Hon John Carter
Minister of Civil Defence

State of national emergency extended further

Civil Defence Minister John Carter has today extended the state of national emergency until 30 April, in the aftermath of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch on 22 February.

The state of national emergency in New Zealand - that applies specifically to Christchurch City - was declared on 23 February. Under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act 2002 a state of national emergency can be declared for a maximum of seven days at a time only.

“There is still a need to use the authority of the National Controller while the transition is underway to the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA),” Mr Carter said.

“It is important that there is no void in authority, so the state of national emergency will remain in place.”
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