pixabay.com | A view of a mountain and a lake / A view of a lake with mountains in the background public domain stock photo. | https://picryl.com/media/new-zealand-fiordland-south-island-dac5a0 | Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication license | https://web.archive.org/web/20161229043156/
The New Zealand government has granted $6.6 million to clean up four historic landfill and dump sites that are vulnerable to extreme weather events and coastal erosion. These sites are located in Tairāwhiti, Southland, Canterbury and Nelson. Environment Minister Penny Simmonds states that “These sites are in low-lying coastal areas and near river margins, leaving them at risk of being compromised by storm surges, rainfall events, high river levels and flooding.”
Additionally, he stated that the Ministry for the Environment will work with regional councils to assess historic landfills as well a provide funding for councils to develop a tool to evaluate climate change risks for landfills and contaminated sites. Simmonds says, “These assessments will help councils make decisions on how to manage the risks associated with vulnerable landfills and contaminated sites, such as reducing the level of contamination, better containing the sites, or removing the contents of landfills.”