No doubt like those of you who were not directly impacted by the catastrophic storms and cyclones earlier this year, my family and I were heart-broken to see the tragic images that emerged in regions across Aotearoa New Zealand. The loss of life, homes and businesses and the environmental devastation were hard to comprehend.
In the months that have followed, the story has faded from the headlines, and yet, for the communities, whānau and individuals affected, the loss remains fresh and, sadly, their hard work is only just beginning. In the immediate aftermath, the focus was on the enormity of the clean-up, but increasingly, public attention is turning to questions relating to the how, where and who of the rebuild effort.
Asking the hard questions
Given that, for many New Zealanders, their home is their biggest asset, finding out that it may be unable to be rebuilt in the same location – or potentially insured – is devastating.
Many questions are yet to be answered. Is it safe to repair or rebuild a home that is built on a flood plain or near a cliff edge? What are the risks of more severe and frequent climate-related weather events to people and property? Will those homes and businesses continue to be insurable? At what cost? When should the development of coastal, flood-prone or erosion-prone land be halted? Who pays if the decision is made to relocate a community?
Local and central governments, banks and insurance companies will grapple with finding long-term solutions to these complex questions. Meanwhile, BRANZ remains focused on ensuring that, whatever the outcome, New Zealand is encouraged and supported to build back better.
The question we’re asking to guide this transformation is what building designs and methods should be employed to prevent or mitigate the impacts of climate change?
Building back better
BRANZ has long been at the forefront of industry discussions around the need to improve the resilience of New Zealand’s built environment. Much of our work continues to be dedicated to research into suitable mitigations and adaptations to address climate change challenges. These most recent extreme weather events have further reinforced just how vital this work is and the incalculable human cost of failing to accelerate change.
BRANZ is dedicated to ensuring buildings can better cope with the likely effects of climate change, which include more intense rainfall, flooding, higher temperatures, sea-level rise and stronger winds. However, providing the evidence base is just the first step towards successful mitigation against climate change impacts on the built environment – successful implementation of solutions will require the collaborative efforts of the entire building system, including the people that live and work in the buildings.
Power to the people
While some steps are already being taken to build more resilient and energy-efficient homes, consumer awareness – and therefore demand – is lagging. To empower the building system to take further collective action, we need to ensure consumers truly understand the benefits of building better.
Educating the people who live in, work in or use buildings is a crucial step in creating that market demand. It is the end user who can potentially expedite transformational change in our built environment by demanding resilient, sustainable buildings that will withstand the increased rigours of climate change.
Leveraging a silver lining
Post Cyclone Gabrielle, public awareness of the impacts of climate change is at an all-time high. There is a golden opportunity across the building system to translate that awareness into action by having conversations about the benefits of building better with anyone who is about to build, rebuild or renovate.
This is one way we can all help create – and then meet – demand for a better, more resilient and sustainable built environment.