Lifelines reports and resources

Reports and resources which may be of use to lifeline utilities, lifeline groups, or CDEM officers working with lifelines utilities

Aotearoa-New Zealand’s Critical Infrastructure:  A National Vulnerability Assessment  

The New Zealand Lifelines Council is proud to release the 2023 edition of the Aotearoa-New Zealand’s Critical Infrastructure:  A National Vulnerability Assessment.  This report is intended to:

  • provide a unique strategic perspective of all infrastructure services (including energy, transport, telecommunications, and water) as they act in combination to support the wellbeing of New Zealanders,
  • stimulate awareness particularly with regard to interdependencies and drive a change in approach to prioritising resilience investment in infrastructure, to best meet our community needs.

First produced in 2017 and updated in 2020, this 2023 edition updates all sections of the report, and strengthens previous reports with:

  • Expanded scope of ‘critical infrastructure’ sectors to include sections on Flood Protection, Solid Waste, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Financial Payments.
  • Development of the definition, criteria and identification of Critical National Infrastructure.
  • Increased focus on the needs of customers and communities and their ability to contribute to overall resilience improvements.
  • Expanded section on climate change implications for national infrastructure and mitigation / adaptation pathways.

The report is presented in three Parts:

Previous editions

How to benefit from Lifelines Projects

Report by the Auckland Engineering Lifelines Group providing a framework by which utilities can apply lifelines projects results. To assist your utility in benefiting from lifelines projects.

How to benefit from Lifelines Projects report (.pdf 709kb)

Value of Lifeline Seismic Risk Mitigation in Christchurch (June 2012)

This report is about the substantial range of risk reduction and readiness steps taken by lifeline utilities in Christchurch over recent years to reduce the impact of earthquakes. The work leading to the report of the Christchurch Engineering Lifelines Group in the 1990s, Risks and Realities, is the foundation for many of the measures adopted. The mitigation work also helped with the wider emergency response and recovery. The report shows that the costs of seismic risk mitigation in Christchurch will have been repaid many times over.

Value of Lifeline Seismic Risk Mitigation in Christchurch (June 2012) - full report (.pdf 392kb)

Value of Lifeline Seismic Risk Mitigation in Christchurch (June 2012) - summary version (.pdf 218kb)

Exercise Ruaumoko: Lifelines Sector Notes

This report was prepared by Tony Fenwick on behalf of the NZLC and the Auckland Engineering Lifelines Group to draw together the main lifeline-related experiences and learning points from Exercise Ruaumoko. The information in this report is intended to enhance approaches to risk reduction and readiness for volcanic and other regional and national scale events.

Exercise Ruaumoko: Lifeline Sector Notes (.pdf 700kb)

Report: review of international resources on engineering lifelines and critical infrastructure

This report is the first in a series that is designed to acquaint New Zealand National and Regional Engineering Lifeline Organisations with global developments in the fields of Engineering Lifelines, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Infrastructure Resilience. It is intended that this report be updated periodically.

Download Report No. 2 August 2010 (.doc 854kb)

Compiled by - Roger Crimp, for National Engineering Lifelines Committee New Zealand

Climate Change

The Ministry for the Environment has worked with Lifeline Groups to analyse potential effects of climate change on lifeline utilities and other infrastructure. http://www.mfe.govt.nz/climate-change/ 

Fast Moving Consumer Goods

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector is vitally important for the economy, health and well being of the nation. It is because of this that the National Emergency Management Agency approaches the FMCG sector as a “lifeline” even though it is not legislated as a lifeline utility.

The support that CDEM Groups are expected to provide to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector is comparable with the support that Groups are expected to provide to Lifeline Utilities within their region, regardless of the hazard.

The Grocery Industries Pandemic Planning Seminar 2009 gives an indication of the nature and extent of CDEM planning undertaken by the FMCG sector.