Living Beside the Rising Tide: Adapting to Sea Level Rise in Auckland, New Zealand

The Earth's climate system is entering a period of dynamic change after millennia of relatively stable climate. Coastal communities will need to adapt to dynamically shifting coastal environments as the climate system changes and sea levels rise. This study adds to a growing literature that investigates coastal vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience to climate change. It investigates regional scale social and institutional barriers to adaptation to sea level rise; examines the exposure, sensitivity and adaptation options at two coastal settlements in the Auckland region – Mission Bay/Kohimarama and Kawakawa Bay; and it analyses coastal adaptation response options from a resilience perspective. Mission Bay/Kohimarama and Kawakawa Bay, Auckland will experience increasing coastal hazard risk as the numbers of people and property potentially affected by storm events increases as sea level rises. Findings from the present study suggest that existing settlements in the Auckland region may already be 'locked in' to a coastal adaptation approach focused on maintaining the current coastline through coastal stabilisation, an approach that will decrease community resilience and increase vulnerability in the long term, even if this is found to be a successful response in the short term. Retreat offers an alternative approach that is strongly aligned with reducing community vulnerability and increasing resilience; however, strong opposition from communities to any retreat approach is expected. Developing trusted climate science information, education around coastal hazard risk, and participatory community led decision-making are identified as central enablers for a retreat approach to be included as a viable coastal adaptation option for communities in the Auckland region.