Sign In / Register
A trained team of Civil Defence Emergency Management staff from Kaipara District Council (KDC) went on a support mission to Southland recently.
Travelling in a Hercules from Whenuapai Air Force Base to Invercargill, the KDC crew joined forces with members of the Emergency Management Assistance Team and the National Emergency Management Agency.
The group was stationed at the Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) at Environment Southland, the region’s council, between October 23 and November 1, where about 152 staff worked on the response to Southland’s extreme weather event.
One of the top priorities was to establish temporary generator power to rural properties where fallen trees and downed power poles had disrupted supply. This was critical to ensure farmers could continue milking and maintain animal welfare.
A KDC spokesperson says that throughout the deployment, Kaipara staff worked closely with regional and national emergency teams, gaining valuable hands-on experience in a fully operational ECC.
“Mission accomplished, the crew acknowledged Southland’s hospitality with a heartfelt mihi and waiata, which was warmly reciprocated by people from iwi relations,” the spokesperson said. “The team returned to Kaipara with valuable insights, experience and strengthened relationships across the emergency management network, which is particularly important when considering council’s responsibility to coordinate the multi-agency response during civil defence emergencies here.
“Having staff who bring firsthand deployment experience significantly enhances our ability to respond effectively when it matters most.”
Deploying trained personnel during national emergencies is a crucial part of NZ’s civil defence approach, with specialist teams from councils or other agencies – known as ‘surge staff’ – providing critical support to smaller regions during major disruptive events.
Kaipara has also benefitted from surge support. Building inspectors from Auckland Council assisted after Mangawhai’s tornado in January and a surge team helped to bolster Kaipara’s Emergency Operations Centre during Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.
