The ORC’s Environmental Data Portal is experiencing high traffic volumes affecting its effectiveness at present. The site is being worked on at present and people are asked to be patient. Please be considerate in using this tool, some people require access to the EDP for important decision-making today.
Environmental Data PortalThe ORC’s Environmental Data Portal is experiencing high traffic volumes affecting its effectiveness at present. The site is being worked on at present and people are asked to be patient. Please be considerate in using this tool, some people require access to the EDP for important decision-making today.
Monday 6 May 2024
A socio-economic impact assessment for the Head of Lake Whakatipu area identifies that the community is well-functioning and motivated, with generally high levels of readiness for natural hazard events.
Otago Regional Council’s Manager Natural Hazards Jean-Luc Payan says this assessment is key to informing the Head of Lake Whakatipu Natural Hazards Adaptation Programme.
“This key piece of work builds on the technical studies and community engagement we have undertaken so far and helps us understand how adaptation can help enhance community resilience. It gathers information on the social and economic baseline of the community and explores how social and economic wellbeing could be impacted by natural hazard events. This includes community cohesion and readiness, awareness of the hazards, the risks they present, and the ability to recover from a natural hazard event.”
Dr Payan says the community requested the report and helped to scope it through the Glenorchy Community Association as part of ORC’s broader programme to plan for and adapt to natural hazards at the Head of Lake Whakatipu.
“This study highlights the depth of local knowledge and resources in the community, and an already high-level of resilience, as well as some vulnerabilities. Adaptation planning is community-centred, so this report helps both the Council and community make more informed decisions about how to adapt.”
Glenorchy Community Association chair John Glover says, “It’s good to see this study capture and collate the lived experiences and knowledge base across the community at the head of the lake. We’re working as a community on a number of fronts to increase our readiness, resilience, and subsequent response to the natural hazards that all of us living here are very much aware of.”
Some key findings from the assessment include:
The results of the first phase of the socio-economic impact assessment for the Head of Lake Whakatipu will be presented to Otago Regional Council’s Safety and Resilience Committee on Wednesday 8 May.
The assessment report is included in the agenda here: www.orc.govt.nz/councilagenda.
ORC will also share the findings at an online community presentation on Wednesday, 22 May at 7pm. Details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/264661326636436
ORC, in collaboration with Queenstown Lakes District Council, iwi, Department of Conservation and the local community, is developing a Natural Hazards Adaptation Strategy for the Head of Lake Whakatipu area. The area and its communities are exposed to multiple natural hazard risks, including floods and earthquakes. The landscape is also dynamic and some of the risks are evolving over time. An ‘adaptation pathways’ framework called Dynamic Adaptive Planning Pathways is being used to develop the strategy. Find more information here: https://www.orc.govt.nz/holwMRmay2023