Councils generally consider themselves to be somewhat responsive in preparing for and responding to extreme weather events. A couple of Councils have formal monitoring as part of wider strategy documents.

Measurement, monitoring and review is an important component of any adaptation plan or strategy, as it evaluates their effectiveness and informs a process of ongoing review and updates.

The results of the Council health checks were presented to each respective Council during the Municipal strategic discussions (see Section 6 of this report).

The health check results were used to prompt discussion on the Councils’ current level of preparedness to respond to climate change risks and where opportunities exist for future action as part of an individual council and/or regional adaptation response. These potential actions aim to address current weaknesses in preparedness to respond to climate change risks as identified by the health checks.

The Municipal strategic discussions informed the development of an initial list of recommended adaptation projects. Council actions are discussed further in Section 6 of this report.

Stakeholders prioritised the recommended projects during a workshop with project partners and councils on 11 November 2013 (see Section 9 of this report). The criteria used to assess the priority of projects included consideration of the importance of addressing gaps in current processes that the health checks have identified.