Bay of Plenty Regional councillors received a standing ovation from community members after deciding to recommend the council declares a climate emergency.
A regional council committee today voted in support of declaring the climate emergency in what was, at times, an emotional meeting in Tauranga this morning.
Councillor Jane Nees was moved to tears as she implored her fellow councillors to vote for the recommendation, which would enforce the regional council to act on reducing carbon emissions and addressing other climate change threats.
"For me, this is the most important issue we've dealt with," she said.
"I'm sorry if I get emotional. This is about our future, our children's future. I think this is something that we need to do as a regional council to show leadership to our whole community. We can see there's huge support from the community."