2 April 2019 Have your say on emergency management in the Wellington Region

Residents in the Wellington Region have four weeks to have their say on a five-year plan for Civil Defence and Emergency Management. The Wellington Region’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) Group Plan sets out the strategic approach to be taken by the Wellington CDEM Group for the effective and efficient management of the region’s significant risks and hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunami and flooding.

Public consultation on the Wellington Region’s CDEM Group Plan is now open and submissions will be accepted until 4pm on Monday 29 April 2019.

The Wellington Region CDEM Group is made up of the region’s nine councils, emergency services, lifeline utilities, the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) and a number of other agencies with CDEM responsibilities. WREMO is a semi-autonomous organisation that coordinates the region’s Civil Defence and Emergency Management services on behalf of the region’s nine councils.

In summary, the Group Plan seeks to: Provide information on the hazards and risks in the Wellington Region; Strengthen relationships between agencies and partners involved in CDEM; Encourage collaborative planning and joint action between councils, the emergency services, other emergency management agencies, central government, iwi, and the community; Show commitment from agencies and partners to the delivery of more effective CDEM; and Outline the principles of operation within which agencies involved in CDEM agree to cooperate.

In his introductory comments Mayor Ray Wallace from Hutt City Council, the Chair of the Wellington Region CDEM Group, says “This is the third Group Plan for the region and reflects a significant shift in thinking to the previous plan. Written eighteen months after the Kaikōura earthquake – which had a significant psychological, structural and economic impact on the Wellington Region – this plan reflects the CDEM Group’s desire for a ‘step change’ in the region’s emergency management approach. It incorporates several significant changes that have occurred over the past five years, including a shift at a national level away from waiting for an emergency to happen and reacting, to a proactive approach of identifying potential hazards and making a concerted effort to reduce their impact and likelihood. The plan is also in alignment with recommendations following the 2017 Ministerial Review and the new National Disaster Resilience Strategy.

“The CDEM Group Plan acknowledges that the region must be ready for a significant emergency and that we must take concrete steps to increase our level of preparedness for such an event. This public consultation is an opportunity for the people who live, work or have an interest in the Wellington Region to comment on the strategic direction and framework for emergency management over the next five years. I urge people to have their say on this important document which sets out our journey to become a truly resilient community.”

Visit www.wremo.nz/consultation to view the full Group Plan document, as well as a summary, and complete an online submission form. Alternatively, emailinfo@wremo.nz or call 04 830 4279 with any questions.

ENDS

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