PROJECT: Climate ESNZ Adaptation Series
Climate Adaptation ESNZ Series
In partnership with Earth Sciences New Zealand (NIWA)
Geo AR partnered with Earth Sciences New Zealand and Hum Interactive on a climate resilience series that translates real scientific datasets into decision-driven simulations. Players manage properties, choose adaptation strategies, and experience trade-offs across decades of climate change.
Players take on community roles including residential homeowners, dairy farmers, and Māori land tenure. The series is used in community workshops across New Zealand and internationally to influence policy-makers.
Earth Sciences New Zealand (NIWA)
Coastal communities are already feeling the effects of climate change, from rising seas to more frequent flooding. Yet for many property owners, it can be difficult to picture how these risks play out over time or what options exist to respond. The challenge for Earth Sciences New Zealand (NIWA) was to create an accessible, engaging way for people to explore adaptation strategies and see the long-term consequences of their choices.
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Project Outcomes
Community dialogue at scale
Deployed in workshops across New Zealand and internationally, the games provide a shared, neutral space for communities and stakeholders to explore difficult conversations about risk and resilience.
Insights feeding real policy
Player decisions across workshop sessions reveal how communities think about risk, trade-offs, and adaptation horizons. These insights are feeding back into ESNZ’s research and into coastal adaptation planning in Aotearoa and beyond.
Equity and cultural inclusion
A Māori landowner protecting a marae or urupā from floodwaters is making a choice driven by cultural responsibility. By honouring these distinct values and priorities, the series produces richer, more realistic insights into how adaptation really works across diverse communities.
Resources & Associated Papers
NIWA – Earth Sciences New Zealand. (n.d.).
My Coastal Futures online game. NIWA. https://niwa.co.nz/climate-and-weather/my-coastal-futures-online-game
NIWA – Earth Sciences New Zealand. (n.d.).
Township Flood Challenge game. NIWA. https://niwa.co.nz/township-flood-challenge-game
NIWA – Earth Sciences New Zealand. (n.d.).
Future Coasts Aotearoa. NIWA. https://niwa.co.nz/hazards/future-coasts-aotearoa
Colliar, J., & Blackett, P. (2021).
Marae-opoly: supporting localised Māori climate adaptation decisions with serious games in Aotearoa New Zealand. Sustainability Science, 16, 1281–1298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00998-9
Levy, R., Naish, T., Hamling, I., Garner, G., Hreinsdottir, S., Kopp, R., Golledge, N., Colleoni, F., Bell, R., Paulik, R., Lawrence, J., Denys, P., & Gillies, T. (2024).
The significance of vertical land movements at convergent plate boundaries in probabilistic sea-level projections for AR6 scenarios: The New Zealand case. Earth's Future. https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10511878.1
Garrett, L. (2023).
Potential for paludiculture in New Zealand: Considerations for the Lower Waikato (NIWA report, prepared for Future Coasts Aotearoa). NIWA. https://niwa.co.nz/sites/default/files/inline-images/FINAL_Paludiculture_Potential_NZ_V2_220523_0.pdf