When climate change and other emergencies threaten where we live, how will we manage our retreat?

Such risks will only increase as sea level rises due to climate change. The government has announced that the Resource Management Act will be replaced by three new laws, including a Managed Retreat and Climate Change Adaptation Act. For those living in highly exposed places, managed retreat may be necessary to save lives and secure public safety. But the impacts of climate change are already being felt, and will compound natural hazard risks well into the future. Planners and academics have been calling for a national managed retreat strategy, and the law change provides a unique opportunity.