Climate action across council

From cleaner transport and council facilities to flood resilience, greener spaces and community-led projects, climate action is happening across Auckland Council. Explore the major programmes helping reduce emissions and build a more resilient Tāmaki Makaurau.

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Reducing emissions

Cleaner council facilities, transport and urban places.

Decarbonising council assets

Council is reducing emissions from the buildings and facilities Aucklanders use every day. Gas boilers at pools, including Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa in Māngere and Stanmore Bay, are being replaced with electric heat pumps.

Solar panels are being installed at facilities including Albany Stadium Pool, Blockhouse Bay Community Centre and Orere War Memorial Hall. At the Auckland Domain Winter Gardens, a biomass pellet boiler has replaced gas heating. Some council projects have also achieved 5 Green Star ratings.

Explore Auckland's decarbonisation pathway

Climate-friendly urban regeneration

Auckland Urban Development Office (AUDO), formerly Eke Pānuku, is incorporating climate action into the way neighbourhoods and town centres are regenerated.

Its work includes re-greening streets, restoring waterways, supporting more connected places and creating public spaces where communities can thrive. These changes show how everyday urban design can contribute to a lower-carbon, more resilient Auckland.

Explore AUDO's work

Preparing for climate impacts

Reducing risks and strengthening the places and systems Aucklanders rely on.

Making Space for Water

Making Space for Water is Auckland Council's programme to reduce flood risk and help water move more safely through neighbourhoods. It brings together physical infrastructure upgrades and ways of working with natural waterways, rather than relying on pipes and drains alone.

The programme includes investment in stormwater infrastructure, increased maintenance, stream and waterway resilience, blue-green projects, community and site-specific flood solutions, and tools such as the Auckland Flood Viewer.

Major upgrades and local projects are underway, with work identified in places including Wairau Valley, Harania Creek in Māngere, Te Ararata in Māngere and Clover Drive in Rānui.

Explore Making Space for Water

Adapting Auckland's transport system

Auckland Transport is working to make roads and public transport infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather, flooding, landslides, coastal hazards and heat stress.

Alongside engineering work, nature-based approaches such as rain gardens and living bus shelters can help manage stormwater, reduce heat and improve passenger comfort. Planning considers future risks and the needs of communities and transport users.

Explore AT projects

Planning tools to reduce natural hazard risks

Council is reviewing planning rules to better account for flood risk and other natural hazards when deciding where and how Auckland grows.

Proposed changes to the Auckland Unitary Plan include stronger controls in higher-risk areas and rethinking places previously identified for future urban development when hazards make them unsuitable.

Explore the Auckland Unitary Plan

Shoreline Adaptation Plans

Shoreline Adaptation Plans help guide how Auckland responds to coastal erosion, flooding and sea-level rise over the next 100 years. They focus on council-owned land and assets, including parks, roads, paths, seawalls and coastal facilities.

The plans consider risks over different timeframes and are developed with mana whenua, local communities and infrastructure providers. They inform choices about maintaining, adapting or changing assets as coastal conditions change.

Explore shoreline planning

2023 flood recovery

Following the 2023 Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, council and central government have supported affected communities and repairs to essential infrastructure.

Recovery has included support for severely affected properties, transport and water network repairs, and work with neighbourhood groups and communities. Decisions about the future use of storm-affected land form part of longer-term recovery and resilience planning.

Explore flood recovery

Blue-green networks

Blue-green networks connect waterways (blue) and open or planted spaces (green), giving stormwater more room to move through neighbourhoods and reducing flood risk where people live.

These projects bring together flood management and greener public spaces. They are part of Making Space for Water and can include changes to streams, parks and the surrounding landscape so that water can flow more safely during heavy rain.

Explore blue-green networks

Community-led climate action

Supporting local climate action led by communities, iwi, marae and local boards.

Iwi, marae and community-led climate action

Auckland Council works alongside iwi, marae, schools, rangatahi and community groups to turn climate plans into local action. This includes supporting Māori-led responses through programmes such as Resilient Marae and Mātātahi Taiao, and tagata Moana-led initiatives including Manava for Climate Resilience.

Across Tāmaki Makaurau, council's climate activators and schools teams support environmental restoration, community gardens, food forests and local adaptation planning. This work helps strengthen community connections, build local knowledge and support communities to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate.

Explore Māori-led climate action Take local climate action Manava for Climate Resilience

Local Board Climate Action Plans

Local Board Climate Action Plans set out practical, locally focused actions over three to five years to reduce emissions and prepare for climate change. Developed with feedback from residents, mana whenua and community groups, the plans reflect local climate risks, existing work and community priorities.

Local boards adopt the plans and allocate funding towards priority actions. These can include stream restoration, community gardens, improving walking and cycling connections, and supporting Shoreline Adaptation Plans. This helps turn Auckland's wider climate goals into practical action suited to each neighbourhood.

Find your Local Board plan Explore climate action grants

Protecting and restoring nature

Supporting healthy natural systems that help Auckland respond to climate change.

Urban Ngāhere

The Urban Ngāhere programme is helping grow and protect Auckland's tree canopy. More trees can provide shade, reduce urban heat, support native wildlife and help manage stormwater.

Council works with mana whenua, community groups, schools and volunteers on propagation, planting and restoration. The work also strengthens nurseries, partnerships and knowledge to support healthier and more resilient neighbourhoods.

Explore urban ngāhere

Local and regional parks

Auckland's local and regional parks protect important habitats, support native biodiversity and give communities places to spend time in nature. Regional parks including the Hunua and Waitākere Ranges also play important roles in protecting natural resources.

Parks act as green infrastructure: vegetation and natural spaces can slow stormwater runoff, reduce urban heat and help buffer flooding. Healthy native planting and management of invasive species also contribute to reducing wildfire risk.

Find a park or beach Auckland regional parks

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