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Culturally mediated perceptions of climate change risks in New Zealand

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Abstract

As New Zealand moves towards implementing measures under its new zero carbon climate change act, it is increasingly important to understand the differences in public perceptions of climate change risks, as these can significantly foster or hinder climate change decision-making. While there is some existing research on a range of stakeholder views, beliefs and values pertaining to climate change risks in New Zealand, this paper argues for a more nuanced appreciation for who the ‘public’ is in the country. In an increasingly multi-cultural society, cultural differences across local population groups in climate change risk perception as well as in terms of their varying information needs is relevant to improved science communication and ultimately to improved climate change planning and decision-making.

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Data availability

Data referenced in this report can be accessed from the New Zealand government’s publicly available repository of statistics at https://www.stats.govt.nz/.

Notes

  1. The Act came into effect on 14 November 2019

  2. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/

  3. This typology builds on a ‘group-grid’ theory previously proposed by Douglas (1970) that focussed on the individual and each person’s social position inside or outside a social group. See Stoltz (2014) for a fuller context to the development of Douglas and Wildavsky’s grid/group typology of worldviews

  4. Classifications such as ‘Pasifika’ and ‘Asian’ themselves house huge variance within themselves and require further dis-aggregation

  5. https://teara.govt.nz/

  6. https://multiculturalnz.org.nz/

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Funding

This research is supported by funding from the New Zealand government’s Strategic Science Investment Fund.

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  1. GNS Science Ltd, Avalon, New Zealand

    Smrithi Talwar

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  1. Smrithi Talwar
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The author is a Senior Social Scientist at GNS Science, Avalon, Lower Hutt. Dr. Talwar is an environmental lawyer (LLM, London School of Economics) and social scientist (PhD, University of Cambridge) working on a range of issues at the interface of environment and development policy. Please contact s.talwar@gns.cri.nz for queries.

Glossary

Aotearoa

Māori name for the country New Zealand

Hapū

Sub-tribe

Iwi

Tribe

Māori

Indigenous person of Aotearoa – New Zealand

Mātauranga Māori

Māori knowledge. Body of knowledge originating from Māori ancestors, including the Māori world view and perspectives, Māori creativity and cultural practices.

Pasifika

Refers to migrants and descendants of migrants from the Polynesian nations of the Cook Islands, Tonga, Niue, Samoa, Tuvalu, Tokelau, who now call New Zealand home.

Rangatira

Māori chief or leader

Whānau

Extended family, family group

Whenua

Land, country, earth

Tangata whenua

People of the land

Te Reo Māori

Māori language

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement in Te Reo Māori and English that was signed in 1840 by the British Crown and about 540 Māori rangatira.

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Cite this article

Talwar, S. Culturally mediated perceptions of climate change risks in New Zealand. Climatic Change 164, 12 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-02966-9

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