Media Release Archive
Non-emergency related media releases issued by the National Emergency Management Agency
Media releases issued by the Minister of Civil Defence are published on the Beehive website.
Media releases issued by the Minister of Civil Defence are published on the Beehive website.
04 Dec 2012
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).
05 Oct 2012
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.
02 Oct 2012
So many New Zealand ShakeOut evaluation forms are being returned that GNS Science is hiring a group of students to input all the data.
26 Sep 2012
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.
26 Sep 2012
New Zealand’s first ever national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut happens in about 45 minutes, at 9:26am.
26 Sep 2012
Yesterday saw a big increase in numbers registered for New Zealand’s national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut.
25 Sep 2012
New Zealand’s national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut, happens at 9:26am tomorrow - but what should people do after the drill?
24 Sep 2012
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.
03 Sep 2012
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.
29 Aug 2012
New Zealand’s first ever national earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut, is exactly four weeks away, at 9:26am on September 26 (9:26-26:9).
16 Aug 2012
As of today, more than 750,000 people are participating in New Zealand’s biggest ever earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut.
29 Jul 2012
From tomorrow (Monday), people will hear new Drop, Cover and Hold earthquake preparedness ads on the radio - in six different languages.
24 Jul 2012
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has reviewed its advice about storing water for emergencies and has issued new, additional information.
16 Jul 2012
The latest issue of the Education Gazette features Mt Roskill Primary School as a champion of emergency preparedness. www.edgazette.govt.nz
10 Jul 2012
More than 250,000 people are now registered to take part in New Zealand’s biggest ever earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut.
04 Jul 2012
For the first time one website now provides a way to easily access information about regional earthquake hazards across New Zealand. Go to http://www.shakeout.govt.nz/whyparticipate/ and select a region under “New Zealand earthquake hazards”.
27 Jun 2012
Media are invited to preview new television advertising and online videos that will begin screening on Thursday June 28.
30 Mar 2012
In less than a day more than 8,000 people have registered to take part in New Zealand ShakeOut.
29 Mar 2012
At 9:26am on 26 September (9:26-26:9) New Zealand ShakeOut aims to have 1 million people in New Zealand do a “Drop, Cover and Hold” earthquake drill.
07 Mar 2012
Top Japanese scientists and senior government officials arrive in New Zealand tomorrow (Thursday) to share Japanese and New Zealand disaster management expertise.
16 Dec 2011
All early childhood education (ECE) services will soon have new guidance on how to plan for emergencies.
23 Aug 2011
There are lessons for both the United Sates and New Zealand from the way Kiwi primary and intermediate school children are taught how to prepare for disasters.
20 Jan 2011
New Zealand’s civil defence response team returned today from the Queensland floods.
13 Jan 2011
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night that New Zealand could provide a second civil defence Response Team to Queensland, planning has begun for the selection and formation of that team.
12 Jan 2011
Members of the 15-strong New Zealand Civil Defence Response Team assisting with flood relief in Queensland have been stood down today for a well-earned rest.
11 Jan 2011
Additional flooding in the Queensland town of Condamine has resulted in the New Zealand Civil Defence Response Team returning to help residents cope.
23 Dec 2010
The Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, John Hamilton, said that, anecdotally, New Zealanders seem to be more aware and better prepared after a year of emergencies and disasters here and overseas.
11 Dec 2010
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today signed a memorandum of cooperation that includes 24/7 contact between the agencies.
18 Oct 2010
New Zealand’s ability to respond to a warning of a potentially destructive tsunami will be tested by Exercise Tangaroa on Wednesday, 20 October 2010.
12 Oct 2010
Eruption screens on TV3 at 8:30pm tomorrow. It is a New Zealand-made drama that follows several Auckland families in the days before a volcanic eruption in their city.
28 Sep 2010
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has signed a contract with New Zealand telecommunications company, TeamTalk, to build a new alternative communications network for the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC).
17 Jun 2010
Initial summary of New Zealand/Australian engineering visit to Chile
31 May 2010
From Monday (31 May 2010) people might hear electronic civil defence emergency alarms on their radios.
04 Mar 2010
Statistics New Zealand’s General Social Survey, released today, shows that 15% of households are prepared for a natural disaster, i.e. they have enough food and water stored to last three days, and they have an emergency plan.
23 Feb 2010
New Zealand’s tsunami risk management programme has taken another step forward with the announcement today of a revised national Tsunami Advisory and Warning Plan.
17 Feb 2010
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has added a Twitter feed to the emergency status bar on its website www.civildefence.govt.nz .
05 Aug 2009
Thirty years ago, on Wednesday 8 August 1979, New Zealand’s biggest urban landslide hit Abbotsford in Dunedin.
30 Jul 2009
In the last few weeks Waihi Village was evacuated because of a threatened landslide, Wellington rail and road links were closed by slips, tornadoes struck Kaitaia and Opunake, heavy rain caused flooding in Gisborne district and a large earthquake, followed by aftershocks, occurred in Fiordland.
27 Jul 2009
The purchase of an electronic emergency management information system (EMIS) for the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) has come a step closer today with the issuing of registration of interest (ROI) documentation.
21 May 2009
A formal “Administrative Arrangement” between the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and the Attorney-General’s Department of Australia has helped create better links between New Zealand’s and Australia’s national emergency management agencies.
11 May 2009
The first anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, which claimed more than 70,000 lives and displaced 5 million people, will be marked at a New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) presentation at Victoria University at the exact time of the earthquake on Tuesday May 12.
07 Apr 2009
The earthquake that has struck the Abruzzo region of Italy is a tragic reminder that New Zealanders need to be prepared for earthquakes here.
22 Jan 2009
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management is encouraging local authorities and other organisations to comment on draft Building Safety Evaluation Guidelines.
21 Jan 2009
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management announced today that it recorded 968 weather and geological events in 2008.
22 Dec 2008
Maintaining strong international links is, necessarily, a priority for civil defence emergency management in New Zealand.
UNESCO led tsunami exercise, “Pacific Wave 2008” is an opportunity for the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management to train staff and test its response to Pacific tsunami bulletins.
A warning to people channel surfing tomorrow night or starting to watch Aftershock on TV3 part way through after its 8.30pm start. The programme includes acted “news bulletins” and “interviews” that help it give a realistic portrayal of what might happen after a major earthquake hits Wellington. Do not be confused; it is dramatisation of events but is not the real thing!
02 Sep 2008
Seeing New Orleans being evacuated ahead of Hurricane Gustav, it is timely to consider what New Zealanders would be able to do if we had to leave home in a hurry.
One of the “star attractions” at the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Forum at Parliament tomorrow will be big, green and mobile. It is Horizons Regional Council’s mobile education facility and emergency operations centre (EOC), the “Green Rig” (right). It will be set up in the forecourt at Parliament tomorrow.