News and Events

The Ministry has just released the new Guide to the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan 2015 (the Guide). The Guide sets out the arrangements, roles, and responsibilities of agencies for the national management, or support to local management, of emergencies. The Guide incorporates the wording of the new National CDEM Plan 2015, which states the principles, arrangements, and frameworks that apply to the management of emergencies. The Guide supports this wording with further detail, diagrams, and operational information.

A proposed law change to help communities recover from small to moderate scale emergencies has started to make its way through Parliament. The Civil Defence Emergency Management Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament.

Improvements are being made to how welfare services are coordinated and delivered to communities when there is an emergency. The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management has just released a new guideline governing how, when and where welfare services should be delivered in emergencies.

New Zealand is now better at planning for emergencies and supporting the public in them, with over 100 recommendations from the Independent Review of the Civil Defence Emergency Management Response to the Christchurch Earthquake now actioned

Initial results show that official sign-ups for New Zealand ShakeOut 2015 have beaten the 2012 national earthquake drill, with over 1.35 million Kiwis signed up this year.

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 & Emergency Management has cancelled the National Tsunami Warning (Marine and Beach Threat) issued yesterday after the earthquake near Chile. The National Warning no longer needs to be in place as the threat to New Zealand’s East Coast and Chatham Islands has largely passed. We expect that there may be some unusual water conditions for the next 24-36 hours and advise people to be cautious and use discretion before going into the water or going out in small board. We expect things to be back to normal within that 36 hour period.

A tsunami warning marine and beach threat has been issued for East Cape, Chatham Islands, Coromandel and Banks Peninsula. Overnight (17.09.15) people in these areas should follow this advice: 1. Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities) 2. Stay off beaches and shore areas 3. Do not go sightseeing 4. Share this information with family, neighbours and friends 5. Listen to the radio and/or TV for updates 6. Follow instructions of local civil defence authorities.

The Earthquake Commission has commissioned research that looks at the tsunami risks facing New Zealand.

The Ministry publishes e-Bulletin eight months a year to provide short, quick updates about civil defence emergency management (CDEM) and related information. It is for people in the CDEM sector and those with an interest in CDEM. This edition features a foreword from the Director, the Storm event and Whanganui River Flood of June 2015; Canterbury Group Annual Welfare Forum, Clutha Kids get Clued-Up; Papamoa College students prepare for ShakeOut; CIMS 4 Training for Bay of Plenty and Nelson-Tasman and more.