Climate Resilience & Sustainability

• We have worked with councils in Waitaha Canterbury to prepare a report identifying key climate-related risks across the region. The report centres around an integrated framework, Te Tūtei o Te Hau: Surveillance of the Wind, aligned with a Te Ao Māori world view as well as the National Climate Change Risk Assessment framework. Priority risks include sea-level rise, flooding, coastal erosion, fire, higher temperatures, drought, and storms.
• At a District level we have prepared three-yearly assessments of climate trends and climate-related risks for various Council assets. The most recent report expanded its scope to include all Council assets (buildings, roading, water, infrastructure, open spaces, etc).
• We've also completed an assessment of flooding hazards in coastal and low-lying parts of the district, using computer-based flood modelling to predict the extent and depth of flooding. This allows us to avoid exacerbating risks and to prepare for possible flood events, showing where we need to focus our flood protection measures, and steps that can be taken to ensure community preparedness.
• Our Civil Defence & Emergency Management section provides further detail regarding flooding & other types of emergencies.  Flood model results are hosted by Environment Canterbury Regional Council (ECan).  The detailed model build report is available here.

• As part of developing our Long-Term Plan and annual plans we have prepared guidance on climate change. This is helping our asset managers and service providers consider the climate mitigation and adaptation risks and opportunities specific to different operations across Council.
• We have also been working with our regional partners through the Canterbury Mayoral Forum to prepare a Climate Change Partnership Programme.
• In 2024 we established the Climate Change & Sustainability Strategic Priority Sub-committee.  Information about these meetings can be found here.

• In 2020 we took our first major step to put climate change at the heart of our work, adopting our first formal Climate Change Policy. This brings together several areas of work into a consolidated blueprint for action on climate change and commits the Council to make climate change mitigation and adaptation central to its planning and decision-making.  The policy is currently under review.
• We are in the process of updating our new Climate Resilience and Sustainability Policy and plan to publish this in early 2026.

• As part of our leadership role in addressing climate change locally, we undertake annual assessments of our organisational carbon emissions. These assessments help identify opportunities to reduce emissions in our own operations and those of our contractors and inform investment proposals that can be incorporated into future long-term and annual plans.
• The assessment findings show the Council’s biggest emissions come from its main contracted services; wastewater treatment, rubbish and recycling collections and disposal, and roads and parks maintenance. These made up 71 percent of the Council’s annual emissions in 2020/21. Diesel is the most significant contributor (45%), followed by electricity (27%) and the methane and nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater (22%).
• We will continue to monitor our emissions and will set reduction targets as part of our own climate actions, linked to commitments made through our Long-Term Plans.

Our flood modelling allows us to identify where flooding is most likely in the district and take steps to prepare. Our work includes improvements to the stormwater network to increase catchments, flood defences and rules in the Proposed District Plan. This will help ensure houses built in flood-prone areas are protected for flooding up to a one in 200-year flood event.  Our Civil Defence & Emergency Management section provides further detail regarding flooding & other types of emergencies.

The Pines Resource Recovery Centre Reconnect Project is underway aimed at getting people thinking differently about waste materials, showcasing recovery of materials from the waste stream, and alternative options to landfill.  The first stage of this project is complete and includes: a relocated and expanded recycling and reusables drop-off area, the ReDiscover education centre, the ReNourish community garden, and the ReUse Shop.

Future potential stages include maker spaces, a tool library, a multi-purpose waste hub and a landscape supplies yard.

As part of the master plan for the expansion of the Pines Waste Water Treatment over the next 30 years, we're looking into ways to turn it from an energy-using plant to an energy-neutral plant that would produce resources and generate its own power.

Our transport strategies are focussed on helping people move to low carbon emission transport options, including promoting public transport, building cycle and walkways and supporting the installation of charging stations for electronic vehicles. In the past year we worked with Orion and ChargeNet to install EV charging stations in Lincoln, Leeston, Dunsandel, Springfield, Castle Hill and Arthur’s Pass.

We work with Environment Canterbury and the Greater Christchurch Partnership on strategies for public transport and planning our future growth to ensure good access to low carbon emission transport options.

The Council administers the Selwyn Natural Environment Fund, to encourage and assist landowners to identify, protect, restore and enhance areas of natural biodiversity.

The District Plan puts in place rules to protect biodiversity and the natural environment in Selwyn, including identifying and protecting significant natural areas.

The Council is increasingly looking to reduce our carbon footprint from Council buildings, right from the start of construction.

The Selwyn Sports Centre has been built with solar panels that will provide up to 80 percent of its power use in summer and with innovative Kingspan cladding that reduces the need for additional insulation.

Te Ara Ātea, the anchor building of the new Rolleston Town Centre, has been built to a high environmental standard.

Wherever possible locally sourced sustainable materials have been used in the construction and all the timber in the building has been sustainably sourced.

The building is also built to reduce energy use in lighting, heating and cooling to reach the standards of a green star rated building.