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An assessment of local government civil defence organisations shows their capabilities continue to improve across New Zealand, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.

“The assessment of New Zealand’s 16 regional Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups began last year and was carried out by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM),” says Ms Kaye.

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.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced the introduction of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Amendment Bill, which will strengthen the law to help communities recover from small to moderate scale emergencies.

“In June I announced that Cabinet had approved changes to the Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Act to improve recovery from these emergencies, and this Bill will give effect to those changes,” says Ms Kaye.

“This is about helping communities get back on their feet more quickly after an emergency.”

New Zealand is now better at planning for and supporting the public in emergencies, with over 100 recommendations from the Independent Review of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Response to the Christchurch Earthquake now actioned, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.

“This is the culmination of around three years’ work since the review was completed. Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) has worked with central and local government agencies to strengthen and invest in a wide range of areas,” says Ms Kaye.

Initial results show that official sign-ups for New Zealand ShakeOut 2015 have beaten our 2012 national earthquake drill, with over 1.35 million Kiwis signed up this year, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.

“We estimate that more than 1.5 million Kiwis actually took part in ShakeOut today, practising the potentially lifesaving action of drop, cover and hold,” says Ms Kaye.

On the eve of the national ShakeOut earthquake drill at 9.15am on Thursday 15 October, Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye is urging as many people as possible to sign up and take part.

“Last night we had a timely reminder that New Zealand isn’t called the shaky isles for no reason, with a 5.8 magnitude quake just east of Pongaroa.

“On average, we have around one earthquake every half hour in New Zealand, or 20,000 earthquakes a year. Around 250 of these are large and close enough to feel.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says following the 8.3 earthquake in Chile, it’s important people listen to national warnings issued in New Zealand by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM).

“In these situations, a national tsunami panel, which includes a team of experts, advises MCDEM on any potential threat to New Zealand.

Just over a month from New Zealand’s second-ever national earthquake drill, Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye is encouraging other regions to follow Wellington’s lead and sign up to drop, cover and hold at 9.15am on 15 October.

“Wellington is currently the front runner in terms of the number of people set to take part, with 25 per cent of Wellingtonians already signed up,” says Ms Kaye.

“Neck and neck behind Wellington are the West Coast and Bay of Plenty, where over 21 per cent of locals are already on board.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy and Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye have announced an extra $2.6 million of Government support for communities worst affected by the severe storm in June.

“Today’s announcement extends the support we can usually draw on to help communities recover from an emergency such as this,” says Ms Kaye.

“This was an unusual event because certain areas were hit a lot harder than others.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says recovery from the severe storm in June is going well, but latest estimates show its economic impact could be around $270 million.

Areas hardest hit by the storm included parts of Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatu.

“Much of the cost of the storm will be met by private insurance, but the Government will also contribute significant support.

“We do this in several ways. We make support available to individuals through things like contributions to local relief funds.

More than 500,000 New Zealanders have signed up to take part in New Zealand ShakeOut, our national earthquake drill at 9.15am on 15 October, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.

“This is a great start. Our goal is to have at least 1.5 million people signed up for the drill, so eleven weeks out we’re a third of the way there,” says Ms Kaye.

“During the drill, New Zealanders will drop, cover and hold to practise the right actions to take during an earthquake.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says dedicated recovery managers are on the ground to coordinate the recovery led by local authorities, in areas affected by the recent severe storm.

“Regional recovery managers appointed by Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups are working with local recovery managers from district councils, to help ensure that resources and support are coordinated and delivered effectively,” says Ms Kaye.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says the recovery led by local authorities is well under way in regions affected by the severe storm that crossed New Zealand between 18 and 20 June.

‘Regions hardest hit by the storm, which caused significant damage and flooding, were Taranaki, Whanganui, Rangitikei and Westland,” says Ms Kaye.

“Within these regions some areas were affected more than others, so the speed of recovery will differ for each area.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says the government will contribute significant support to areas affected by the severe storm over the past five days.

“In situations like this, the government has a range of funding and resource mechanisms to support response and recovery,” says Ms Kaye.

“We expect the support through these mechanisms to total some millions of dollars in the days ahead.

“This storm resulted in three states of local emergency being declared, in Taranaki, Whanganui and Rangitikei.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says states of local emergency were declared in Taranaki, Wanganui and Rangitikei yesterday to enable people to be evacuated to safety.

“The flooding in areas such as Waitotara and Wanganui has been very severe.

“In situations like this, it’s important that local Civil Defence Emergency Management teams can take actions necessary to help evacuate people and save lives.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye acknowledges Wanganui District Council declaring a state of local emergency this afternoon before flooding threatens homes.

“I have spoken with Mayor Annette Main and offered support if needed,” says Ms Kaye.

“The Mayor declared a state of local emergency to enable about 100 people living near the Whanganui River to be evacuated.

"I have been told the river is expected to flood nearby houses, and it was important for people's safety that they evacuate as soon as possible.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye says the emergency response smartphone app announced today by Communications Minister Amy Adams could potentially save lives in many types of emergencies.

“I worked alongside Minister Adams to identify opportunities for civil defence uses for the app, and the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has been involved in building the business case for it.

“The app will be designed so that as well as its emergency caller location function, it will also be able to send alerts to users about threats in their area.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye announced today that the government will contribute $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to support people affected by the recent Dunedin flooding.

“In 24 hours from 3 June, Dunedin received a record 177mm of rain, which caused flooding in South Dunedin and surrounding areas, as well as landslides,” says Ms Kaye.

“This fund has been set up by the Dunedin City Council, which has contributed $150,000. The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has worked with the Council to contribute to the fund.

Introduction

Good morning. I would like to thank Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Mayor Lianne Dalziel for being here today, as well as other representatives from local government.

I would also like to acknowledge Sarah Stuart-Black, the Director of the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, and all of the MCDEM staff who are here today.

Thank you for the huge amount of work that you have been doing.

It’s a pleasure to be here at the first-ever New Zealand Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that Cabinet has approved changes to the Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Act that will improve the way communities recover from emergencies.

Ms Kaye made the announcement this morning at the New Zealand Symposium on Disaster Risk Reduction.

“During an emergency, the right laws need to be in place to enable those involved to carry out vital tasks, such as closing roads and public places, entering buildings to do assessments, and removing or securing dangerous structures and materials.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) has today published updated advice about how to prepare for earthquakes, says Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye.

“The updated advice clarifies what to do before, during and after the shaking stops, and is set out in the earthquake chapter of the reference guide that provides agreed messages for all agencies involved in civil defence emergency management,” says Ms Kaye.

An establishment board will be formed to assess whether local government’s management of the risks from natural hazards to infrastructure and other assets can be strengthened.

The $1.6 million initiative will be jointly funded by the Crown and Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), Local Government Minister Paula Bennett and Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye say.

The government has approved, through an Order in Council, a revised plan to ensure New Zealand is well prepared to manage emergencies, Civil Defence Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“The National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan sets out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in reducing risks and preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies.

(speech delivered to 2015 Nikkei Forum, Tokyo, Japan, 21 May 2015)

Minasan, Konnichiwa.

Tēnā koutou, Tēnā koutou, Tēnā koutou katoa.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak at this International Conference on the Future of Asia.

New Zealand considers itself very much an active country of this region.

New Zealand governments took a conscious decision, starting in the 1960s, to diversify our relationships away from traditional partners in Europe.