Local and Regional Hazard Risk Reduction

As most hazard events occur at the local or regional scale, New Zealand’s hazard risk management and CDEM planning frameworks place a strong emphasis on local initiatives for risk reduction. Individuals, communities and local government are best placed to decide on the management options suited to them, for example through land-use planning and building control activities.

At a regional level, CDEM groups and their constituent local authorities and emergency services are responsible for implementing local risk management and civil defence emergency management. Regional risk reduction measures are outlined in CDEM Group plans, Long Term Plans and Annual plans. Under the Resource Management Act, regional councils produce regional policy statements, coastal and other regional plans, and city and district councils produce district plans. All these documents contain hazards reduction policies. Councils may also produce other statutory and non-statutory plans such catchment plans and urban growth strategies that have hazard risk reduction as a component.

These plans are generally available for viewing on council websites.

The Ministry for the Environment and NZ Planning Institute administer a website that promotes the sharing of knowledge about all aspects of best practice under the Resource Management Act. It is intended for council practitioners and consultants, environmental managers and others, and includes a section on hazards management (see Quality Planning: Natural hazards).