Natural Hazards Research Platform
The Natural Hazards Research Platform was established in 2009 by the New Zealand Government to provide long-term funding for natural hazard research, and to help researchers and end-users work more closely together.
The Platform is led by GNS Science, with NIWA as a co-anchor organisation and the University of Canterbury, Massey University, Opus Research, and University of Auckland as partners. Collaboration extends wider with subcontracts to other parties.
The Platform is obligated to provide the best science advice possible in the national interest, and research is aligned with the strategies of Government agencies responsible for reduction, readiness, response and recovery from natural hazard events.
The Platform structure includes a Strategic Advisory Group of end-users, a Technical Advisory Group of international scientists, a Management Group representing all Platform partners, and an Anchor CEO Group made up of the CEOs of GNS Science, NIWA and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
The aim of the research is to directly contribute to improved economic, infrastructural and social resilience to natural hazards in New Zealand. The science capability supported by the Platform is also available to assist decision makers during significant hazard events.
The Platform is organised into five themes:
- Geological hazards;
- Weather, flood, and coastal hazards;
- Developing regional and national risk evaluation models;
- Societal resilience: social, cultural, economic and planning factors
- Resilient buildings and infrastructure
Recent Platform activities include extensive responses to the Canterbury Earthquakes, Tongariro and White Island volcanic events, extreme weather events, risk modelling throughout New Zealand and studies of social and business vulnerability to natural hazard events.
The Platform has approximately $14M per annum (including Crown Research Institute core funding) to invest in long and short-term projects that align with end-user needs. The short-term funding round is open to all New Zealand-based natural hazards researchers, with the next round to start in 2017. See the Funding section on the Research Platform website for more information.
Contact details:
E-mail: NHRP@gns.cri.nz
Website: www.naturalhazards.org.nz
Tel: 04 570 4800
Platform Manager (Interim): Dr Hannah Brackley