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Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says an interagency Corrective Action Plan released today will improve the strength of Civil Defence in New Zealand.

“An independent review of the response to the Christchurch earthquake on February 22 found overall that emergency services worked well. However a number of recommendations were made on how the process could be improved,” says Mr Tremain.

The Minister of Civil Defence, Chris Tremain, has tonight presented the inaugural Ministerial Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Gold and Silver Awards.

“New Zealand is recognised internationally as having one of the best emergency management systems in the world.  We are often the benchmark for other nations.  As a result of this it is important that we recognise individuals and organisations who achieve this on a daily basis,” says Mr Tremain.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says New Zealand's response to disaster management is setting a benchmark for countries in Asia and the Pacific.

Mr Tremain has just attended the Fifth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Indonesia.  The conference was hosted by the Government of Indonesia and the United Nations.

"We shared the lessons learnt from the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011, and explained the structure we use for disaster risk management," says Mr Tremain.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain will travel to Indonesia next week to attend the Fifth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The conference is being hosted by the National Agency for Disaster
Management of Indonesia and supported by the United National International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. 

“Nothing tested New Zealand’s disaster management framework like the Christchurch earthquake on 22 February 2011,” says Mr Tremain. 

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says the independent review of the response to the 22 February Christchurch earthquake confirms the strength of our civil defence systems.

"The report concludes that, overall, the emergency response worked well.  The earthquake was an unprecedented challenge and emergency services have been commended for their impressive overall response and courageous efforts," Mr Tremain says.

Minister of Civil Defence Chris Tremain has praised the efforts of the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management for its successful first ever nationwide ShakeOut earthquake drill.

“This morning at 9.26am over 1.3 million New Zealanders practised the drill – Drop, Cover and Hold.  That is an outstanding effort and I’d like to thank the citizens, schools, government organisations and businesses throughout the country who took the opportunity to get on board,” says Mr Tremain.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain is congratulating the one million New Zealanders who have signed up for Exercise ShakeOut, the first-ever nationwide earthquake drill.

“We set the goal of one million ShakeOut participants, and this morning we achieved this goal with Berhampore School in Wellington signing up the ‘millionth’ person.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says the first nationwide ShakeOut drill has reached  the half way target with over 500,000 people now registered to take part.

“There are now 63 days to go before the drill and we aim to grow this number to one million,” says Mr Tremain.    

“After the recent Taranaki earthquake there was a noticeable increase in registrations.  This was the wake-up call many New Zealanders needed and motivated people to sign up for the emergency exercise.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says that the latest Colmar Brunton survey on emergency preparedness shows that there is no room for complacency when it comes to hazards.

“The Get Ready Get Thru advertising campaign has been running since 2006 and has produced significant results in awareness and understanding,” says Mr Tremain.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says the earthquake centred off the Taranaki Coast is a timely reminder for New Zealanders to be earthquake prepared.

“The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has just upgraded its ShakeOut website with a link that now provides information about regional earthquake hazards. http://www.shakeout.govt.nz/whyparticipate/

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain today launched the new Get Ready series of advertisements at Mt Roskill primary school in Auckland.

The advertising campaign features primary school children from Mt Roskill and Mt Eden primary schools talking about what an earthquake is and what to do when an earthquake happens.

“The television advertising and online videos will address any confusion over the right actions to take in an earthquake and also back up the national ShakeOut campaign,” says Mr Tremain.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain and Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew have responded to concerns raised by volunteers about the challenges they faced providing assistance during the Canterbury earthquakes.

A range of organisations attended a Civil Defence Volunteers Forum in Christchurch, including the Farmy Army, the Student Volunteer Army and the Grace Vineyard Church. Officials from government agencies also attended.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain and Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew have announced they will be hosting a volunteers’ forum in Christchurch on 25 June. This will enable volunteers to discuss the challenges they faced providing assistance during the earthquakes.

“Some volunteers have expressed concern about the way in which they were dealt with by authorities involved in emergency management,” says Mr Tremain.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain says that an initial milestone has been reached today with over 100,000 people registered to participate in the first nationwide ShakeOut earthquake drill.

“The Canterbury earthquakes have shown us that we need to be prepared for major earthquakes, and practise how to protect ourselves when they happen,” says Mr Tremain.

“New Zealand ShakeOut is an important Civil Defence initiative and I’m pleased to see workplaces, schools and families are getting behind it.

Civil Defence Minister Chris Tremain today launched New Zealand ShakeOut, the biggest earthquake public education campaign ever staged in New Zealand.

“The ShakeOut campaign will last for six months, and will include radio and television advertisements, a social media campaign, and promotional activities around the country. This will culminate in a nationwide earthquake drill on 26 September,” says Mr Tremain.