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.
mr 2012 08 29 920k signed up for shakeout
Shut Happens!, the “sting”, new earthquake video, road signs and more than 920,000 people signed up (95 KB)
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).
mr 2012 08 16 750k participating national earthquake drill
750,000 participating national earthquake drill! (89 KB)
16 Aug 2012
As of today, more than 750,000 people are participating in New Zealand’s biggest ever earthquake drill, New Zealand ShakeOut.
mr 2012 07 29 new multi lingual radio ads
New multi-lingual radio ads start: “Drop, Cover, and Hold” (84 KB)
29 Jul 2012
From tomorrow (Monday), people will hear new Drop, Cover and Hold earthquake preparedness ads on the radio - in six different languages.
mr 2012 07 24 not all bleaches are safe
Not all bleaches are safe to use in stored drinking water (104 KB)
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.
mr 2012 07 16 mt Roskill Primary School
Mt Roskill Primary School a champion of preparedness (86 KB)
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
mr 2012 07 10 more than 250k registered for shakeout
More than 250,000 registered for New Zealand ShakeOut (90 KB)
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.
mr 2012 07 04 website provides earthquake hazard information
New website provides all regions’ earthquake hazard information (105 KB)
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”.
mr 2012 06 27 launch of new advertising
Drop, Cover and Hold – the right thing to do in an earthquake Launch of new TV advertising and onlin (87 KB)
27 Jun 2012
Media are invited to preview new television advertising and online videos that will begin screening on Thursday June 28.
mr 2012 03 30 more than 8000 registered for shakeout
More than 8,000 already registered for New Zealand ShakeOut! (94 KB)
30 Mar 2012
In less than a day more than 8,000 people have registered to take part in New Zealand ShakeOut.
mr 2012 03 29 shakeout launch
1 million people doing an earthquake drill at 9:26-26:9? You can too! (78 KB)
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.
mr 2012 03 07 japannz disaster management collaboration
Japan – New Zealand disaster management collaboration (77 KB)
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.
mr 2011 12 16 emergency planning guide for early childhood education
New emergency planning guide for early childhood education (161 KB)
16 Dec 2011
All early childhood education (ECE) services will soon have new guidance on how to plan for emergencies.
mr 2011 08 23 lessons for us and nz
Lessons for United States and New Zealand from Kiwi schools teaching about disasters (75 KB)
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.
mr 2011 01 20 response team returns from queensland floods
Civil defence response team returns from Queensland floods (72 KB)
20 Jan 2011
New Zealand’s civil defence response team returned today from the Queensland floods.
mr 2011 01 13 Planning begins for second NZ response team
Planning begins for second NZ Response Team (62 KB)
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.
mr 2011 01 12 NZ response team stood down for the day
NZ Response Team stood down for the day (61 KB)
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.
mr 2011 01 11 NZ response team return to condamine
NZ Response Team return to Condamine (59 KB)
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.
mr 2010 12 23 new zealanders more aware
New Zealanders more aware and better prepared? (66 KB)
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.
mr 2010 12 11 fema memorandum
Civil defence memorandum includes 24/7 contact with U.S.A (2 MB)
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.
mr 2010 10 18 exercise tangaroa to test national response
Exercise Tangaroa to test national civil defence response (160 KB)
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.
mr 2010 10 12 volcanic eruption tv show
Volcanic Eruption in Auckland, 8:30pm tomorrow (158 KB)
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.
mr 2010 09 28 alternative communications network for ncmc
Alternative communications network for National Crisis Management Centre (153 KB)
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).
mr 2010 06 17 positive lessons from massive chile earthquake
Positive lessons from massive Chile earthquake (155 KB)
17 Jun 2010
Initial summary of New Zealand/Australian engineering visit to Chile
mr 2010 05 31 sting broadcast on radio
Civil defence emergency “sting” broadcast on radio (153 KB)
31 May 2010
From Monday (31 May 2010) people might hear electronic civil defence emergency alarms on their radios.
mr 2010 03 04 statistics NZ survey
Statistics NZ survey reinforces need to be prepared (153 KB)
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.
mr 2010 02 23 tsunami risk management programme
Tsunami risk management programme updated Tsunami Advisory and Warning Plan and next steps (196 KB)
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.
mr 2010 02 17 emergency updates from Twitter
Receive civil defence emergency updates from Twitter (176 KB)
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 .
mr 2009 08 05 30th abbotsford anniversary
Saturday 8 August 2009, 30th anniversary of New Zealand’s biggest urban landslide, Abbotsford (1.6 MB)
05 Aug 2009
Thirty years ago, on Wednesday 8 August 1979, New Zealand’s biggest urban landslide hit Abbotsford in Dunedin.
mr 2009 07 30 how prepared are we
Landslides, tornadoes, flooding and earthquakes; So, how prepared are we? (199 KB)
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.
mr 2009 07 27 management information system for ncmc
Next step towards purchase of management information system for National Crisis Management Centre (192 KB)
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.
mr 2009 05 21 closer links between nz and aus agencies
Closer links between New Zealand and Australian national emergency management agencies (194 KB)
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.
mr 2009 05 11 anniversary of Wenchuan earthquake
A lesson learned: Earthquake engineering saves lives, New Zealand technology being used to rebuild i (207 KB)
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.
mr 2009 04 07 italian earthquake a tragic reminder
Italian earthquake a tragic reminder for New Zealand of the need to be prepared (248 KB)
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.
mr 2009 01 22 how safe is that building
How safe is that building? Comment encouraged on draft safety evaluation guidelines (203 KB)
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.
mr 2009 01 21 968 events recorded in 2008
968 natural hazard events recorded in 2008: earthquakes and weather warnings most common (194 KB)
21 Jan 2009
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management announced today that it recorded 968 weather and geological events in 2008.
mr 2008 12 22 strong international links necessary
Strong international links necessary for civil defence emergency management (190 KB)
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!
mr 2008 09 02 if you had to leave in a hurry
If you had to leave in a hurry, what would you do? (190 KB)
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.
Starting tomorrow, the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management is hosting a nationwide series of tsunami preparedness seminars.
mr 2008 06 05 discredited earthquake safety advice
Discredited earthquake safety advice circulated in NZ (185 KB)
05 Jun 2008
New Zealand agencies involved in promoting earthquake safety are concerned that advice from a source discredited overseas is being circulated by e-mail in New Zealand.
mr 2008 04 16 204 events in first quarter
204 civil defence emergency management events in first quarter: earthquakes and weather warnings mos (206 KB)
16 Apr 2008
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management announced today that it recorded 204 weather and geological events in the first quarter of the year, 1 January 2008 to 31 March 2008.
mr 2008 04 03 mass evacuation planning guidelines
How do you evacuate 300,000 people? Mass evacuation planning guidelines developed and myths dispell (184 KB)
03 Apr 2008
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management today distributed draft guidelines for planning mass evacuations.
mr 2008 03 30 better faster science information
Better, faster science information for civil defence emergency management (156 KB)
30 Mar 2008
Civil defence emergency management (CDEM) organisations will have better and faster access to science information through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and GNS Science.
mr 2008 01 10 900 civil defence events recorded in 2007
900 civil defence events recorded in 2007: earthquakes, severe weather, tornadoes, floods, and an er (152 KB)
10 Jan 2008
The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management announced today that it recorded 900 weather and geological events or emergencies last year.
mr 2007 12 20 strong international links
Strong international links set as priority for Ministry (149 KB)
20 Dec 2007
Maintaining strong international links has been set as a priority for the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management.
mr 2007 12 04 ministry and salvation army strengthen emergency welfare
Ministry and Salvation Army strengthen emergency welfare (147 KB)
04 Dec 2007
New Zealand’s ability to respond to civil defence emergency management (CDEM) events was strengthened today after the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management and The Salvation Army signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) about welfare services.
mr 2007 10 12 NZ hosts international UN disaster response training
NZ hosts international UN disaster response training (153 KB)
12 Oct 2007
Representatives from 24 countries and international agencies will be in New Zealand for the next two weeks for a major international disaster response training exercise.
mr 2007 10 08 new on line initiatives
New on-line initiatives for public and civil defence emergency management sector (146 KB)
08 Oct 2007
As international Disaster Awareness Week gets underway, three on-line initiatives to help provide better information to the civil defence emergency management (CDEM) sector and the public have been announced.