In the late 1980s, New Zealand undertook the first national assessment of climate
change and its possible impacts on the country.1 The landmark report, reflecting
the judgement of scores of national experts, called for greater efforts in building
the national research capacity in order to better quantify the range of impacts that
could occur in New Zealand from climate change and variability. In response, the
collaborative CLIMPACTS Programme was established to provide this capacity.
Ten years on from the first national assessment, the present synthesis offers some
results from, as well as a demonstration of, the capacity developed by the
CLIMPACTS Programme.
The purpose of the present document is to provide a summary report from the
CLIMPACTS Programme on climate change and its effects on New Zealand. The
chapters and their contents are not comprehensive. Rather, they are focused
on a specific set of questions, which conform to the particular expertise of the
CLIMPACTS Programme members and which employ a limited set of the wide
range of tools available within the CLIMPACTS Model. Other important areas such as forests,
indigenous ecosystems and pests and diseases are not yet covered.
