Te aukati i te huringa o te āhuarangi me te Mate Kowheori 19

Climate action and COVID-19

Although COVID-19 has caused significant disruption across businesses, communities and economies, it is important to recognise that the risks and impacts of climate change have not gone away.

​We cannot return to business as usual and the pathway towards a 3.5 degree Celsius rise.

Clearly the impacts and implications of COVID-19, particularly on the most vulnerable, have been stark and we must take action to support all Aucklanders in an equitable recovery.

What has also been demonstrated is how, when united in a common goal, we can deliver major system changes across the region, the country and globally.

How the post-COVID recovery is shaped and driven will either accelerate our climate action response or make the task of preparing for climate change even more difficult.

Find out more about our COVID-19 areas of focus.

Mate Korona / COVID-19

Mate Korona or COVID-19 has presented an opportunity to re-imagine, re-frame and re-set the current system.

The Māori led response across Tāmaki Makaurau for whānau activated by Māori sector organisations, marae and mana whenua have highlighted a number of lessons that could be applied as we respond and resolve issues generated from the past, meet the needs of our current generations, while we navigate a future of uncertainty, change, and significant impact for future generations.

Key learnings of Mate Korona to date

  • Māori whānau and communities are resilient, as we have been for over a thousand years of living in Tāmaki Makauaru.
  • Our values of manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga, rangatiratanga, whanaungatanga and kotahitanga have been the glue of our resilience and care of others.
  • Mate Korona brought into sharper focus broader issues that continue to impact on whānau – lack of equity, poverty, over representation of Māori in socio-economic disparity are symptomatic of a system that continues to fail Māori.
  • The success of a Māori-led response, through Māori organisations, marae and mana whenua supported through a collaborative partnership with Council’s Te Pou Whakarae emergency management response, has modelled an example of what the ‘new normal’ could be with the council and Māori working together as partners.
  • Our whānau bubbles have kept our people safe and resilient during Mate Korona, and can play a role a key role in the ecological, cultural, social and economic regeneration of Māori wellbeing.

Our implementation overview sets out initial thinking on when actions should be delivered but this will be kept under regular review as we address the implications of COVID-19.

To meet our climate goals, all actions will need to be delivered in the medium-term.

Collaboration between key partners is vital for the delivery of the plan

The collaborative approach to developing the plan provides the foundation for co-delivery and also clarifies responsibilities.

Further discussion with key partners will be needed over the coming months, to ensure the changes we are seeing as a result of COVID-19 are appropriately considered.