October 10, 2018
Te Arawa eyes move to higher ground
TOBY CURTIS INTERVIEW CKLICK HERE
Te Arawa is looking at whether it needs to create new towns away from the coast to counter the effects of climate change on Maketū, Little Waihi and other coastal communities.
The tribe's Te Urunga a Kea climate change working group is meeting with Climate Change Minister James Shaw in Rotorua today to update him on how thewy are working to counter global warming and prepare for what may lie ahead.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust chair Sir Toby Curtis says the tribe is fortunate to have experts in a range of fields who can contribute, and it also has a partnership with Scion, the crown forestry research institute.
He says sea level rise will threaten many coastal Bay of Plenty towns and cities.
"If that were to occur at a lower level where all our people are living right on the shore they are all going to be flooded and they may never be able to get back into their homes, so we are seriously thinking of building a township up the top of a hill. We will be able to keep providing and helping our region," Sir Toby says.
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