Since the current government took power in 2023, there has been a marked retreat from the strategic climate leadership Aotearoa once claimed to champion. Cuts That Weaken Our Climate BackboneThe Government’s 2024 and 2025 budgets quietly dismantled vital climate funding streams. Research from the University of Auckland and the University of Waikato shows that New Zealand’s climate leadership is characterised by small, incremental steps rather than bold, transformative action. The deadly storms and landslides in early 2026 – including tragic loss of life and widespread community disruption – underline a stark truth: climate change is not theoretical. How many more disasters, deaths, and economic losses must occur before climate policy aligns with the scale of the crisis?