6. Climate Change Policy—AdaptionJAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister for Climate ChangeClimate Change Policy—Adaption6. JAN LOGIE (Green) to the Minister for Climate Change: What is the Government doing to work with local authorities and communities to help plan for the effects of rising sea levels caused by climate change?Hon JAMES SHAW (Minister for Climate Change): Tomorrow I will be releasing two reports the coastal hazards guidance for local government as well as a draft of the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group's stocktake of the kinds of risks that New Zealand will be facing in the future. There have been a number of requests from local authorities and from communities for this kind of information so that they can plan better for the future.Jan Logie: What plans does the Government have to support communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change?Hon JAMES SHAW: Our Government intends to support local authorities communities and businesses to adapt to the effects of climate change by providing them with the most up-to-date information that we can as soon as we can. Many people will have seen reports this week by the news service Newsroom that illustrate the kind of poor planning investment and development decisions that can arise when this kind of information is unavailable.Jan Logie: How will the Minister work alongside communities to support them to adapt to the effects of climate change?Hon JAMES SHAW: In addition to the two reports I'm releasing tomorrow there will be a further report in March next year from the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group which lays out the policy options that will be available to central and local authorities as well as private and community sector organisations. Alongside the work that we're doing to reduce New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions adapting to the effects of climate change is a major priority for this Government.Todd Muller: What feedback has the Minister received from affected councils stakeholders and community groups who actually requested and were provided by the Ministry for the Environment additional consultation on the draft guidance earlier this year?Hon JAMES SHAW: As I understand it the final report that we'll be releasing tomorrow contains a number of changes and additions based on the feedback that was received during the consultation round.Todd Muller: What is the Government going to do to work with the community of the West Coast to prepare them for the new Powering Past Coal Alliance obligations that the Minister signed up to last month which will see New Zealand phase out coal from power generation before 2030? [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! Mr O'Connor—the member may ask a supplementary question if he wants but we'll finish this one first.Hon JAMES SHAW: And I'd be pleased to take it. Contained in the confidence and supply arrangement between the Green Party and the Labour Party is a commitment to providing just transition plans for the energy sector and the agricultural sector before we put in place the targets to move to 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2035. So it is our absolute intention to work with communities to help them plan for not just reducing greenhouse gas emissions not just adapting to the effects of climate change but also transitioning to a low-carbon future where everybody has good green jobs and better incomes than they have at the moment.Hon Damien O'Connor: Can the Minister confirm that over 1500 jobs were lost to the West Coast when Solid Energy was forced to take on higher levels of debt to pay a dividend to the National Government under the last tenure of their control?Mr SPEAKER: No—it might be a very important issue to the West Coast but it's not directly the responsibility of the current Minister for Climate Change.