places that are more resilient, have a lighter impact on climate and environment, but also better deliver on people’s social, economic and cultural needs.
Thought-leader Seminar
Webinar: Urban Aotearoa is for Everyone
9:30am-10:30am, Tuesday 6 August
Urban intensification is increasing the demand for the public to engage in optimising our cities as high-quality living spaces. Whether it be the design of front gardens, how we use our transport system, and what properties we purchase, the public’s positive response to these matters is critical.
In this webinar, David Batchelor will speak to upcoming book: Urban Aotearoa: The Future of Our Cities. This new BWB Text serves as a handbook for the public to engage in urban issues. Prepared by a range of contributors from across Aotearoa, it spans housing trends, Māori urban development, Pacific design, climate action, heritage and public space, and more.
Its straight-forward approach to the urban conversation asks: what can urban development professionals do to empower the public to make positive contributions to our cities?
RSVP to:freda@wrlc.org.nz, or select button below.
Thought-leader Seminar
Seminar: Building well for a Changing Environment
10:30-11:30am, August 28, In person at GWRC and online.
Join us in person or online to hear from Brad Crowley, Senior Manager – Sustainability Strategy at the New Zealand Green Building Council.
Brad will discuss the changing green star rating tool, and it’s role in expanding the scope of building beyond just green aspects, including looking at supply chains (such as modern day slavery) and identifying and mitigating climate risks to buildings.
RSVP to: freda@wrlc.org.nz, or select button below.
Doughnut Economics Webinar
A useful compass to guide our region’s interconnected opportunities
Doughnut Economics is an economic model that emerged from the increasingly urgent needs of our society to align social and environmental needs with economic trends. It was developed by UK economist Kate Raworth and was first published in 2012. Since then, it has become a core driver of sustainable innovation and growth in regions, cities and neighbourhoods across the globe.
In this well-attended webinar, strategists and advisors Hélène and James shared ways that Doughnut Economics can be put into practice in our region. Doughnut is a powerful tool not only at all stages of the strategy setting and implementation process, but to ensure alignment across multiple strategies.
James and Hélène also shared insights from work they have done in collaboration with the Wellington City Council since the launch of the Economic Wellbeing Strategy, along with overseas examples of applying Doughnut Economics to places, contexts and communities.
Industry News
New Strategy Released
New transport strategy sets a bold pathway to a resilient, low-carbon future
The Wellington Regional Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway (the Pathway) is a bold, evidenced-based vision for a resilient, low-carbon transport future for our region. Its goals are to reduce road transport-generated carbon emissions by 35% by 2030 and per capita light vehicle VKT (vehicle kilometres travelled) by 25% by 2035. It sets out a pathway that will achieve this through a range of interventions across three areas: more transport choice, cleaner fleet and smarter freight.
The Pathway has three focus areas, which are:
- Make it easier to access the things we need without a car (light vehicle VKT reduction)
- Support the shift to zero emissions vehicles
- Encourage low emissions freight and heavy transport options.
Innovations for climate response
This kete provides guidance for local government to help inform robust and just decision making.
Report co-authored by Sophie Bond, Gradon Diprose, Janet Stephenson and Merata Kawharu at Otago University’s Centre for Sustainability
Bridging the Infrastructure Gap
By Kali Mercier
Funding and financing infrastructure for a resilient Aotearoa New Zealand is a research report released in partnership with WSP.
Mānawatia a Matariki 2024
What is Matariki?
Ko Matariki kei runga, ko te tohu tēnā o te tau!
Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te mātahi o te tau
Hail the rise of Matariki
Hail the lord of the sky
Hail the New Year
Mānawatia a Matariki!
The rather wonderful resource below from Otago University captures the magic of Matariki so well, we thought it was worth sharing:
The official theme for Matariki 2024 is Matariki heri kai | The feast of Matariki. It comes from the Māori proverb: “Matariki whetū heri kai”, which means “Matariki, the bringer of food”. This speaks to the rising of the Matariki stars association with the bounty of the impending season. We hope that you are able to come together with family and friends and enjoy a meal this Matariki holiday.
WRLC Publications
Keep in touch
One of our guiding proverbs at WRLC is, ‘He waka eke noa‘ – we’re all in this together. If there is anything you’d like to share or know more about, please do not hesitate to contact us at: hello@wrlc.org.nz
About the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee
The Wellington Regional Leadership Committee is a union of councils, iwi and central government in the Wairarapa-Wellington-Horowhenua region, formed to work collaboratively on our shared, cross-boundary challenges, in order to positively shape the future of this region.
WRLC exists to enable better ways of working together to cultivate a region where people want to live, work and thrive.
Our projects cover the five broad key areas of iwi capacity, housing, climate, transport and economic development. Find out more on our project page. You can get in touch at hello@wrlc.org.nz.
