Diverse and contested local interests and the complexity of climate change make adaptation to climate change risks at the coast challenging. Even in similar settings, adaptation experiences and prospects can differ markedly. Why? This paper provides empirical evidence of comparative adaptation experiences in two regions of Aotearoa-New Zealand - the Coromandel Peninsula and the Hawke’s Bay coast. We critically examine how local barriers and enablers influence the trajectory of adaptation in two regions that face similar risks, have essentially the same institutional architecture, and yet have had very different adaptation experiences. We investigate the situational differences and similarities, and their implications for adaptation in each region. We found that the evolution of adaptation is shaped by the perceptions of the actors, especially local authority leaders, and opportunities that arise at a context-specific point in time. Such perceptions and opportunities can amount to barriers in one location and enablers in another. Growing concern about coastal hazard risk, improving levels of trust and legitimacy, community engagement, and collaborative governance were key to innovative long-term adaptation planning in the Hawke’s Bay but their absence has led to short-term business as usual practices in the Coromandel. Yet even in the latter case, change is underway and longer-term adaptation planning is commencing. We conclude that there is a ‘rising tide’ of adaptation action in the face of escalating climate risk – with long-term planning and local action triggered by cumulative hazard experience and / or extreme events that raise public concern and make climate change salient to local community members and leaders. Both local and regional interests and concerns shape local response appetites. Proactive, local authority-led engagement and long-term strategic planning are foundational for mobilizing effective adaptation responses. Enabling national policy, guidance and institutional provisions are key to prompting and sustaining such efforts, and to facilitating broad consistency in locally appropriate responses. Notwithstanding efforts to foster locally appropriate but nationally aligned adaptation responses, our research shows that coastal communities and their local authorities follow pathways consistent with local risk appetites, understanding about climate change, and the political will and capacity of local government to mobilize key governance actors around long-term strategic planning.

地方利益的纷争和争议以及气候变化的复杂性使得适应沿海气候变化风险的挑战性很大。即使在类似的环境中，适应经验和前景也会明显不同。为什么？本文提供了在新西兰奥特罗阿州两个地区（科罗曼德半岛和霍克湾沿岸）比较适应经验的经验证据。我们批判性地考察了在面临相似风险，具有基本相同的机构架构，但适应经验却截然不同的两个地区，当地的壁垒和促成因素如何影响适应的轨迹。我们调查了情况的差异和相似之处，以及它们对每个地区适应的影响。我们发现，适应的演变是由演员的感知决定的，特别是地方政府领导人，以及在特定时间点产生的机会。这样的看法和机会可能会在一个位置造成障碍，而在另一个位置会成为促成因素。对沿海灾害风险的日益关注，提高信任度和合法性，社区参与和协作治理的水平，是霍克湾创新性长期适应计划的关键，但由于缺乏适应性措施，导致了科罗曼德的短期经营。然而，即使在后一种情况下，变革仍在进行中，长期适应计划也正在开始。我们得出结论，面对不断加剧的气候风险，适应行动存在“上升趋势” –长期的规划和地方行动是由累积的灾害经验和/或极端事件引发的，这引起了公众的关注，并使气候变化对地方具有重要意义社区成员和领导人。地方和地区的利益与关切都影响着当地的回应意愿。积极主动的，地方政府主导的参与和长期战略规划是动员有效的适应对策的基础。有利的国家政策，指导和体制规定，对于促进和维持这种努力，并促进在地方上适当的对策中保持广泛的一致至关重要。尽管做出了努力，以促进在当地进行适当调整但在全国范围内保持一致的适应对策，