Younger people are more supportive of building on land that is susceptible to the impacts of climate change, a Herald poll has found.

Although the majority of New Zealanders were against the idea, perhaps unsurprisingly as communities recover from the January floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, one-third of 18-24-year-olds were supportive compared with 5 per cent of people aged 65 and older.

The poll, conducted by Dynata between June 15-20, asked 1000 people: Do you think new homes should be built in areas susceptible to climate impacts, such as coastal and flood-prone land?

Overall, 76 per cent said no, 16 per cent said yes and 8 per cent were unsure.

By age group, the strongest support came from those aged 18-24 (32 per cent) and 25-34 (28 per cent). Five per cent of people aged 65 and older were in favour of building new homes in flood-prone and coastal areas.

The floods in January came quickly. Before the land had dried, they came again with Cyclone Gabrielle. Landslides came down on homes, floodwaters inundated people’s living areas, and critical infrastructure was destroyed.

But that crisis came as another one continued to bubble away. Experts say the responses from young people in the Herald’s poll could reflect their desperation to find an affordable home in a tough housing market.

“Younger [people] are the … most aware that without significant new construction, they will find it all the harder to get new homes,” Emeritus Professor of public policy at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University Jonathan Boston said.

Sophie Handford, one of the country’s youngest councillors and founder of School Strike 4 Climate, said climate change was an “extremely pressing” issue for the young people she had interacted with and needed to be addressed simultaneously with the housing crisis.

“There may be an underlying assumption [by the young survey participants] that, due to a lack of bold climate leadership from those in power, our future will involve living on flood-prone land because we will need to adapt to living with more water. These assumptions may stem from the decisions, or lack of, being made now, which young people will ultimately inherit.”

Sophie Handford led the school climate strikes in 2019 and is the Paekākāriki-Raumati district ward councillor for the Kāpiti Coast District. Photo / Supplied

Managed retreat: Majority prepared to move

The prospect of managed retreat – the planned relocation of people, assets and, where appropriate, taonga, from risky locations – for some of the worst-affected communities has hit the news as the focus turns to how, and where, people should rebuild.

Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson told TVNZ’s Q+A programme in February “managed retreat” was a term New Zealanders are going to get used to hearing over the next few years.

The Herald poll asked respondents if they would be willing to relocate if they lived in an area that was susceptible to climate impacts, such as coastal and flood-prone land, and their home was purchased at market rates.

Overall, the majority - 78 per cent - would move, 8 per cent would oppose relocation and 14 per cent were unsure. Response rates were similar across all age groups. The strongest response came from those aged 65 and older with 87 per cent willing to move.

Some communities have been calling out for voluntary relocation, a practice that has long been used around the world and in several cases in New Zealand. For other communities, the concept will be upsetting and confronting, particularly those deeply connected to their sense of place and land.

“Leaving home or places, by choice or necessity, may trigger many emotions, such as grief, hopelessness and anxiety, depending on the level and nature of attachments to that place, historic grievances, and the support, management and process of relocation,” said University of Waikato environmental planning lecturer Dr Christina Hanna.

Reluctance to rebuild: “We want out of there”

The Government last month announced a voluntary buy-out scheme for flood and Cyclone-damaged homes, to be jointly funded with councils. It would apply to an estimated 700 unliveable homes in areas where the risk of severe weather events cannot be sufficiently mitigated.

West Auckland man Lasalle Carr said he would leave his home of 10 years in a heartbeat if he was offered a buy-out. His Rānui property, which backs on to the Momutu Stream, has been yellow-stickered, a council classification for moderate damage and restricted access.

Carr said the power of the floodwater that flowed through his property on January 27 was “like Piha”, carrying a neighbour’s Portacom into his backyard and sweeping away a 6ft fence.

It got inside quickly, rising from the carpet to his knees in 45 minutes.

“If it had happened at night, I guarantee people on our street would have lost their lives.”

Lasalle Carr outside Rānui home which was yellow-stickered after the January floods. Photo / Julia Gabel

Mud still marks the places the floodwaters reached: three-quarters of the way up his garage wall, the back door, inside his oven. Before the flood, it was a “fun, vibrant” home he shared with his partner, their dog and two cats, Salt and Pepper.

The floods took away a lot of things – sentimental letters, photos – and Pepper, who died after getting trapped under the house. Carr now lives in a Portacom on his front lawn while his partner has chosen to live elsewhere.

Despite his affection for the neighbours, some he has known since he first moved in, he doesn’t want to stay, worried about the next time the heavy rain comes.

“It’s probably going to happen again this year, just with the rain, it’s getting worse and worse.

“We want out of there. We don’t want to go back to that place if we don’t have to.”

Julia Gabel is an Auckland-based reporter with a focus on data journalism. She joined the Herald in 2020.