Te Henga climate adaptation pilot
Te Henga (Bethells Beach) is planning for a changing climate. Auckland Council and Te Kawerau ā Maki are working together, with the local community to understand what matters most and help guide future decisions for this special place.
Protecting what makes Te Henga special
Te Henga is shaped by its people, whenua, waterways and coast.
As the climate changes, the area will experience changes including increased flooding, erosion and coastal change. Planning for the future means understanding those changes while also understanding what matters to the people who know and care for Te Henga.
The pilot is testing a local approach to climate adaptation planning that brings together mātauranga Māori, community knowledge and council expertise.
Bringing different knowledge together
Mātauranga Māori
whakapapa, tikanga and kaitiakitanga from Te Kawerau ā Maki
Community knowledge
including local experiences, observations, values and aspirations
Council knowledge
including climate science, infrastructure, planning and risk information.
The pilot looks beyond infrastructure and climate hazards alone. It also considers the relationships between:
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tangata - people, whānau, community, identity and wellbeing
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whenua - land, place, whakapapa and our connection to Te Henga
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te taiao - waterways, coastlines, ecosystems and the natural systems that support life.
Knowledge through time
This infographic shows how different types of knowledge and relationships come together to support long-term adaptation planning for Te Henga.
At the centre are tangata, whenua and te taiao. Surrounding them are hapori with lived experience and local values, Te Kawerau ā Maki with mātauranga Māori, whakapapa and kaitiakitanga and kaunihera with technical, planning, infrastructure, risk and policy expertise.
Building a shared understanding
Scientific information can help us understand future climate conditions and hazards. Mātauranga Māori connects this work to generations of knowledge of the whenua and te taiao. Local people bring lived experience, observations, stories and knowledge of how Te Henga works day to day.
The pilot will bring these different perspectives together to build a shared understanding of:
what is changing- what people value
- where challenges may emerge
- what opportunities there may be to adapt
- what should guide future decisions.
What happens next
Throughout the pilot, the project team will work with Te Kawerau ā Maki, the Te Henga community and council specialists to build this shared picture.
Community feedback through the map and other engagement will help shape the work as it develops.
The pilot will also help Auckland Council understand what works well when communities, mana whenua and council plan for climate adaptation together. These lessons can help inform future adaptation planning across Tāmaki Makaurau.
Part of a bigger picture
Community adaptation planning
Across Tāmaki Makaurau, communities are beginning to plan for the changes we are already seeing in our climate.
Community adaptation planning brings local knowledge and lived experience together with mātauranga, science and technical expertise to help communities make decisions about their future.
Explore community adaptation planning →
Planning for Te Henga's coastline
Auckland Council developed a Shoreline Adaptation Plan for council managed land and coastal assets at Te Henga as part of the wider Whatipū to South Head Shoreline Adaptation Plan in 2025.
The Te Henga climate adaptation pilot is broader. It explores how tangata, whenua and te taiao can be considered together and how local knowledge can help inform adaptation planning.