Frequently Asked Questions

Climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and it is already having a negative impact in the Masterton District.

The science of climate change is clear, it is supported by 99% of the world’s scientists, and we need to act with urgency to reduce our emissions. When we burn fossil fuels like petrol and coal for energy, the carbon dioxide that is released builds up in our atmosphere and acts like a blanket that traps heat around the world, disrupting our climate. There are regular levels of carbon dioxide that are released by our Earth, but the high levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases now entering the atmosphere are caused by us. This added climate pollution threatens our way of life. In New Zealand, most of our greenhouse gas emissions come from transport and agriculture.

Climate impacts will only get worse with continued inaction, so it is in all our best interests to act now. We also know that some of the impacts are already locked in, such as worsening floods, coastal erosion, and droughts, and we need a plan to adapt to these changes.

As a nation, we have very high per-capita (per person) climate emissions which means that as individuals we are producing way more climate pollution than people in most countries. If we didn’t have such a small population our emissions total would be among the highest in the world. If all small countries like Aotearoa New Zealand act ambitiously then one-third of global emissions would be reduced. That means that each area in Aotearoa New Zealand must do their part in reducing our emissions by shifting to low-carbon ways of living as quickly as possible.

As a country we have already committed to significant climate action. The government signed up to the United Nations Paris Agreement in 2015 which says we must try to keep warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celcius globally. We are current at 1.1 degrees warming globally. In a show of cross-party support, Parliament unanimously voted for the Zero Carbon Act in 2019 which set up a framework for how Aotearoa New Zealand will reduce our emissions until 2050. These central government pledges are now putting pressure on local government to act to help stop climate change.

Because the urgency of the problem has become clear, climate change policies are now coming thick and fast which can feel overwhelming and confusing to keep up with. We need to support our community to work with these policies and design our own low-emissions community in a way that works for us as a district.

Our local experts are telling us climate change is happening and impacting our district now. But we can help stop it. Change is possible, and by acting with others we can create system change. At a practical level, we need to change how we are moving around our district, how we are using energy, and how we are growing, consuming, and distributing food. The climate work will require action from all parts of our community, and require partnership with mana whenua – Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa and Rangitāne o Wairarapa.

As a community, and as Masterton District Council, we need to:

• use energy from the sun and wind to power our homes, cars and businesses.
• use much less of the kinds of energy that add heat-trapping gases to our atmosphere (like petrol and diesel for cars, and coal for heating).
• find ways to reduce the methane output of our farming industry.

We need to be dramatically reducing the amount of pollution we are putting into the atmosphere. We need to adapt our communities to the climate impacts already locked in. Localised climate impacts need local solutions. We can adapt to the changes heading our way using local people, local infrastructure, local knowledge.

Through this proposed Action Plan our community has a chance to prioritise taking care of each other and our environment by becoming a low-carbon district. We can reshape our community and use this change to reduce current inequities that will be exacerbated by climate change. As Council, we need to plan for the dual challenges of pressures on existing infrastructure from population growth and worsening climate impacts, while balancing the proposed changes against the needs of current community priorities, including those who are living in poverty or struggling to meet their daily needs today. Climate action will mean adjusting the ways our community lives and works and will give us the opportunity to build a more resilience and fair community going forward

We need to put in the work now to ensure a liveable world for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, and future generations to come.

Masterton District Council is taking up the challenge of climate change action in two ways.

Firstly, Council created an internal Corporate Emissions Reduction Plan in 2021 which sets out the ways our Council will reduce our climate pollution.

Secondly, Council appointed a Community Focus Group to help create a list of potential climate change actions which has now been developed into the Climate Action Plan and adopted by councillors.

The Climate Change Community Focus Group was formed in July 2021 after taking expressions of interest from the community. Ten participants were selected for the Focus Group by a panel of our elected officials. They were from a range of different backgrounds including forestry, farming, climate science, social science, government policy, mana whenua interests, and community engagement. A series of workshops were held with the Focus Group, Council Staff, and Elected Members to explore different themes related to climate change and to analyse potential solutions for the district. These themes were:

• Transport – how we move around the district using less climate-harming emissions.
• Energy / Electricity – how we power our homes and businesses through renewable energy.
• Built Environment – how we design and retrofit for low emissions construction.
• Natural Environment – how we protect our native biodiversity through climate solutions.
• Waste & Circular Economy – how we reduce our consumption and repurpose old items.
• Agriculture & Primary Industries – how we remove barriers to low emission transition in rural sector.
• Water – how we adapt to increasing floods, droughts, storms, and changes in precipitation rates.
• Equity and Culture – how we ensure our plan doesn’t increase current inequities in the district.

The ideas generated in the workshops were used to develop actions that informed our District’s Climate Action Plan.