The government has given a funding boost to help communities become more resilient in emergencies.
The Alpine Fault is marked out on satellite images by the western edge of the Southern Alps snowline. Photo: NASA
Minister of Emergency Management Kiri Allan has announced the latest recipients of the Resilience Fund.
They included $340,000 to help grass roots initiatives on the West Coast to prepare for a potential Alpine Fault rupture.
"Due to its isolation, its topography, and its proximity, the West Coast is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of an Alpine Fault rupture," Allan said.
"Recent research shows there is a 75 percent chance of the Alpine Fault rupturing in the next fifty years, and an 82 percent chance that such an earthquake would be magnitude 8 or higher."
The funding would enable better access to emergency fuel, power supplies, and would bolster local emergency communication options, she said.
"This is a practical and vital investment that will help to build on the outstanding work done by the AF8 project, another of the nine regional initiatives receiving a total of $879,000 from the fund."
The Tokomaru Bay bridge is split in two after flooding in Tairāwhiti. Photo: ATS Engineering & Network Solutions/Supplied
Other successful initiatives included:
- A project to improve resilience to rain events in Tairāwhiti
- Multilingual children's storybooks about storms and floods
- A coastal community resilience guide for the Chatham Islands
- A Chinese small business resilience conference in Auckland
- Earthquake education kits in Hawke's Bay
- A regional resilience analysis for Marlborough
- The continuation of a programme in Nelson-Tasman and Marlborough to bring together the eight manawhenua to strengthen Māori planning and preparation for emergencies
"Yesterday's release of new data on sea level rise is a timely reminder of why the government is turning its mind to these issues, and why the proposed National Adaptation plan, which looks to support communities adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change, is so important," Allan said.
"Each of the initiatives are strongly focused on future-proofing regional emergency management arrangements, making resilience more inclusive for diverse businesses and communities, and increasing the participation of Māori in emergency management planning."
The Resilience Fund is distributed annually with applications considered by a panel against criteria.