Viewpoint – Resilience challenges 

Unfortunately, thunderstorms turned what should have been a relaxing Easter weekend into one of wind and rain from ex-tropical cyclone Tam. Many in Auckland and Northland had to batten down the hatches and wait for the severe weather to pass through. I want to acknowledge everyone impacted by power outages or flooding for their patience and cooperation with council staff, first responders and lines workers in getting through the disruption. 

I also want to thank our emergency managers, first responders, volunteers, and council workers who worked through the night in difficult conditions. Their fast, professional response helped limit the damage and keep people safe.

As the Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery, I have spent time up and down the country during emergency situations and have seen first-hand the important work our response teams do. 

While thunderstorms were expected with ex-tropical cyclone Tam, this event was particularly intense and hit suddenly. Thunderstorms, by nature, are complex and very hard to predict – we have all seen just how quickly they can escalate.

 For many, the storms brought back painful memories of the Auckland Anniversary floods two years ago. Thankfully, the impacts this time were far less severe. There were no buildings placarded, very few requests for assistance, and most importantly nobody was seriously harmed. Emergency response centres were quickly stood up, stormwater crews were deployed to known hotspots, and issues were addressed swiftly.

We will have to continue to deal with severe weather events and we are working on constant improvement. The feedback I’ve received in relation to ex-tropical cyclone Tam has been overwhelmingly positive – people described the response as calm, well-organised, and highly professional.

Communicating during fast-moving, unpredictable events is a major challenge. It’s something we continue to work on, because getting clear information out quickly can make all the difference. 

One of the clearest lessons from Cyclone Gabrielle and highlighted by recent events is the need for a “whole of society” approach. We need to better harness the capabilities of our communities – not just during emergencies, but in preparing for and recovering from them too. That is why the government, is taking action to strengthen our emergency management legislation. The new legislation will modernise the way we respond to disasters, recognise and strengthen the role of community groups, rural trusts, Iwi, ethnic and faith-based groups to ensure everyone understands how to interact and respond in a coordinated way. Public consultation for that Bill is open now, until May 13. 

I am also working on a government investment plan to make sure we are in the best possible position to be able to identify, manage and mitigate our risks as a country.