Government to overhaul emergency management system

The government has revealed plans to overhaul New Zealand's emergency management system by acting on all 14 recommendations made in a damning Inquiry into last year's devastating and deadly weather events.

In the government's official response to the Inquiry, it is promising to deliver a series of actions over the next five years.

It has hinted that costs could be a challenge, although a funding budget has yet to be calculated.

"We are operating in a tight fiscal environment and recognise the importance of continuing investment over time to make sustainable changes to the emergency management system," said Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell.

A number of reports have revealed major failings in New Zealand's emergency management systems, which put hundreds of people's lives at risk during the North Island weather-events early in 2023.

Fifteen people died and one person remains missing across three major emergencies - the Auckland Anniversary floods, Cyclone Hale and Cyclone Gabrielle. Homes, businesses, and infrastructure were destroyed, and Treasury estimated the damage cost between $9 billion and $14.5 billion.

There have been multiple reviews and reports on emergency management:

• Earlier this year a North Island Severe Weather Events (NISWE) Inquiry, chaired by former Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae, found the country is not ready to respond to large-scale emergencies because in some places the system failed completely
• It followed an independent review of Hawke's Bay's Civil Defence, led by former Police Commissioner Mike Bush, that revealed major shortcomings in its response to Cyclone Gabrielle
• Both reports revealed public warnings and communication were non-existent or insufficient, and the capability and capacity of civil defence staff and infrastructure was overestimated or lacking
• Mateparae's Inquiry made 14 recommendations, including creating a warning system for natural disasters, building up the capability and capacity of civil defence staff, and including iwi Māori, businesses and locals in disaster planning
• While Bush's review panel gave 75 recommendations, such as advocating to central government for an overhaul of the current CDEM system in New Zealand - including changed legislation.
• Another report into the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's flood protections during the cyclone found Cyclone Gabrielle, found the council failed in its ability to plan, and respond to extreme weather events.

After all these findings and recommendations, Mitchell said he intends to implement "all of the headline recommendations" from the NISWE Inquiry. However, he's also warning that it will take time and money.

"I am under no illusion this will be a quick fix. The emergency management system is inherently complex," said Mitchell.

Five key 'focus areas' to reform

New Zealand's emergency management system first began in 1931 after the Hawke's Bay Earthquake, resulting in a 'Public Safety Conservation Act' which created the first ever emergency powers, then in 1960 the Ministry of Civil Defence was established.

Following the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake and 2017 Port Hills Fire, a major review was undertaken to improve our response to natural disasters, resulting in reforms that led to the establishment of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in 2019.

The NISWE Inquiry found a number of issues in the current system, including a major disconnect between communities and emergency management agencies, the lack of a formal legislated role for Iwi and Maori and constraints on councils.

"The events stretched the emergency management system beyond its limits. The Inquiry considers that, as a country, we are not adequately prepared for severe weather events or large-scale emergencies affecting multiple regions at once," the report said.

To address that, the government is promising to deliver a programme of changes across five broad focus areas to "build an emergency management system that can continuously improve and become stronger over time", and each area has a suite of 'high level actions to deliver on its intent over the next five years'.

The areas are:

• 1. Give effect to the whole-of-society approach to emergency management
• 2. Support and enable local government to deliver a consistent minimum standard of emergency management across New Zealand.
• 3. Professionalise and build the capability and capacity of the emergency management workforce.
• 4. Enable the different parts of the system to work better together.
• 5. Drive a strategic focus on implementation and investment to ensure delivery.

Mitchell said the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and NEMA were clarifying the scope, timing and funding requirements to deliver the actions, and will deliver an investment and implementation roadmap setting this out.

"While this document sets the pathway forward, there is more detail to come. Early next year, I will publish a public roadmap, giving clear direction and timelines for the next phase of this work so that you can hold us to account for delivery," he said.

'High and growing level of emergency risk'

In the government response to the NISWE Inquiry, Mitchell said it has been a challenging 15 years for the emergency management system with a series of major disasters such as the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes, the Whakaari / White Island eruption, severe flooding on the West Coast and Tasman, and other major emergencies such as the Covid‑19 pandemic and the Christchurch mosque attacks.

"Since the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act came into force in 2002 (CDEM Act 2022), three states of national emergency have been declared, two of which have been in the last four years.

"It is increasingly clear large scale weather events should be considered the 'new normal'. Recent scientific research shows that within the next 50 years there is a high likelihood of an earthquake of magnitude eight or more on the Alpine Fault (75 percent) or Hikurangi subduction zone (26 percent), with potentially catastrophic consequences," said Mitchell.

And the costs are climbing higher than any government has predicted.

"The costs to government of responding to and recovering from emergencies are growing faster than government revenue and are projected to increase by over 50 percent per decade - from $0.7 billion in 2020 to $3.3 billion in 2050.

"Most of New Zealand's regions face potential storm costs that are growing at a faster rate than their regional incomes," said Mitchell.

Mitchell told Morning Report his priorites were investment in people working in emergency management roles, a $10.5m national emergency facility in Wellington, and a second facility in Auckland.

He said the new facilities should be completed in 2026 or 2027.