Acknowledging the decline in the state of the environment, the NZ Treasury intends that "information on and analysis of the value of natural capital in our society will become more comprehensive" (Discussion Paper, NZ Treasury, 2018, p. 3).  European based research programs (involving significant funding and collaboration across different disciplines) have developed and tested a range of natural capital valuation methods and ecosystem services/ green infrastructure planning tools  for a range of planning contexts.  These tools and methods are continually being improved and refined to:
 

1. provide planning practitioners and relevant stakeholders with a robust method of systematically assessing and informing new development and asset management proposals; and

2. ensure that resource management decisions deliver net environmental gains and improves community wellbeing and resilience to the effects of climate change.
    

Marijke was awarded a 2019 RTPI Research  grant to work with UK leaders in this field to test the application of a suitable tool to a New Zealand context, specifically to test data availability and how a tool may be adapted to a incorporate te ao Maori values. She will present the results of this research and recommendations.
 

In accordance with the NZ National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity 2016 "planning decisions must actively enable development in urban environments, and do that in a way that maximises wellbeing now and in the future" (MOE, 2016, p. 4).  The planning profession is being challenged to make better use of data and technology to engage with communities and inform decisions.  It is important to ensure that any tools developed for this purpose are robust, transparent, inclusive and accessible.

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