Wellington Mayors Endorse 10-Year Emergency Management Strategy

Scoop

4 days ago

Wellington region's eight city and district mayors have approved a 10-year emergency management strategy to strengthen their communities' ability to manage a 'Most Likely Plus' event like a severe storm or devastating cyclone.
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, Chair of the Wellington Region Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group Joint Committee, says the strategy's overarching vision is to build resilient communities that are connected, capable, and ready to respond effectively to disruptive events.
'With the increasing frequency of severe weather, as we've seen with the May 1 storm and with Cyclone Gabrielle two years ago, this strategy is absolutely vital.
'We're proactively strengthening our ability to respond to and recover from significant events like major storms, ensuring our communities are better prepared and that we're collaborating with them and local iwi,' says Mayor Whanau.
The strategy aims to enhance the current emergency management system and capabilities, preparing communities to respond to and recover from high-probability events, while also strengthening their resilience for rare but catastrophic events.
This proactive approach comes as emergency events in the Wellington region have surged by a staggering 330 per cent over the last ten years. Severe storms, which require significant regional coordination, are considered highly probable in the coming decades.
Dan Neely, Regional Manager of the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office, says the strategy is only the starting point.
'Detailed actions and programmes that will deliver on the goals of the strategy will be outlined in the region's CDEM Group Plan, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
'This strategy takes a whole-of-society approach to resilience, with actions for everyone from elected officials to response agencies to community groups,' says Mr Neely.
The Wellington region faces significant challenges including increased hazard exposure from climate change and urban growth, ageing infrastructure, insufficient community preparedness, funding constraints, and a lack of coordinated risk management.
The Wellington Region CDEM Group Joint Committee – comprising the mayors from its eight city and district councils, the Chair of Greater Wellington Regional Council, and iwi representatives – will help ensure the strategy remains aligned with local needs and benefits residents throughout the area.