Infrastructure resilience

Infrastructure like roads, railways, airports, hospitals, ports, and insurance is at risk from things like sea-level rise, storms, erosion, and flooding. This includes homes, public spaces, water and energy systems, transport, communication networks, waste services, and coastal protection structures.

Impact in numbers

In a 2019 report prepared for the Deep South Challenge, Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly GNS Science and NIWA) estimated that 2,273 km of roads, 5,572 km of water pipes, 2,457 km2 of land, 49,709 buildings with a $26.2 billion building replacement value (2016 $NZD billion) and 72,065 people were assessed as vulnerable in a 0.6m sea-level rise scenario. 

With a 1.2m rise those figures rose to 3,134 km of roads, 7,965 km of water pipes, 2,868 km2 of land, 140,244 buildings with a $43.8 billion building replacement value and 198,576 people.

Key benefits

Key benefits to infrastructure resilience are listed below.

  • Reduces damage costs to infrastructure, assets, and land through better planning and zoning.
  • Improves design accuracy for roads, buildings, and other structures, lowering development costs and environmental risks.
  • Supports the insurance sector by improving risk data, helping maintain or increase insurability.
  • Enables consistent decision-making by regional councils using shared, reliable data.
  • Provides a baseline for monitoring change after natural events.
  • Helps manage climate risks like sea-level rise by giving risk modellers the data they need to inform decisions.

Lifelines

Lifelines are the essential infrastructure and services that support our community – utility services such as water, wastewater and stormwater, electricity, gas, telecommunications and transportation networks including road, rail, airports and ports.

The Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Act 2002 requires lifeline utilities to function to the fullest possible extent following an emergency.

3D coastal mapping data will help identify assets at risk from sea-level rise, erosion, tsunami and storm surges, enabling proactive adaptation strategies. It will also offer a baseline to monitor changes over time, which is crucial in assessing long-term risks and plan infrastructure upgrades or relocations. 

Insurance

Insurance transfers risk, but doesn’t reduce it. As risks increase (for example from sea-level rise), insurance becomes more expensive or unavailable. This is known as insurance retreat.

Insurers use Annual Exceedance Probabilities (AEPs) to assess risk:

  • 1% AEP = 1-in-100-year event
  • 2% AEP = 1-in-50-year event
  • 5% AEP = 1-in-20-year event

Insurance retreat often starts at 2% AEP and is usually complete by 5% AEP.

The Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023 (effective July 2024) covers damage from natural hazard events (for example storms), but not gradual impacts like sea-level rise or king tides.

A 2020 report estimated that over 10,000 homes in major cities could be uninsurable by 2050 due to rising seas.

This programme will ensure insurance providers have access to current, high-resolution data, allowing them to accurately assess flood risk exposure for coastal properties; better determine price premiums and identify properties at highest risk for sea-level rise and storm surge

Legislation

This programme will support a range of New Zealand’s legislation and national policy statements that focus on using data-driven, evidence-based risk assessments to protect natural resources, infrastructure and our coastal environment. 3DCM will baseline data critical for coastal management and climate change adaptation planning.

Resource Management System reform

The Resource Management Act 1991 is being replaced due to its complexity and inefficiency.

It will be replaced by two new laws:

  • Natural Environment Act – focuses on protecting natural resources (land, air, water).
  • Planning Act – supports urban growth and infrastructure development.

The new system aims to:

  • enable development within environmental limits
  • improve housing and infrastructure planning
  • strengthen Māori involvement and uphold Treaty obligations
  • better prepare for climate change and natural hazards.

National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards (NPS-NH)

This policy statement applies to hazards like flooding, landslips, coastal erosion/inundation, faults, liquefaction, and tsunami. It excludes infrastructure and primary production, which need tailored approaches.

It requires councils to:

  • use risk-based assessments for new developments
  • consider climate change impacts over 100 years
  • use the best available information
  • manage hazard risks proportionately based on severity.

National Policy Statement for Infrastructure (NPS-I)

This policy statement aims to enable and protect infrastructure across the country.

It promotes infrastructure that can:

  • absorb shocks, recover, and adapt to climate change
  • maintain service levels even if delivered differently.

It also encourages planning that recognises the benefits and resilience of infrastructure.

New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) – proposed amendments

This policy statement will continue to apply to all coastal areas, including land and marine zones.

It strengthens support for priority activities like infrastructure, aquaculture, and renewable energy and adds provisions to:

  • recognise the functional need for activities in the coastal marine area
  • support Māori aquaculture settlement areas
  • consider cultural and environmental benefits of aquaculture.

National Environmental Standards for Marine Aquaculture (NES-MA) – Proposed Amendments

These standards aim to streamline aquaculture consenting and support innovation.

Key changes include:

  • allowing structure changes without needing to change species
  • enabling spat catching during reconsenting
  • creating simpler pathways for research and small-scale trials.

They are expected to reduce costs and improve certainty for marine farmers and researchers.

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