Residents in the coastal town of Thames are upset after the local council delayed signing the Local Government Leaders Climate Change Declaration.
Pressure is mounting on Thames Coromandel District Council as one of 23 councils yet to sign, while many other mayors and chairs around the country already have.
"This document and this discussion is around making sure we are doing more than mitigation [of climate change] and we need to think about what more we are doing to actually solve the problem," said Thames Coromandel councillor Rex Simpson.
Mayors and chairs of New Zealand territorial local authorities declared an urgent need in 2015 for responsive leadership and a holistic approach to climate change. This was endorsed in 2017 and a declaration drawn up.
So far, 55 councils have signed the declaration, while 23 had not. Earlier this year, the West Coast Regional Council was criticised for declining to sign, pending more scientific evidence.