Workshop highlights need for national risk tolerance framework

A recent workshop hosted by ResOrgs brought together national agencies and organizations to examine how risk tolerance is understood and applied across public policy, practice, and disaster resilience planning.

ResOrgs has released a report summarizing key insights from the event, which revealed gaps in how different sectors evaluate and act on risk, according to the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake. Participants cited varied levels of risk literacy, differing decision-making environments, and challenges in translating abstract concepts of risk tolerance into actionable policies.

Among the key themes was the complexity of evaluating what level of risk is acceptable in diverse contexts, and how those judgments influence long-term resilience strategies.

Challenges and priorities identified

Workshop participants highlighted several pressing needs, including:

• A nationally agreed societal risk tolerance framework that can be adapted to different sectors and communities
• Better integration of Te Ao Māori perspectives in how risk is understood and addressed
• A community of practice to share knowledge, tools, and case studies related to risk tolerance

The report also includes summaries of case studies presented during the workshop and outlines how different organizations are grappling with these issues in real-world settings.

Next steps

A small working group formed during the event is now tasked with advancing the priorities identified, including the potential development of national guidance on risk tolerance. This work comes amid recognition that while New Zealand has robust models for assessing natural hazard risks, it lacks a consistent approach for determining how much risk is acceptable – a gap with implications for policy, planning, and public engagement.