Our long-term vision
The Council's long-term strategic vision is Towards 2040: Smart Capital. One of the goals in this vision is to make Wellington an eco-city:
Towards 2040: Smart Capital
Our Long-term Plan supports the aim to develop Wellington as an eco-city that:
- proactively responds to environmental challenges
- takes an environmental leadership role, as the capital city of clean and green New Zealand.
Long-term Plan
Our other strategies and plans
Other Council plans for the environment include:
Our Natural Capital - Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
The Council's Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for Wellington:
- outlines our vision, goals and objectives
- sets the priorities that give our work direction and purpose
- provides a set of guiding principles for Council to work by.
These are the four themes under which our biodiversity management guidelines, goals, objectives and actions are grouped.
- Protect the ecologically significant areas on private and public land, particularly through pest reduction
- Restore these areas – create safe buffer zones around them and connect them
- Connect people to the importance of and threats to our indigenous biodiversity, and provide resources and support for restoration work across all our reserves
- Research the best ways we can continue to manage our issues and progress.
Climate Change Action Plan
In June 2010, the Council passed the Climate Change Action Plan that established the dual focus on:
Adaptation - preparing for the impacts of climate change so we can safeguard the community, the environment and the economy from likely risks.
Mitigation - reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or storing (sequestering) carbon dioxide in forests.
The Council's work programme on climate change is divided into the following key action areas:
- Adaptation
- Buildings and energy
- Land transport
- Waste
- Council operations
- Forestry
- Aviation
The Council's 2010 Climate Change Action Plan provided a 2-year work programme to achieve significant progress on climate change. The plan was recognised as a category award winner in the Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Awards 2011.