New plan and guide for managing emergencies from 1 December

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that the new National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan and supporting guide will come into effect on 1 December 2015.

“The plan sets out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies,” says Ms Kaye.

“The supporting guide, which incorporates the plan’s wording as well as extra detail, diagrams and operational information to help those implementing the plan, has been released today.

“Together, these documents ensure we now have much more robust, complete and better understood ways of delivering on the crucial functions of risk reduction and readiness, and responding to and recovering from emergencies.

“The arrangements in the plan and guide apply to everyone from central Government to local authorities, emergency services, lifelines utilities such as electricity suppliers and non-government organisations such as Victim Support.

“Sections in the documents cover the specific roles of those involved in emergencies, and also cover more general topics such as capability development, exercises and testing, public education and the operation of the National Crisis Management Centre in Wellington.

“Years of work and extensive consultation with the public and relevant agencies and organisations have gone into developing the latest version of the plan and guide, including consideration by select committee.

“The documents also incorporate important lessons learned from the Canterbury earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.”

Important changes to the revised plan and guide mean they now:

• set out 18 hazards and risks that will be managed nationally, from earthquakes to major transport accidents
• clarify the role of lead agencies to provide greater understanding of who’s responsible for managing particular hazards during an emergency, eg Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) for natural hazards; NZ Police for terrorism; Ministry of Primary Industries for biosecurity, food safety and drought
• identify the role that the NZ Defence Force can play in an emergency, eg by helping with evacuation, cordon management, aerial reconnaissance and deploying goods and services to affected communities
• include new arrangements for building management, such as building assessments to protect life and manage the safety of people in and near buildings
• recognise the role of research and science organisations such as GNS Science and MetService, which can help understand and monitor hazards and provide advice and information during emergencies
• enhance welfare services arrangements to better meet the needs of affected communities during emergencies, eg the need for financial assistance; psychosocial support; emergency accommodation; care and protection of children separated from parents, and animal welfare
• incorporate new arrangements for logistics, to make sure the right type and amount of resources are deployed and provided during emergencies
• set out new arrangements for business continuity planning and emergency response planning for local authorities, government departments and lifeline utilities, so essential services can continue to be provided to communities and response agencies can operate effectively during emergencies.

“New Zealand is no stranger to emergencies, including our first-ever national state of emergency following the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

“Our resilience as a nation depends on us being prepared to handle any emergency that comes our way, and the revised plan and guide provide us with the foundation to ensure we can do this.”

The Guide to the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan 2015 is available here