NFPs under pressure from climate change

GirlGuiding New Zealand has had to reconsider how it delivers its outdoor programme due the influence of climate change on New Zealand’s weather.

Storms and flooding that struck the upper North Island earlier in 2023 not only disrupted GilrGuiding’s outdoor activities but also highlighted a need to reassess how its programmes could be delivered safely, says Maia Faulkner, chair of the organisation.

“We have had to think carefully about what kinds of risk plans we have in place, what kinds of training our volunteers require to mitigate some of those risks and how we can deliver the outdoor component of some of our programmes, so we can still offer the girls the kind of experience we want to offer,” Faulkner says.

Alongside safety considerations, GirlGuiding faces infrastructure risks to its activities such as camp sites not being available, and tracks being washed out

“We are carefully looking at what climate risk looks like. That’s one of our main focuses and we have formed a working group to look at sustainability and climate risk.”

That means assessing climate risk now, and also trying to anticipate what the future may bring, she says.

“We are also thinking about how you manage property in this day and age. Parts of a property that we had previously owned was completely washed out in the Hawkes Bay flooding. The aerial shots were horrific. That really drove home what the impacts could be on other properties.”

Climate impacts on NFPs

Dr Charles Ehrhart is KPMG International’s Global Head of Climate Risk, Resilience and Adaptation, and a Partner at KPMG New Zealand where he co-leads the firm’s Climate Change, Decarbonisation, ESG and Sustainability services.

Speaking at the IoD’s Not-for-Profit Chairs’ Forum, he said climate change could make the work of NFPs more difficult.

Ehrhart notes there are two categories of risks associated with climate change:

• Physical risks to nature, the built environment, and people from the increasing intensity of extreme weather events and changing weather patterns.
• Transition risks that arise from the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy due to policy changes, changing social preferences, legal obligations, and market disruption.

Climate change is already affecting the work of NFPs, he says. For example, climate change is having a negative impact on environmental conservation efforts by causing habitat loss and disrupting ecosystems. Climate change is also affecting health through extreme temperatures, air pollution, vector-borne diseases, and food insecurity. These challenges are having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, exacerbating existing social and economic inequalities.

This is already placing greater demand on NFPs in areas such as disaster relief, healthcare and the provision of vital food and shelter.

It is also necessary to consider how climate change may impact funding, Ehrhart says. Dealing with climate change is likely to take up considerable financial resources, leaving the pool smaller for other purpose-driven activities. This may include reduced government funding, as budgets are reconfigured around government climate strategies, and endowments where climate causes a reduction in the value of physical assets or financial investments.

Habitat for Humanity NZ

Responding to climate change is already a major focus for Habitat for Humanity NZ. Among its work, the organisation runs programmes in the Pacific to improve the quality of housing and water supplies, a challenge made greater by rising sea levels and the increased severity of storms.

“Climate change action is a real issue facing the communities there. Our programmes have been built to take that into consideration,” says Glen Cornelius CMInstD, who chairs Habitat for Humanity NZ, among other governance roles, and is the head of strategic initiatives at engineering consultancy Harrison Grierson.

For our Pacific neighbours in Tonga, Fiji and Samoa, climate change has raised the potential danger levels of the annual cyclone season. Extreme weather events can have a devastating impact on low-lying islands, he says.

Habitat runs community-led programmes that include a participatory approach to safe shelter awareness (PASSA) training and build back safer (BBS) programme, which help people identify risks and improve their disaster resilience.

Alongside this, the organisation runs a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) module that teaches important plumbing and health skills.

“The Pacific Islands, with their low-lying nature, are the first to experience some the changes we will see with a changing climate, a changing environment.”

Habitat is also active in the New Zealand housing market. It operates as a community housing provider, finding affordable housing development in projects around the country. A 2022 survey undertaken in partnership with AMI found 40% of people were concerned about dampness in their homes.

“With the extreme weather events we are facing here in New Zealand, that is only going to exacerbate the issue,” he says.

Board discussions

Cornelius says climate change is firmly on the organisation’s board agenda.

“We have recognised climate change as an issue and looked at how we resource the organisation to address the need.”

This has included developing an international programmes team and stronger relationships with governments in the places it operates.

“We made changes several years ago to our board looking at representation around the board table. Due to our focus on the Pacific, we have brought in directors from Samoa and Tonga and put our chief executive on to the Habitat Fiji board.”