Message from the Minister of Civil Defence, Rick Barker

Welcome to my first monthly update of what’s happening in the Civil Defence portfolio.

June started off quietly, with a focus mainly in the area of improving readiness. This is the less dramatic side of civil defence, but also in some ways, it’s also the hardest. That’s because it’s very natural for people to attend to the problems they have right now, as opposed to preparing for the problem they might have in the future.

Then July arrived, and with it, some sharp encounters with the other side of civil defence work dealing with emergencies

Taranaki and upper North Island emergency events in July

It’s been a busy time for Civil Defence in the last two weeks. First up, Taranaki was hit by a series of tornadoes. We don’t think of New Zealand as being tornado-prone, but history shows that we do experience them, and at very destructive levels.

I visited Taranaki the day after the tornadoes. Damage was localised but extensive, with roofs ripped off and whole buildings shifted.

The following week, it was the turn of the upper North Island to experience extreme weather events. I visited the affected areas, both in Northland and Coromandel.

On visits like these, I am always impressed by two things. First, how much damage nature can inflict on us in a short space of time. Second, how willing people, both volunteers and professionals, are to pitch in and help when an emergency occurs.

We need to be organised to respond to emergencies, but emergencies don’t play by the rules. We need good systems, but we also need the ability to improvise on the day. NZ’s civil defence organisation has both, and is learning more with every emergency.

Inevitably, people ask at such times how much it will cost and who will pick up the bill. We know that it will cost millions to recover from the recent storms. The Government will bear a major part of those costs, and we have already provided money up-front to help councils deal with immediate problems. But the priority in the days immediately after such emergencies always needs to be on ensuring the safety and welfare of our communities and families.

'Get Ready’ message for NZ homes

Every household in the country was sent an emergency checklist that includes a list of essential survival items and a plan for families to fill in, setting out what each member of the household should do in an emergency.

If a disaster occurs, everyone needs to plan on the basis that there will be a period of at least three days when they can’t rely on essential services like transport, power and communications.

This means not only having supplies, but also planning for things like what you will do, where you will meet and who will pick up the kids.