Policy
Whilst there is no direct legal requirement to provide a green roof in New Zealand there may be an indirect requirement as mitigation for impact on an areas amenity, stormwater amelioration or on protected species. Waitakere City Council has produced a green roof information pack and is leading by example having installed a green roof on their Council building. Auckland Regional Council is promoting living roofs through their technical publication 10 as a sustainable drainage option. North Shore City Council has a stormwater practice note on green roofs.
Tram Station, Zurich, photograph courtesy of livingroofs.org
Unfortunately we are lagging behind our overseas counterparts. A number of cities in the United Kingdom, US, Canada, Germany, China, Austria, Switzerland and Japan promote green roofs via a combination of legal frameworks, financial grants and policy incentives. Germany has installed about 130km2 of living roofs and is installing them at a rate of approximately 13km2 every year.
In New Zealand we should see our rooftops as an underutilised asset. New and existing rooftops should be seen as a very real opportunity to help us adapt to climate change. Unless we secure high quality environments for people and wildlife, the quality of our cities will decline – especially as the effects of climate change begin to take hold.
