Media Release Archive

Registrations are now open for New Zealand ShakeOut 2023, our national earthquake drill and tsunami hīkoi. Sign up at www.shakeout.govt.nz.

The tragic earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia is a reminder for New Zealanders of the importance of knowing how to stay safe in the event of a tsunami.

Civil Defence Emergency Management authorities and media are joining forces to ensure better access to emergency information for diverse communities.

Now is a good time to think ahead about how Cyclone Gita might impact you and your household, and plan accordingly, the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management is advising the public.

New Zealand’s new Emergency Mobile Alert system has been well received by New Zealanders, according to an independent survey commissioned by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM).

Improvements are being made to how welfare services are coordinated and delivered to communities when there is an emergency.

With just seven days to go until New Zealand’s national ShakeOut earthquake drill, a challenge is going out to every business and family in the country to sign up now to help them ‘get ready and get thru’ if there is a disaster.

The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management has activated the National Crisis Management Centre this morning to be ready to support regions affected by flooding.

Sign language interpreter Jeremy Borland is the latest prominent New Zealander to get behind New Zealand ShakeOut, our national earthquake drill, taking place at 9:15am, 15 October 2015.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management today (Friday 12 June 2015) published Logistics in CDEM: Director's Guidelines for Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups. This will complete another recommendation from the Review of the CDEM Response to the 22 February 2011 Christchurch Earthquake.

More than 250,000 people have already registered to take part in New Zealand ShakeOut, our national earthquake drill. The target is to have at least 1.5 million people signed up for the ‘Drop, Cover and Hold’ drill at 9:15am, 15 October 2015.

With winter approaching the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management is using social media to help make sure New Zealanders are prepared. A series of tweets and facebook posts will be shared at the end of May to highlight the importance of learning about disasters, having a household emergency plan, having emergency survival items and preparing a getaway kit.

The warning system which provides coordinated tsunami threat information to countries throughout the Pacific marks its 50th anniversary next week. New Zealand will play a part in an International Tsunami Symposium in Hawaii on April 20 and 21 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (PTWS), and a subsequent meeting of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) of the PTWS from 22-24 April.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management is celebrating the start of the school year with a social media campaign to help kids understand and plan for disasters.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management advises that while changes to Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre messages come into effect from today (Wednesday 1 October), the Ministry has been, and remains, the authoritative voice for tsunami advice in New Zealand.

EQC and Civil Defence are joining forces in the lead-up to the anniversary of the February 22 earthquake with a press and internet campaign urging people to protect what is most valuable to them – people and homes.

Statistics New Zealand survey results released today confirm the trend of more and more households being prepared for emergencies but, overall, the total is still low.

Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management Rapid Impact Assessment was published today as new guidance to be used by staff carrying out rapid impact assessments.

The Review of Tsunami Hazard in New Zealand (2013 Update), released today, reinforces the need for the public to understand and be prepared to respond to the threat of a tsunami.

Getting to know your neighbours and your community are the major themes for this year’s Get Ready Week which started today (23 September) and runs to 29 September, says John Hamilton, Director Civil Defence and Emergency Management.

Research released today shows the Get Ready Get Thru emergency preparedness campaign is proving highly successful.

It is frightening to stay in a building immediately after an earthquake but it is much safer than immediately going outside. The Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, John Hamilton, said it is not like a fire. You do not have to evacuate a building straight away unless it is showing obvious signs of distress.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has approved funding for 17 local government projects that will improve local and regional civil defence emergency management.

An initial trial has shown that emergency composting toilets might be an alternative to port-a-loos and chemical toilets if sewerage lines are damaged or broken.

Additional information for Oklahoma City tornado story

I would like to thank media organisations for your support yesterday in advising New Zealand of the potential risk we faced after the Santa Cruz earthquake and the tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands.

Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group manager, Graeme MacDonald, returned last night from a two-week United Nations deployment in the typhoon ravaged Philippines.

New Zealander Graeme MacDonald is one of the seven-strong United Nations team deployed in the Philippines ahead of Tropical Cyclone Bopha (known in the Philippines as Super typhoon Pablo).

The independent Review of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Response to the 22 February Christchurch Earthquake was today released by the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.

So many New Zealand ShakeOut evaluation forms are being returned that GNS Science is hiring a group of students to input all the data.

The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management is delighted with New Zealand’s tremendous response to our first ever national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut, and that response from schools, businesses, councils, people at home and media is continuing.

New Zealand’s first ever national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut happens in about 45 minutes, at 9:26am.

Yesterday saw a big increase in numbers registered for New Zealand’s national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut.

New Zealand’s national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut, happens at 9:26am tomorrow - but what should people do after the drill?

It is only two days to go until the start of our country’s national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut, and thousands of schools and workplaces, including shopping centres and national retail chains, and more than 1.2 million people are already involved.

With one week to go until our first ever nationwide earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut, Waikato’s Te Aroha Community Hospital might just be the most involved organisation in the country.

This morning, on the second anniversary of the first Canterbury earthquake, we reached our goal of 1 million people for the Drop, Cover and Hold national earthquake drill.